The Green Bay Packers are one of the best trio of cornerbacks in the NFL. Jaire Alexander will be healthy this year and has just signed a massive contract extension. Rasul Douglas is back in Green Bay after signing a three-year deal following his breakout season in 2021. Eric Stokes had a tremendous rookie season and will be even better this year. The odd man out, Kevin King, remains unsigned. According to ESPN’s Matt Bowen, the Las Vegas Raiders would be an excellent fit for the veteran cornerback.
Has Kevin King Played His Last Snap as a Packers Defender?
Kevin King was once a highly touted second round pick by the Green Bay Packers. Well, may not highly touted. King had the misfortune of being the player the Packers chose to draft instead of Wisconsin’s TJ Watt. Indeed, King had an uphill battle from the moment he was drafted, though it was through no fault of his own. Fans already did not like him simply because the organization chose him over Watt.
King’s play on the field, though, did not help his case. That is to say, his inability to stay on the field did not help him at all. In five seasons with the Green Bay Packers, King never played a full healthy season. The closest he came to doing that was in 2019 when he played in 15 games. Not surprisingly, it was his best season as he had five interceptions, 15 pass deflections, a forced fumble, and his only career sack.
In all of his other seasons, King missed seven, ten, five, and seven games respectively for a grand total of 29 games missed. That is close to two full seasons worth of games.
Of course, this does not even begin to take into account his poor tackling numbers and all the times he was torched for big plays (2020 NFC Championship Game, anyone?). One has to think that if the Packers wanted to bring King back for one more season, they would have signed him already.
Why the Las Vegas Raiders Make Sense for Kevin King
The Las Vegas Raiders are certainly looking more and more familiar to Green Bay Packers fans. Current Raiders coaches and players that used to call Green Bay home include:
- Edgar Bennett: wide receivers coach
- Tyler Lancaster: defensive lineman
- Maurice Drayton: special teams assistant
- Davante Adams: wide receiver
Would the Raiders be interested in signing Kevin King to add to their list of former Packers? As Mark Bowman wrote:
“The Raiders will be much more multiple from a coverage perspective this year under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. A mix of single-high and split-safety shells would allow king to pedal and play off the ball–or roll up and challenge from press.
The Raiders did trade for corner Rock Ya-Sin this offseason, but with a new staff in place and a loaded group of opposing quarterbacks to defend in the AFC West, you can never have enough guys who can cover. King is only 27 years old.”
In other words, Kevin King is better than no one.
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