The Green Bay Packers are one of only a few teams that have yet to sign an unrestricted free agent since the start of the new league year.
A team strapped by the salary cap hasn’t found any bargains at positions of need, especially cornerback, so the waiting continues.
According to Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated, the Packers have discovered “the price to be too high” on several different options at cornerback, a position the team has been “exploring” in free agency.
Several of the top cornerbacks, including William Jackson, Shaquill Griffin, Ronald Darby and Patrick Peterson, have signed new deals worth $10 million or more per year.
Although the cornerbacks are flying off the free-agent board, several still remain. Going into Friday, veterans such as Richard Sherman, Adoree Jackson, Malcolm Butler, Janoris Jenkins and Xavier Rhodes are still available.
The Packers might be able to get involved as time goes on and prices drop.
The Chicago Bears will soon add Kyle Fuller to the pool, but Huber’s source didn’t expect the Packers to be players for the former All-Pro. General manager Brian Gutekunst signed Fuller to an offer sheet in 2018, but the Bears matched. Fuller will likely have a big market once he’s officially a free agent.
The Packers lack the wiggle room under the cap to take on a big contract, complicating matters even in a depressed free-agent market. After needing to make a number of moves to get under the cap, this always looked like a team needing to bargain shop in free agency.
The Packers brought back slot cornerback Chandon Sullivan on the right of first refusal restricted tender, but Kevin King, a starter on the perimeter for the last few years, is an unrestricted free agent and still unsigned. It’s unclear if the Packers have any interest in returning King in 2021 or if finding an upgrade over the up-and-down second-round pick from 2017 is a priority.
Finding the right veteran cornerback in free agency could be a difference-making decision for the Packers’ 2021 defense. King, while playing opposite of 2020 All-Pro Jaire Alexander, struggled with the volume of targets thrown into his coverage. A real upgrade at the No. 2 cornerback spot could help the Packers transform from a good defense into a borderline great one this season.
