Official 2026 Free Agency/Offseason/Non-Draft Thread

[ThunderDan]

The usual suspects (not talking about you) continue to whine about the cap - yet the Packers did/do a pretty good job of putting together a great roster and winning through it all (oh yeah, no Super Bowls - so bad so sad hahahaha, missing that one big day each season). Joe's comparison above with the rest of the division says it all about "cap hell". As for the Packers making tough decisions or whatever you'd call it, shedding "Bach, Alexander, maybe Jenkins, maybe Clark" really wasn't that tough. It woulda been smart regardless of the cap situation.

Jerry Jones' bottom line? That for Jones certainly ain't an annual thing. It's the value of his team compared to what he paid for it long long ago - he's gotten fat as an Arkansas razorback by that standard. The Parsons thing was more of a pissing contest than anything else where stubbornness cost the Cowboys and benefitted the Packers (maybe - the jury is sorta still out on that).

As you say, NFL revenue continues to skyrocket, and with that revenue, so does the salary cap - a fact which the whiners either are oblivious to or choose to ignore.

Fuck, you have been begging for ARod and Alexander back in threads this year.

So apparently, it wasn’t that obvious to get rid of them.

[texaspackerbacker]

Absence of an abnormal pandemic, there ain’t such fuck as a “cap hell” anymore in the NFL.

The NFL is essentially a colossal monopoly with antitrust exemptions and government subsidies. As such, it is able to overcharge customers and force the Networks to pony up…and steal from taxpayers in the name and game of stadium upgrades. In other words, NFL revenues continue to skyrocket, and it will continue skyrocketing - absence of an abnormal pandemic. So long as revenues continue to skyrocket, so too will the salary cap - and thus, rendering “cap hell” irrelevant.

Jerry Jones traded “Peerless” Parsons to the Packers not because signing Parsons to a sumptuous contract would put the Cowfuckers in the dreaded cap hell. Jones coulda paid Parsons more than the Packers did if he desired.

Jones traded Parsons because Parsons’ contract would fuck with his bottom line. Pigs seek to get fat after all.

The usual suspects (not talking about you) continue to whine about the cap - yet the Packers did/do a pretty good job of putting together a great roster and winning through it all (oh yeah, no Super Bowls - so bad so sad hahahaha, missing that one big day each season). Joe's comparison above with the rest of the division says it all about "cap hell". As for the Packers making tough decisions or whatever you'd call it, shedding "Bach, Alexander, maybe Jenkins, maybe Clark" really wasn't that tough. It woulda been smart regardless of the cap situation.

Jerry Jones' bottom line? That for Jones certainly ain't an annual thing. It's the value of his team compared to what he paid for it long long ago - he's gotten fat as an Arkansas razorback by that standard. The Parsons thing was more of a pissing contest than anything else where stubbornness cost the Cowboys and benefitted the Packers (maybe - the jury is sorta still out on that).

As you say, NFL revenue continues to skyrocket, and with that revenue, so does the salary cap - a fact which the whiners either are oblivious to or choose to ignore.

[Joemailman]

I saw that for the Vikings and went Holy Shit and they have to sign Addison.

Jefferson has a cap hit of 39 million next year, and it only goes up from there. Their cap guy will be busy.

[pbmax]

In spite of what I wrote above, I wonder a bit where GB is headed with veteran contracts under Gute/Ball. I've mentioned this before. Under Wolf and Thompson the Packers re-signed a lot of their best players to good contracts, but not cutting edge ones financially. They often ended up in the top 10 for their positions, but often around 5-8 in pay, just below the really expensive ones. Often the players seemed a bit unhappy, but not enough to uproot their careers and move. Often the pundits commented on the team-friendly aspects of the deals, even "home team discounts". (I'll leave out the QBs, Favre, Rodgers, Love. They are different and less replaceable than any other position. If you have one, you pay him.)

Under Gute/Ball the Packers have hit the upper crust with a lot of players. Bakhtiari, Alexander, Jenkins (for a guard), Clark and now Parsons all signed contracts that were near or at the very best for their position at the time they signed. Comments tend more toward the player being a bit overpaid, including guys like Gary without cutting-edge contracts. Two of those contracts completely backfired for the team and two others did not return the best value to the team.

Teams that consistently overpay their players tend to be the ones who stumble over their salary caps.

I think the rookie slotting for their contracts moved money into vet contracts and agent demands followed suit. You regularly see the next top free agent sign a deal that is near the top of the range. Less about scouting and more about their turn. Prescott and CD Lamb bagged a bigger deal from the Cowboys just because Jerry wanted to wait.

Also harder to sign early and get a deal though it can still happen. And I think a lot of those contracts under Thompson (Brandt and Ball) were early deals rather than discounts in their FA year.

If I remember correctly, the big swings and misses were on the third deals. I think.

[Patler]

The Packers have avoided any prolonged effects from "cap hell" because they are willing to bite the bullet and get rid of expensive players, including not overpaying too many second or third contracts; they consistently structure second and third contracts to include acceptable, even if expensive, outs in later years; ...
....

You can sign a guy like Enagbare to a 4 year deal that has a minimal year 1 cap hit. Others too. I'm not predicting anything here, just pointing out that sometimes higher price guys actually cost less in the first year or 2.

In spite of what I wrote above, I wonder a bit where GB is headed with veteran contracts under Gute/Ball. I've mentioned this before. Under Wolf and Thompson the Packers re-signed a lot of their best players to good contracts, but not cutting edge ones financially. They often ended up in the top 10 for their positions, but often around 5-8 in pay, just below the really expensive ones. Often the players seemed a bit unhappy, but not enough to uproot their careers and move. Often the pundits commented on the team-friendly aspects of the deals, even "home team discounts". (I'll leave out the QBs, Favre, Rodgers, Love. They are different and less replaceable than any other position. If you have one, you pay him.)

Under Gute/Ball the Packers have hit the upper crust with a lot of players. Bakhtiari, Alexander, Jenkins (for a guard), Clark and now Parsons all signed contracts that were near or at the very best for their position at the time they signed. Comments tend more toward the player being a bit overpaid, including guys like Gary without cutting-edge contracts. Two of those contracts completely backfired for the team and two others did not return the best value to the team.

Teams that consistently overpay their players tend to be the ones who stumble over their salary caps.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

The Packers have avoided any prolonged effects from "cap hell" because they are willing to bite the bullet and get rid of expensive players, including not overpaying too many second or third contracts; they consistently structure second and third contracts to include acceptable, even if expensive, outs in later years; and they consistently restock with younger players who earn their keep.

If they are just a tick better than average at all those things, and two ticks better than some of the other teams, they can consistently avoid the effects of cap hell.

Absence of an abnormal pandemic, there ain’t such fuck as a “cap hell” anymore in the NFL.

The NFL is essentially a colossal monopoly with antitrust exemptions and government subsidies. As such, it is able to overcharge customers and force the Networks to pony up…and steal from taxpayers in the name and game of stadium upgrades. In other words, NFL revenues continue to skyrocket, and it will continue skyrocketing - absence of an abnormal pandemic. So long as revenues continue to skyrocket, so too will the salary cap - and thus, rendering “cap hell” irrelevant.

Jerry Jones traded “Peerless” Parsons to the Packers not because signing Parsons to a sumptuous contract would put the Cowfuckers in the dreaded cap hell. Jones coulda paid Parsons more than the Packers did if he desired.

Jones traded Parsons because Parsons’ contract would fuck with his bottom line. Pigs seek to get fat after all.

[bobblehead]

The Packers have avoided any prolonged effects from "cap hell" because they are willing to bite the bullet and get rid of expensive players, including not overpaying too many second or third contracts; they consistently structure second and third contracts to include acceptable, even if expensive, outs in later years; and they consistently restock with younger players who earn their keep.

If they are just a tick better than average at all those things, and two ticks better than some of the other teams, they can consistently avoid the effects of cap hell.

Recently Gutes has gotten much better at adding day 3 talent that is helpful. His early drafts not so much. One can hope and pray that he recognizes that all the football players he drafted on day 3 are way better than the previous athletes and just maybe he will apply that to day 2 (There will be no day 1 for a couple years).

[bobblehead]

Packers are $10,000,000 under the cap for 2026 and only have 41 players under contract.

Jenkins is gone. So that gets us to $30,000,000 in cap space needing to sign our free agents and draft class.

The Packers will only be able to sign mid-tier deals. No one else is getting a top of the position contract.

Also in 2026, right now we are finally down to only $17,000,000 in dead cap fron the Clark trade. We have $50,000,000 in dead cap space this year and I think will the ARod issues we have been close to $100,000,000 in dead cap before.

You can sign a guy like Enagbare to a 4 year deal that has a minimal year 1 cap hit. Others too. I'm not predicting anything here, just pointing out that sometimes higher price guys actually cost less in the first year or 2.

[Patler]

The Packers have avoided any prolonged effects from "cap hell" because they are willing to bite the bullet and get rid of expensive players, including not overpaying too many second or third contracts; they consistently structure second and third contracts to include acceptable, even if expensive, outs in later years; and they consistently restock with younger players who earn their keep.

If they are just a tick better than average at all those things, and two ticks better than some of the other teams, they can consistently avoid the effects of cap hell.

[Patler]

Doubs, Watson, Kraft, Reed, Wicks. With Golden and Williams in hand for the next three years they only need to sign at most three of the others the next two years to significant contracts.

Re-signing Kraft is a given, unless his ACL surgery turns out like Bakhtiari's did.

Letting Wicks walk is a given, unless he can be resigned to a very inexpensive contract. He really has not done anything so far, so a cheap contract is a distinct possibility. He is just a filler-piece until he shows more on the field consistently.

That leaves Doubs, Watson and Reed. Why would you want to invest cap space on more than two of them?

Watson makes the offense different. Re-sign him if he holds up this year and next.

Reed makes a bigger "splash" than Doubs. It will be interesting to see if the offense finds its way when he returns in the next few weeks.

I would take Reed over Doubs and take the compensatory draft pick for losing Doubs. Develop the two rookies, bring in another draft pick and they should still have a solid receiver group.

[NewsBruin]

The few teams that have ever ended up in "cap hell" were stupid and deserved it. Much ado about very little.

Everybody that needs to be retained or signed will. Watch and see.

You're consistent about this. All teams can avoid salary-cap issues, except the stupid ones. All players can be re-signed with a little elbow grease and a prove-yourself hometown discount. If they weren't re-signed, that just shows we didn't need them anyway.

I believe you also wanted to trade for Rodgers' 10 remaining games, giving up Jordan Love's next three seasons and cap hit, on a team with no other active-roster QBs coming back in 2026, because Tom Brady was able to play into his forties.

[pbmax]

Some people always whine and worry about the cap - fans, sometime media pukes, but somehow not the people really in the know - the people that run the team seem to have it figured out and all the panicky crap never happens, not in Green Bay anyway. The few teams that have ever ended up in "cap hell" were stupid and deserved it. Much ado about very little.

Rodgers put the Packers in cap hell* with his last holdout/squeeze. They could easily afford him at his then salary plus Love. But he played it well (and Love wasn't ready) and they paid a fortune to him again for one year with less than stellar Rodgers.

If Rodgers plays only one season and then retires, gets released or is traded in 2023, the Packers would have to absorb at least $68 million in dead money (and up to $99.8 million if it occurred before June 1) --

Managing the cap simply involves making choices. And the Packers can make mistakes there. Bach, Alexander, maybe Jenkins, maybe Clark. There will be good players they need to let go with the Love, Gary and Parson deals. And they will need to replace them with draft picks. And they are missing some number 1s in the immediate future.

The youngest roster will be getting a little younger and adding multiple cheap parts.


* not Saints cap hell, no one else is close there, but it was expensive

[Fritz]

The whole division will have issues to deal with. As things stand right now, at start of 2026 league year, the Packers will have $10 million cap space, the Lions $6 million, the Bears $1 million and the Vikings will be $37 million over. https://overthecap.com/salary-cap-space

Are you seriously telling me that the Packers are in a better cap position than the rest of the NFC North? For real?

[ThunderDan]

Addison is signed thru 2026. Don’t have to resign until 2027 but after what happened with JJ, I think they will want to get something done a little earlier.

[ThunderDan]

The whole division will have issues to deal with. As things stand right now, at start of 2026 league year, the Packers will have $10 million cap space, the Lions $6 million, the Bears $1 million and the Vikings will be $37 million over. https://overthecap.com/salary-cap-space

I saw that for the Vikings and went Holy Shit and they have to sign Addison.