After signing Aaron Banks and Nate Hobbs, how did the Packers’ offseason compare to those of their NFC rivals?
Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers entered the offseason with money to spend. They spent it, but did they improve?
The 33rd Team’s Tyler Brooke graded every team’s offseason (AFC and NFC). The good news is the Packers got a B-minus. The bad news is only 10 teams received a C, D or F.
Green Bay entered the offseason with only one player it absolutely had to re-sign. That was kicker Brandon McManus, who signed a three-year contract before the start of free agency.
The biggest signing was guard Aaron Banks. Not only do the Packers have a new starter on the offensive line but they’ll have a new configuration on their line, with Elgton Jenkins moving from left guard to center to replace Josh Myers and Banks stepping in at left guard.
The size of Banks’ contract was staggering, though. The four-year, $77 million contract makes him the sixth-highest-paid guard in the NFL by average salary. Banks has not been a top-six guard. Or a top-10 guard. Or even a top-20 guard.
PFF’s grades should not be taken as definitive but, for what they’re worth, Banks ranked 32nd out of 66 guards who played 500 snaps last season. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, which measures sacks, hits and hurries allowed per pass-blocking snap, he ranked 36th.
The Packers are betting $27 million – that’s the size of his signing bonus – that Banks will take the next step in his career and become a significantly above-average blocker.
The Packers also signed cornerback Nate Hobbs. His four-year, $48 million contract ranks 21st at the position in annual pay. That’s a lot of money for a player who has spent a lot of time sidelined by injuries.
Hobbs played 49.9 percent of the defensive snaps in 2024, 68.5 percent in 2023, 59.4 percent in 2022 and 72.4 percent as a rookie in 2021. After missing only one game in 2021, he was sidelined for 16 of a possible 51 games the last three seasons.
The Packers are betting $16 million – the size of his signing bonus – that he’ll stay healthy and become an every-down defender.
“Those are two moves that definitely improve Green Bay’s roster, but there are still holes that went unaddressed, most notably a premier pass rusher and a proven No. 1 receiver,” Brooke wrote. “The Packers will need to hit home runs at both spots in the NFL Draft to elevate themselves into legitimate Super Bowl contenders.”
The Packers’ ability to contend isn’t only about their offseason additions. It’s about gaining ground on the premier teams in the NFC.
The Detroit Lions, who swept the Packers last season survived an enormous list of impact injuries to repeat as NFC North champions, received a B-plus. They lost both of their coordinators but got better on defense with cornerback D.J. Reed and defensive tackle Ray Lopez.
The Minnesota Vikings, who swept the Packers to earn a chance to win the No. 1 seed in Week 18, got an A after adding power in the trenches and re-signing running back Aaron Jones and cornerback Byron Murphy. The Vikings and Rams, who replaced Cooper Kupp with Davante Adams, had the best grades in the NFC.
“The Vikings now have a loaded roster on both sides of the ball that should take a lot of pressure off of their first-round quarterback,” Brooke wrote.
The Philadelphia Eagles, who swept the Packers and won the Super Bowl, got a C-plus after losing Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Darius Slay and Mekhi Becton in free agency.
The Washington Commanders, who surged into the playoffs behind rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels got an A-minus after acquiring left tackle Laremy Tunsil, among others.
