Green Bay Packers wide receiver Mecole Hardman (6) is roced out of bounds by Seattle Seahawks cornerback Keydrain Calligan (17) during their final preseason game on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
After weeks of training camp and three preseason games, the Green Bay Packers have officially trimmed their roster down from 90 players (91 including international pathway kicker Mark McNamee) to 53. The deadline for NFL teams to make these cuts was 3:00 PM on Tuesday afternoon, which means that over 1,000 players are suddenly out of a job. Some will be re-signed to various practice squads, but others will be out of the league until their next opportunity comes around, if it comes around at all.
Many of the players cut by the Packers did not come as major surprises. After all, performances in the preseason varied, and those that played poorly were easy to identify. Still, it can be argued that more than 53 players are deserving of a roster spot, and the team simply could not keep everyone.
Among those cut were two of Green Bay’s more notable free agent signings from earlier this offseason.
The Green Bay Packers Cut Mecole Hardman and Isaiah Simmons
Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
One of the more notable free agent signings the Packers made this offseason was signing three-time Super Bowl Champion wide receiver Mecole Hardman to a one-year $1.5 million contract. However, only the $150,000 signing bonus that was part of the deal was guaranteed.
Hardman was signed to give the Packers depth at the wide receiver position and compete to be the team’s kick/punt returner.
However, when Green Bay released its 53-man roster, Hardman was not listed. Instead, the Packers kept Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, and Malik Heath.
Christian Watson will start the 2025 NFL season on the PUP list as he recovers from a torn ACL.
Additionally, the Packers also cut linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who was the eighth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Simmons drew praise early in training camp, but did not perform well enough in the preseason to garner a spot on the 53-man roster.
Surprisingly, Green Bay kept just four linebackers: Edgerrin Cooper, Quay Walker, Ty’Ron Hopper, and Isaiah McDuffie.
