The Green Bay Packers were handed yet another early playoff exit — in a season with so much promise, things didn’t end the way they were supposed to. With another disappointing season comes more questions as they decide who to bring back and who will hit free agency this offseason. There are quite a few intriguing names that could reshape the Packers’ future next year.
Thanks to some of the possible names from the Packers, it could make for an interesting offseason with some of their top names possibly landing with different teams. Malik Willis has been gaining a lot of attention, but he’s not the only one. Here’s who the Packers will be losing this offseason and here’s how it will impact free agency.
Malik Willis
The market for a quarterback is always in demand and when a cheap one hits the market, he’ll have high demand. Willis is a reformed option — much like Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones were — which is why he’ll have a lot of attention on him. The Tennessee Titans gave up on him and traded him to Green Bay. He’s been the perfect backup, not doing too much yet still helping the Packers win when they need him.
He should be a starting quarterback in the NFL, the question becomes who signs him. With Dante Moore headed back to Oregon, that could mean a team like the New York Jets become interested, maybe a team like the Cleveland Browns and even with Aaron Rodgers’ pending retirement, even the Pittsburgh Steelers could be in the market for Willis.
Either way, he’s not headed back to Green Bay and he’ll be one of the most sought after players this offseason. There’s some big names out there, but quarterbacks will always demand the most attention, that’s why he’ll have some of the biggest influence on free agency.
Predicting where Malik Willis signs: Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts need a quarterback, seeing as they’re probably not going to pay Jones what he’s worth this offseason. Willis solves their problem of needing a quarterback that will win them games. Anthony Richardson’s time is probably done and Riley Leonard isn’t quite the long term answer they need right now.
Quay Walker
This is one of the most interesting moves because the Packers probably would have wanted to retain Quay Walker as he’s been an efficient EDGE rusher. Well, the Packers pulled the trigger on Micah Parsons just before the season started, so I doubt they’re going to pay Walker what he wants when they already have a premier pass rusher. There are plenty of teams out there that need an EDGE rusher, which is why paying him is less likely. He’s going to yield a decent pay day.
I think Green Bay would be more interested in paying him had they not traded for Parsons. That said, now that they do have Parsons (and his contract to go with it), paying a speculated $10 million AAV (average annual value) feels steep. While Green Bay may not foot the bill, there’s more than enough teams that will.
Predicting where Quay Walker signs: Carolina Panthers
Carolina has the blueprint for what they need to succeed next season. They got within one possession of taking down the Los Angeles Rams in the wildcard round so naturally, they’ll focus on addressing their weaknesses. They need pass rush help and Walker is a serviceable option that’s cheap and can allow them to stay competitive.
Rasheed Walker
There’s plenty of reason why the Packers would want to abandon Rasheed Walker. According to the Dairyland Express, Walker was a liability in last week’s wildcard round and might have cost the Packers the game. That alone could be why they want to let him walk. His possible $20 million price tag is a bit steep with Jordan Love and Parsons’ contracts digging into the cap space.
They also have good depth on the offensive line so paying Walker just isn’t necessary for them. Especially if he’s going to have outings like he did in the wildcard, it’s not worth overpaying for those problems.
Predicting where Rasheed Walker signs: Cleveland Browns
This just has Cleveland Browns written all over it. They need massive improvements on the offensive line and it just feels like Walker is the choice they’ll go with. It would be at a respectable price, he’s a veteran and he can instantly help this offensive line, even if it’s not consistently.