5 realistic Packers free agent targets for the 2024 offseason
![Cincinnati Bengals v Jacksonville Jaguars Cincinnati Bengals v Jacksonville Jaguars](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6000,h_3375,x_0,y_139/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/229/01hqdrdye5qy4b28z98d.jpg)
3. S Kareem Jackson (Houston Texans)
Packers’ safeties Rudy Ford, Darnell Savage and Jonathan Owens are among the players who could test free agency in mid-March.
Owens played in all 17 games in 2023, and made 11 starts. He was fifth on the team with 74 defensive stops. He also totaled one sack, knocked down three passes and forced a fumble. His 27-yard fumble return for a score keyed the team’s Thanksgiving Day upset of the Lions at Detroit. Owens added 10 tackles on special teams.
Ford was sixth on the club with 68 tackles, plus three more stops and a fumble recovery on special teams. He played appeared in only 13 contests (9 starts) and missed the playoffs.
Savage, the 21st overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, played in and made just 10 starts. There were 50 tackles and no interceptions. However, he picked off Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott in the wild card round and returned the theft 64 yards for a touchdown.
Will any or all of the three be back in 2024? That remains to be seen and there’s still time to get something done.
Meanwhile, 14-year pro Kareem Jackson could offer a short-term, as well as an economical solution. He spent 2023 with both the Broncos and Texans, but did play in a career-low 10 contests.