The Green Bay Packers hit a bit of a snag in their expected march back to Super Bowl contention this season. While many were picking them to be a dark horse team in the NFC and possibly even a serious challenger to the Detroit Lions, they won a modest 11 games and exited in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
It has now become clear that internal improvement won’t be enough for the Packers to claim another Vince Lombardi Trophy. But while they historically haven’t relied on free agency to add big pieces, that mentality may have changed in recent years under general manager Brian Gutekunst.
They signed running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney, both of whom made the Pro Bowl in 2024, last offseason, and this offseason, they may add another significant piece in free agency.
Rob Demovsky, who covers the Packers for ESPN NFL Nation, said an agent told him the team “is going to be a player in free agency this year.” Specifically, he said he heard that one player to “keep an eye on” is cornerback D.J. Reed, who could be had for about $14-15 million a year.
👀@RobDemovsky‘s sources, expect the #Packers to be A PLAYER in Free Agency this off-season. pic.twitter.com/7IGAKJZt5N
— ESPN Milwaukee (@ESPNMilwaukee) February 28, 2025
For many years, Green Bay has avoided smaller cornerbacks. But while Reed is just 5-foot-9, he has had at least 10 passes defended in three of the last four seasons, and in 2024, he allowed a 57.1 percent pass completion rate and an 87.1 passer rating in coverage.
Over the past three years, he was a member of a New York Jets team that may have struggled but has played mostly excellent defense.
Demovsky said the Packers will be looking for help at cornerback, wide receiver and on their defensive line. Jaire Alexander, their best corner, could get traded, and even if he doesn’t, they need another stud in their secondary alongside him.
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