Getty Mason Crosby #2 of the Green Bay Packers looks on after a missed field goal attempt in the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome on January 22, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Green Bay Packers will have to decide on the future of 21 impending free agents this offseason, but an NFL insider believes one of them stands out more than the rest.
NFL.com columnist Adam Schein released a list of nine NFL free agents that teams must re-sign this offseason and picked out veteran offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga as the most important among the Packers’ potential departures before next season. The stalwart right tackle helped make the Packers the top pass-blocking unit in the league during the 2019 season and was also remarkably healthy, starting in all 16 games for only the second time in his 10-year career.
Here’s why Schein argued Bulaga should be on a list that also included Dallas’ Dak Prescott and Tennessee’s Derrick Henry, per NFL.com:
“Yes, he’s getting a little long in the tooth. Yep, playing 16 games is no guarantee. But he’s still generally playing at a high level. And in case you haven’t noticed, offensive tackles aren’t exactly growing on trees these days.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst wants his right tackle back, as he expressed in his end-of-season presser. Aaron Rodgers loves him and trusts him. And Rodgers isn’t getting any younger. Right now, though, the Super Bowl window is open. And Bulaga is part of the reason why.”
Among the Packers’ other notable free agents: inside linebacker Blake Martinez, cornerback Tramon Williams, kicker Mason Crosby, wide receiver Geronimo Allison and tight end Marcedes Lewis.
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Bulaga Could Be Pricey to Bring Back
Schein offers some good reasons to potentially bring back Bulaga for the 2020 season, but there are also some others that should give them pause. At the top of the list, the price.
According to Spotrac projections, Bulaga could command more than $10 million annually in his next contract during an offseason where the Packers also have to address needs at inside linebacker and wide receiver. Even if the Packers try solving one or both through the draft, signing Bulaga to a new deal would eat up a chunk of their cap space, which is one of the reasons why letting him walk could end up being the better option.
The Packers were successful with last year’s NFL draft in terms of adding start-now talent when they took Elgton Jenkins in the second round, so maybe general manager Brian Gutekunst sees a brighter future for the line with a younger choice to replace Bulaga. They would still have a veteran presence with All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari and center Corey Linsley, while Jenkins, Billy Turner and backup Lucas Patrick — who a few months ago signed a contract extension — make for a pretty solid group without Bulaga.
The Athletic‘s Matt Schneidman predicted the Packers could maybe even solve the absence of Bulaga with their own current personnel, moving Jenkins to right tackle and Patrick to left guard. His logic also assumes veteran Jared Veldheer will retire, which is a possibility but not yet guaranteed. Should he agree to return on a one-year deal and believe in the Packers’ ability to contend again in 2020, the need to retain Bulaga would be driven down even further.
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