Trade Proposal Sees Packers Part Ways With Former 1st-Round DB

Getty Head coach Matt LaFleur (left) of the Green Bay Packers talks with safety Darnell Savage (right) during an NFL game against the Minnesota Vikings in November 2021.

No position on the Green Bay Packers roster has seen more transition this offseason than safety, and the team may not be finished making moves there.

Four-year starter Adrian Amos left for the New York Jets in free agency, while Green Bay added Jonathan Owens, formerly of the Houston Texans, and Tarvarius Moore, most recently of the San Francisco 49ers. Darnell Savage and Rudy Ford remain on the roster, rounding out a group of four options, though the notion that the Packers can field two quality starters out of the bunch is, to say the least, tenuous.

Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report on Friday, July 7, pitched a trade that would move Savage off of the books in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract after the Packers selected him with the No. 21 overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

The move would only save the team around $1.1 million against the salary cap in 2023, though it could also bring back a late-Day 2 or Day 3 draft pick next year. That type of return might make a trade worth it if Green Bay doesn’t intend to re-sign Savage once he hits free agency next spring and would allow the Packers to get something back for a former first-round asset before he gets the chance to walk for nothing.

Darnell Savage Among Worst Safeties in NFL Last Season Based on Advanced Analytics

GettySafety Darnell Savage of the Green Bay Packers celebrates after recovering a fumble during an NFL game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in September 2022.

Dealing Savage — who has underperformed both his draft position and his rookie contract ($12.5 million over four years, plus an exercised team option for 2023 at the price of $7.9 million) — would equate to the franchise making one of two statements.

Moving savage either means the team believes the trio of Owens, Ford and Moore can adequately support one of the better and pricier cornerback groups around the NFL, or it means that the Packers have designs on adding another player of some repute at the position this summer.

“If the Packers have made one thing clear with their offseason moves, it’s that they aren’t satisfied with what they got out of the safety position last season. They didn’t add many external free agents, but the two they did both play safety,” Ballentine wrote. “They might not be great options, but Savage had his worst season as a Packer last year and is due to be a free agent next season.”

“If the Packers view any of their other options as an upgrade, they might want to get an additional draft pick, if they can,” Ballentine continued.

Savage tallied 58 tackles, including two tackles for loss, five pass breakups, one interception, one fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown in 2022, per Pro Football Reference. The safety produced a cringeworthy coverage grade of 43.8 and an overall player grade of 47.5, per Pro Football Focus (PFF), which slotted him as the 87th best safety out of 88 players who saw enough snaps last season to qualify for a ranking.

John Johnson III Remains Option for Packers Regardless of Darnell Savage’s Immediate Future

GettySafety John Johnson III, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, remains a viable free agent target for the Green Bay Packers if they decide to add another safety this offseason.

With Amos off the board, the best safety still available in free agency is John Johnson III, formerly of the Cleveland Browns.

Johnson makes sense in Green Bay whether the team parts ways with Savage this year, next offseason or not at all considering the level of financial investment the Packers have made in their cornerback group and the defense overall.

The team had just shy of $14.3 million in 2023 cap space at its disposal as of July 7, with potential needs at backup quarterback and edge defender still to address. Johnson most recently signed a three-year, $33.75 million deal with the Browns in 2021 — an agreement the team severed in March with one contract year remaining in the interest of salary cap savings.