Packers Leave Door Open for Return of $36 Million Defender

The Green Bay Packers isolated their roster needs and addressed each aggressively during the NFL Draft, save for one.

The secondary remains something of a question in Green Bay, particularly at the safety position. The Packers added former San Francisco 49ers defender Tarvarius Moore in free agency and drafted Anthony Johnson Jr. out of Iowa State with the No. 242 pick in the seventh round on Saturday, April 29.

However, neither player tracks as an adequate replacement for free agent Adrian Amos if the Packers hope to maintain in 2023 the level of play at the safety position that Amos has provided as a starter over the past four seasons. Amos remains on the market as he seeks one more big NFL payday, but that doesn’t mean a return to Green Bay is out of the question.

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst spoke to the possibility of Amos’ donning the green and gold again next season during a post-draft press conference on Saturday.

“We’re not going to close the door on that,” Gutekunst said.

Packers Have Changed Tune on Adrian Amos Since End of NFL Draft

GettySafety Adrian Amos of the Green Bay Packers watches from the sideline prior to a game against the San Francisco 49ers in September 2021.

Amos signed a four-year deal worth $36 million to join the Packers back in 2019 after playing his first four NFL campaigns with the Chicago Bears. Amos played out the final year of his deal in Green Bay last season before hitting free agency.

Speaking with reporters on March 1, Gutekunst appeared to reference Amos as “moving on” come next season.

“Our secondary is a little bit unsettled,” Gutekunst said. “We have a couple safeties that are moving on [who] were here last year. As a whole, I really like our nucleus coming back.”

Now, however, with a good deal more information on what the team’s secondary will look like come training camp, the chances that Gutekunst and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur try and bring Amos back have improved. That Amos has yet to ink a deal with any competing franchise also increases the likelihood he will return to the Green Bay secondary.

As of Sunday, Rudy Ford and Innis Gaines are listed as the backup safeties on the Packers’ roster behind Moore and Darnell Savage.

Adrian Amos Has Proven Productive Starter for Packers Over 4 Seasons

GettySafety Adrian Amos of the Green Bay Packers celebrates after intercepting a pass from quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, formerly of the Chicago Bears, during a game in January 2021.

The Packers had nearly $12 million in salary cap space as of Sunday, per Over The Cap, and can work out a deal for Amos if they are truly incentivized to do so. Spotrac projects Amos’ market value at approximately $6.8 million annually over the course of a three-year contract.

Amos has been as reliable as a player can be since signing on with Green Bay, starting all 66 regular season games over the last four years. During that stretch, Amos has tallied 30 pass breakups, 15 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, four sacks and a fumble recovery, per Pro Football Reference.

Amos will play the 2023 season at the age of 30. He was selected by the Bears with the No. 142 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft.