The Green Bay Packers have agreed to terms on their first signing of 2026 NFL free agency, bringing in a veteran cornerback to bolster next season’s defense.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Packers have agreed to terms on a two-year, $10 million contract with former Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Benjamin St-Juste with upside on his deal that could push the maximum value to $10.5 million.
“The #Packers are now adding on defense, agreeing to terms with former #Chargers FA CB Benjamin St-Juste, per me and @MikeGarafolo,” Rapoport wrote on X on March 10. “It’s a 2-year, $10M deal with some upside to $10.5M done by Kelton Crenshaw and Chris Coy of @KlutchSports.”
St-Juste made two starts and played in 16 games for the Chargers in 2025, finishing with seven pass deflections and an interception on just 356 total defensive snaps. In the four seasons prior, he also made 45 starts for the Washington Commanders, who took him at No. 74 overall in the 2021 draft and played him on the perimeter and in the slot.
The Packers cannot announce the deal with St-Juste — or any other free agents or trade acquisitions that they might sign during the NFL’s two-day legal-tampering period — until the start of the new league year at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 11.
Benjamin St-Juste Thrived in Zone Coverage in 2025
St-Juste might not have topped the list of available free-agent cornerbacks, but the 28-year-old could contend for a starting spot with the Packers in 2026 — especially if they continue to run a zone-heavy defense under new coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
According to Pro Football Focus, St-Juste finished 2025 as the league’s highest-graded cornerback in zone coverage (90.1) and earned respectable grades for his coverage as a whole (77.1) and as an overall defender (76.3). He also missed just one total tackle on the season between his 356 defensive snaps and career-high 296 special teams snaps.
In terms of size, St-Juste is now the Packers’ biggest-bodied cornerback at 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds. His agility is also an asset, though his vertical speed is a weakness and has created problems for him against faster receivers in his previous five seasons of action.
Whether St-Juste claims a starting role for the Packers in 2026, though, could largely depend on how they finish building out their cornerback room in the coming months.
Will Packers Retain Veteran CB Nate Hobbs in 2026?
The Packers could continue to augment their cornerback room with fresh talent in the next few months between the phases of free agency and the 2026 NFL draft, but they may also consider shedding a key name from the room: veteran Nate Hobbs.
The Packers signed Hobbs to a four-year, $48 million contract during the 2025 free agency period in hopes of adding an essential veteran to their defense, but the results were unsatisfying. Injuries limited Hobbs to just 358 defensive snaps — only two more than St-Juste in L.A. — over 11 games. His perimeter play also left much to be desired.
While Hobbs remains under contract for another three seasons, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported on March 8 that “there’s been rumblings that his time with the Packers could be coming to an end” after only one season.
Update (10:27 a.m. ET, March 10): According to Demovsky, the Packers are releasing Hobbs with a post-June 1 designation. The team will clear about $8.8 million in cap space with the move. In total, they paid $18 million for 11 games of Hobbs.
Packers Strike $10 Million Deal With Ex-Chargers Veteran Cornerback