Now that the Green Bay Packers have locked up their two best offensive players, it’s time to shift the focus toward preserving what proved to be a dominant defense in 2021.
A handful of crucial pieces could depart the unit this offseason, but two names the Packers appear set on bringing back with new contracts are linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and cornerback Jaire Alexander. It won’t be easy, as Green Bay remained nearly $44 million over the salary cap as of Saturday, March 12 with just days to clear the books by way of player cuts and/or contract restructuring maneuvers.
Campbell officially hits unrestricted free agency on March 16 after having a breakout season in 2021, which he played on a one-year bargain basement deal. Alexander, on the other hand, is entering the final year of his rookie contract after Green Bay exercised its fifth-year option on the former first-round pick.
While their situations are considerably different, the Packers are eyeing the same end result for both Campbell and Alexander — long-term agreements that keep the young stars in green and gold for several seasons to come.
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Packers LB Campbell Lined Up For Big Free Agency Pay Day
GettyDe’Vondre Campbell of the Green Bay Packers celebrates a sack during the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Campbell, 28, came out of nowhere to earn the honor of First-Team All Pro in 2021 and is certain to command interest from multiple teams around the NFL. While his price tag is likely to leap significantly from the $2 million he signed for last season, his ceiling-level annual salary is something Green Bay may be able to afford.
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky on Wednesday, March 9 cited agents familiar with the player market when he ballparked Campbell’s yearly number at around $10 million. Demovsky did not specify the length of the offer the Packers are considering, though three or four years is standard for such a deal, generally with more than half of the total salary guaranteed.
Spotrac, an online resource that tracks athlete contracts and projects market value, was not as bullish on Campbell’s earning potential as were Demovsky’s sources. The website set the linebacker’s value at $6.2 million annually, though interest from multiple teams could easily push that number upward.
Campbell’s value to the Packers will also presumably increase if the team is forced to part with outside linebacker and edge rusher Za’Darius Smith. The two-time Pro Bowl selection was a key for the Packers’ defense during their back-to-back runs to NFC Championship Games in 2019 and 2020, but he missed nearly all of last season with a back injury. Smith has one year left on his deal and represents the second-highest salary cap total on Green Bay’s roster at approximately $28 million. Sources close to the linebacker told Demovsky that Smith believes the Packers will release him in the coming days.
Campbell arrived in Green Bay by way of the Arizona Cardinals following four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons to begin his NFL career. The linebacker amassed a career-high 146 tackles including 6 tackles for loss, per Pro Football Reference. He also defensed 5 passes and made 2 interceptions, tallied 2 sacks and another 6 quarterback hits, and forced 2 fumbles.
Packers Expected to Offer CB Alexander Contract Extension
GettyCornerback Jaire Alexander of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to a game against the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field on December 19, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Alexander, 25, is also expected to get a new deal this offseason despite remaining under contract.
The cornerback’s fifth-year option pays him an impressive $13.3 million, but scrapping that one-year agreement for a long-term deal behooves both Alexander and the Packers. A multiyear extension should bring Alexander a hefty signing bonus in 2022, not to mention significantly more guaranteed money as the life of the contract would be several years longer than the one-season deal he’d play on otherwise.
The Packers, on the other hand, would be able to use an extension as a bridge to creative cap maneuvering that would allow the team to pay Alexander more overall while still reducing his cap hit this year, which is likely a necessity for Green Bay.
“[Alexander] will almost certainly sign an extension that would lower his cap number before the start of the season,” Demovsky wrote.
A Pro Bowl selection in 2020, Alexander finished that campaign with 51 tackles, 13 passes defensed, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble and 1 safety. The cornerback was hampered by health problems for much of 2021, appearing in just the first four games of the season. Alexander suffered a shoulder injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 3 that ultimately kept him sidelined the rest of the year, though he is expected to return fully healthy in 2022.
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Packers Predicted to Offer New Deals to Two Defensive Stars: Report