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Jon Runyan Jr. has yet to sign a new deal with the Green Bay Packers, leaving some uncertainty about his future with the team, but that doesn’t automatically imply he’ll depart in free agency.
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reported that there’s “mutual interest” in Runyan’s potential return to Green Bay for the 2024 season. Further, his representation met with Packers brass during the NFL Scouting Combine, indicating that negotiations for a potential new deal are underway.
The 2020 sixth-round draft pick has started 50 of the Packers’ last 51 regular-season games. Also, Runyan has played 3,330 offensive snaps across 67 career appearances, per PFF.
Extension for Jon Runyan Jr. Still on the Table
The 26-year-old lineman faced some challenges during the 2023 season, dealing with injuries and inconsistent performance.
Pro Football Focus data helps shed light on Runyan’s struggles, as he reached new career highs by allowing 22 pressures and committing 19 penalties. He was also the 41st-graded offensive guard in the NFL among players who earned at least 50% of their team’s snaps.
Eventually, Runyan rotated with 2022 third-round pick Sean Rhyan at right guard, with the per-game snaps split becoming nearly even over the final four regular-season contests.
“Not really what I preferred,” Runyan said of the rotation on January 23. “But just talking to the coaches, they were kind of saying, I was dealing with injuries, kind of banged up, kind of everywhere on my body, and the coaches could see it, and they thought it would be a good opportunity to get some rest and give Sean some reps, give him a shot, and he played well.”
Despite the emergence of Rhyan as a viable option at guard after a ‘red-shirt’ season, the Packers seem keen on retaining Runyan rather than simply drafting a replacement for the veteran and hoping they’re good enough to fill a spot on the depth chart.
All that said, Runyan, turning 27 in August, has proven himself to be an NFL-caliber offensive lineman — and you can never have enough of those. A potential return would offer valuable depth for the Packers, who could see significant changes along the offensive line this offseason.
If you’re the Packers, you could do much worse than re-signing a player who knows your system inside and out — and having a swing guard in the mix since there are no other in-house options you can trust if you’re Luke Butkus.
Packers Have Plenty of Draft Capital to Address Offensive Line
Heading into the NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers will have 11 overall selections, five of which will come in the 100.
That gives general manager Brian Gutekunst plenty of ammunition to provide franchise quarterback Jordan Love some new weapons — like a ‘bigger back’ — while adding cost-controlled talent to the offensive line.
Elgton Jenkins, Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker, and Josh Myers are a solid foundation to build around for 2024 on the offensive line. But if the franchise is going to build on last season’s success and become a true Super Bowl contender, they’ll need to solidify the trenches.
Because of the unexpected cap increase, the front office can re-evaluate contract situations like Runyan’s and consider a modest extension if ‘the price is right’ for both sides and doesn’t effect any long-term plans.
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