The Green Bay Packers moved quickly to reinforce an offensive line thinned by injuries, and the financial details of their deal with veteran guard Kevin Zeitler show how Green Bay created flexibility to do it.
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported on X on Oct. 4 that Zeitler’s one-year, $4.05 million contract includes $2,966,667 in guaranteed bonuses and a $1.3 million base salary. Because Zeitler will be with Green Bay for 15 weeks, Demovsky reported that he will collect $1,083,333 of that salary.
Bonuses guaranteed: $2,966,667 Base salary: $1.3 million (will collect $1,083,333 b/c he will be w/the team for 15 weeks). Cap charge: $1,676,666 Void years: 2027-30 so $2,373,334 on next year’s cap.
The more notable figure for the Packers this season is the cap charge: just $1,676,666.
Green Bay accomplished that by attaching four void years from 2027 through 2030 to Zeitler’s contract.
The maneuver pushes $2,373,334 onto next year’s salary cap after the deal voids, according to Demovsky. Over the Cap’s current Packers contract figures also list Zeitler with a $1.676 million 2026 cap number and $2.373 million scheduled to accelerate onto the 2027 cap.
Zeitler Has Near Instant Path to Packers Role
Zeitler joined Green Bay only days before its Oct. 4 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but injuries have opened the door for the 36-year-old to potentially start (although he was officially made inactive).
The Packers ruled out guards Aaron Banks and Jacob Monk for the game. Banks remains sidelined by knee and toe injuries, while Monk is dealing with a quadriceps injury.
Green Bay signed both Zeitler and Laken Tomlinson to the active roster during its offensive-line overhaul. Both practiced fully throughout the week, according to the Packers’ final injury report.
Head coach Matt LaFleur stopped short of announcing his starting combination Friday but said the team already had “a plan in place” and needed to get through its final practice before settling its decisions.
Zeitler appears prepared to answer the call despite his short turnaround.
“If they need me out there right away, I think I’ll find a way and get it done,” Zeitler told reporters after practice, according to Packers On SI.
Packers Betting on Zeitler’s Experience
Few available guards could offer Green Bay the type of action Zeitler brings.
The former first-round pick has started 213 of 214 regular-season games over his 14 NFL seasons, via Packers.com. Every one of his 220 career starts, including the playoffs, has come at right guard. He also made the Pro Bowl in 2023 and earned alternate honors the following season.
That experience is necessary considering how little preparation Zeitler has had with Green Bay. He signed Wednesday and participated in only three practices before the Packers traveled to Tampa. Packers On SI reported that those practices were his first on-field football work since his final game of last season in January.
Zeitler, nevertheless, told reporters his body feels “amazing” after avoiding the wear and tear of training camp, while acknowledging that he still needed to regain some football-specific conditioning.
Green Bay’s investment suggests the Packers expect more than emergency depth. The club guaranteed nearly $3 million to a 15th-year veteran and structured the contract to reduce the cap burden and address one of its biggest early-season concerns.
Now, only days after signing, Zeitler won’t take the field against Tampa Bay, but his first start could be coming soon.
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