The Green Bay Packers won’t be waiting until the end of the 2022 NFL draft to make decisions on both of their fifth-year options for the 2023 season.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Rob Demovsky, the Packers are picking up the fifth-year options for outside linebacker Rashan Gary and free safety Darnell Savage Jr. for the 2023 season. The NFL deadline for teams to exercise options on their 2019 first-round picks is set for 4 p.m. ET on May 2, but general manager Brian Gutekunst had previously indicated the team would wait until after the draft to make the decisions.
Instead, they head into Day 2 with two more defensive starters locked into place.
Gary and Savage both are now tied to the Packers for the next two seasons with each set to receive a significant pay bump during their option years in 2023. According to Over the Cap, Gary is projected to earn a salary of $11.5 million in 2023 on his option while Savage is expected to make about $7.9 million. The Packers can also reduce the cap hits for both players in 2023 if they work out long-term contract extensions.
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Packers Continue to Bet on Homegrown Talent
It might seem like the Packers had a fairly easy decision to make with their fifth-year options this offseason, but there has been some skepticism over the past few months — at least in terms of Savage having his option exercised.
Gary wasn’t a difficult call. The former Michigan standout has improved steadily in each of his three seasons and showed the makings of the NFL’s next great edge rusher last year during his first season as a full-time starter. Gary tallied 12 sacks and 87 total pressures between the regular season and playoffs in 2021 and finished behind only Maxx Crosby with the second-best win percentage (26.3%) among edge rushers. As long as he continues on course, he could be a long-term fixture for Green Bay’s defense.
Things have not been as clear-cut for Savage, though. While he started 14 games as a rookie and was named to the Pro Football Writers Association’s All-Rookie team in 2019, his play has gone through some ups and downs over the past two seasons. On one hand, Savage has recorded at least two interceptions in each of his three seasons with the team and kept his injury-related absences to a minimum, but there have also been numerous instances of blown coverages and missed tackles costing the Packers.
It is possible the Packers wanted to see how their draft board fell in the first round before making a final decision on Savage with two Day 1 picks to acquire talent; however, there was only one safety — Kyle Hamilton — off the board when the Packers were on the clock at No. 22 and no others were taken until after their second selection at No. 28 with Daxton Hill (Cincinnati) and Lewis Cine (Minnesota) going on the final two picks of the first round.
At the end of the day, it fits the Packers’ M.O. to continue to bet on their own homegrown talent. The outside perception of a player also doesn’t often reflect how the front office feels about him, so it could simply be that the Packers have faith in Savage to improve during his second year in Joe Barry’s defensive system. Don’t be surprised, though, if Gutekunst and his staff find another safety throughout the remaining rounds of the draft to serve as Savage’s backup — or potentially push him for his job down the line if he struggles.
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Packers Make Final Decisions on Fifth-Year Options for 2023