Top Free-Agent Targets for Packers After Aaron Rodgers Announces Return to Green Bay

The first major offseason question for the Green Bay Packers has been answered with the return of Aaron Rodgers. 

There are conflicting reports about the terms of the quarterback's return. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the four-time NFL MVP has agreed to a four-year, $200 million contract ($153 million guaranteed) with the Packers. 

Pat McAfee of The Pat McAfee Show and The Athletic's Matt Schneidman reported there is no deal in place but that Rodgers will be with the Packers in 2022. 

Rodgers later took to social media to set the record straight:

Whatever a deal for Rodgers ends up being, it will be important because the Packers have a lot of salary-cap maneuvering to do. They are $29.8 million over the cap, per Spotrac. 

Rapoport noted after reporting the Rodgers deal that the Packers are expected to use the franchise tag on All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams. The tag will cost the team $20.145 million against the cap in 2022. 

Green Bay has already restructured the contracts for Kenny Clark, Aaron Jones and David Bakhtiari. Releasing Za'Darius Smith would clear $15.3 million in cap space.

The Packers also have nine picks in the upcoming 2022 draft that they will have to get signed. 

All of this is to say that if the Packers try to get into the free-agent market, they will most likely be shopping for inexpensive depth players. 

Here are some potential options for the front office to consider with free agency set to begin March 16. 

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JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR

The Packers have been seeking a viable No. 2 receiver behind Adams for years. Marquez Valdes-Scantling has had moments over the past four seasons, including leading the league with 20.9 yards per catch in 2020, but he's never been consistent and is set to hit free agency. 

Randall Cobb, who was brought back last year to satisfy Rodgers amid his discontent with the organization, didn't make much of an impact with 375 yards in 12 games in 2021. The Packers could save nearly $7 million against the cap if they release the 31-year-old. 

JuJu Smith-Schuster is a free agent for the second straight year. He took a one-year, $8 million deal to stay with the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason, despite having more lucrative offers from other teams.

Things didn't work out for Smith-Schuster in 2021. He only played in five games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5. The former Pro Bowler had surgery in October that was expected to keep him out for four months. 

It seems likely that Smith-Schuster will have to take another one-year, prove-it deal this offseason. He is only 25 years old and could have an opportunity to cash in big next year if he plays well in 2022. 

The Packers could be the perfect landing spot. Adams, assuming he is back, will always be the focus for opposing defenses. Smith-Schuster has a physical style and was a third-down machine in 2020. 

Pro Football Focus projects Smith-Schuster will sign another one-year, $8 million deal. That might end up being too rich for the Packers, but perhaps they could get him to take an incentive-laden deal with the appeal of playing with an elite quarterback who can elevate his stats. 

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Josey Jewell, ILB

One name I didn't mention among notable Green Bay players who might not return in 2022 is De'Vondre Campbell. 

Campbell turned into one of the best signings last year when he took a one-year, $2 million contract from the Packers in June. The 28-year-old was named to the All-Pro first team after recording 146 combined tackles, six tackles for loss and two sacks in 16 starts. 

While the odds of lightning striking in back-to-back offseasons are long, Josey Jewell could be a good replacement for Campbell if he signs elsewhere. Jewell spent the past four seasons with the Denver Broncos. 

He is coming off a significant injury when he tore his pectoral muscle in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 27-year-old had his best season in 2020 when he posted 113 combined tackles, five quarterback hits and two sacks in 16 starts. 

Per Pro Football Focus, Jewell ranked fourth among all off-ball linebackers with a 79.5 overall grade and fifth with a 79.5 coverage grade from Week 9 in 2020 through the first two weeks last season. 

There's injury risk, with Jewell coming off a major surgery, but he'll come at a low cost and has proved to have a high upside at his best. 

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Melvin Ingram III, DE/LB

If the Packers release Smith, they will need another edge-rusher to play alongside Preston Smith and Rashan Gary. 

Clark is the driving force behind Green Bay's defensive front. Gary's emergence last season (28 quarterback hits, 9.5 sacks) is huge for the defense. 

Melvin Ingram III had an erratic 2021 season split between the Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. The three-time Pro Bowler did play better after a midseason trade to Kansas City. His overall stat line, which features 11 quarterback hits and two sacks doesn't stand out, but the underlying numbers suggest he was much better than that. 

Pro Football Focus graded him as the 13th-best edge defender in the league over 731 snaps played last season. 

PFF wrote: 

"While Ingram is on the wrong side of 30 years old, he continued a streak of 70.0-plus pass-rush grades that dates back to 2013. There will always be a market for players who excel at chasing down quarterbacks, and he deserves a pay raise after proving he can stay healthy for a full season while still producing at a high level."

Ingram proved with the Chiefs that he's best served as a complementary piece off the edge. Chris Jones and to a lesser extent Frank Clark hid him.

The Packers have better depth up front than Kansas City with Clark, Smith and Gary attracting a lot of attention. Ingram averaged 12 tackles for loss and 8.6 sacks per season from 2015 to 2019. 

Ingram will turn 33 on April 26 and is unlikely to command more than one year on his next contract.