Green Bay Packers taking a new, aggressive approach in free agency

It’s unlike the Green Bay Packers we’ve known to be aggressive in free agency. They have been surprisingly active in the negotiating window.

From 2005-2017, the Green Bay Packers employed Ted Thompson as their general manager. Throughout Thompson’s reign over the Packers, it’s safe to say he preferred the Patriots/Ravens method of team building, where compensatory draft picks are deemed more valuable than (the majority of) in-house free agents looking for big pay days.

In other words, Thompson and the Packers were borderline invisible during free agency.

The Packers built from within, they got lucky with Aaron Rodgers falling in the 2005 NFL Draft, and they were able to sustain that model for quite some time.

Now under the direction of Brian Gutekunst, the new sheriff in Green Bay, the Packers have taken on a completely different approach to free agency.

They’re out here making deals in the legal negotiating window, and big ones at that.

Needless to say, it’s probably killing Thompson (who is now in a Senior Advisor role with the Packers) inside to see the team he was general manager of for so long hand out $183 million worth of contracts before free agency and the new league year officially open on Wednesday.

Who did the Packers pay that kind of money to? Let’s take a look.

Za’Darius Smith, OLB, Ravens

Unless you pay really close attention to the goings-on around the NFL, it’s unlikely you know a heck of a lot about this guy.

Za’Darius Smith was a former day-three draft pick out of Kentucky who really started to come into his own recently with the Baltimore Ravens. He came on in a big way with the Ravens this past year when he racked up 8.5 sacks and 26 quarterback hits.

Smith signed with the Packers for $66 million over four years ($16.5 million/year).

Preston Smith, OLB, Redskins

Preston Smith is a former first-round pick out of Mississippi State who has been a very solid all-around edge when healthy for the Redskins in his time in the NFL.

In four seasons, he has just 24.5 sacks but he really does impact throwing lanes and knows how to get pressure on the quarterback.

Smith has played all 64 games in the past four seasons and with some of the talent around him in Green Bay, his best days could be ahead of him. He signed with the Packers for $52.2 million over four years ($13 million/year).

Adrian Amos, S, Bears

Packers fans likely know quite well who Adrian Amos is, as he spent the past four seasons playing for the Chicago Bears.

Amos grew into one of the best all-around safeties in the NFL with the Bears, and now brings that ability to play in the box and roam around the back end to Green Bay, where he is desperately needed.

The Packers paid him $37 million over four years ($9.25 million/year).

Billy Turner, OT, Broncos

The former third-round pick out of North Dakota State is trading his orange and blue for green and gold, the colors he had so much success with in college.

The Packers got the versatile Turner, who has played and excelled at left guard, right guard, and right tackle in the NFL, for four years, $28 million ($7 million/year).

It’s atypical of the Packers to make these kinds of moves, but with Aaron Rodgers not getting any younger at this point, why would they sit back and try to do what they’ve always done?

This team hasn’t won a title for a long time despite Rodgers’ presence and they have to be aggressive in addressing their weaknesses. Unless Rodgers suffers a major injury, this team isn’t going to ever be picking at or near the top of the draft, but as we’ve seen, they can get stuck in draft purgatory as well.

They have to learn to take calculated risks in free agency, and they’re off to a roaring start in 2019.