Nate Hobbs‘ Green Bay future was a question mark leading up to free agency. The veteran corner will indeed be on the move after just one year with the team. 
Hobbs is being cut, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. This will be designated a post-June 1 release, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky adds. Green Bay will create $8.84MM in cap savings as a result while generating a dead money charge of $4MM.
No restructure was worked out in this case as the new league year approached, leading to questions about a separation. Hobbs inked a four-year, $48MM contract in free agency last spring upon playing out his rookie contract with the Raiders. As usual, the Packers did not include any full guarantees beyond the first season of the deal, with Hobbs being owed a $6.25MM roster bonus on Friday. In advance of that date, Green Bay has elected to move on.
Hobbs joined the Packers with injury concerns, and that proved to be a problem in 2025. A meniscus issue in training camp marked the first of three knee ailments the former fifth-rounder dealt with in Green Bay. The last was a season-ending MCL injury. Hobbs had found himself out of the starting lineup by the time that took place, pointing further to a cut in this case.
The Illinois product struggled in coverage with the Packers, surrendering a passer rating of 111.1 as the nearest defender in 2025. Between that and his injuries, Hobbs will be hard-pressed to secure a long-term contract like he did last spring. Still, at the age of 26, he could be seen as a bounce-back candidate by teams seeking depth in the secondary.
The cornerback position was a sore spot for Green Bay down the stretch, as illustrated by the Trevon Diggs experiment to close out the campaign. He is no longer in the fold, and Hobbs will also be on the move in free agency. Early on Tuesday, though, the Packers lined up a CB addition by agreeing to terms with Benjamin St-Juste.
horrible signing
Just another in a long line of Gute decision making…..
Lol k
Getting cut during the second day of the legal tampering period when all the other free agents have had tons of contact with teams is why I don’t feel like players owe teams anything.
In Hobbs’ case, it likely doesn’t affect his situation much since he isn’t a high priority guy, but it still sucks they didn’t let him go earlier.
Maybe if he played better he wouldn’t worry about when he would be released because he would still be rostered.
lol exactly. he agreed to a contract that only had one year of guaranteed money. he knew this was a possibility when he signed.
100%. Could the packers have cut him sooner? Sure. But that is their prerogative.
If you’re good enough you’ll be on a roster and teams will make sure they have space for you.
I’m not saying he was done dirty, I’m just saying moves like this is why I don’t care when players leave their team to take the best deal or demand trades. It’s all part of the game.
I am fine with demanding a trade and leaving for the best deal. It is the hold out that irritates me.
If you didn’t want to play on that deal, you shouldn’t have signed it. The team is not required to renegotiate when you do better than expected or get close to the end of a deal the same way a player is not expected to accept a pay cut or restructure.
Nope, they’re not required to and they don’t have to trade the player. But players have the leverage there and I’m fine with that. If owners won’t agree to fully guaranteed contracts, then there’s no reason players should concede the 6 games equating to a full season if they feel like holding out–after all they sacrifice salary, and there’s no language that says they have to suit up every game.
And that’s where fans get too emotionally involved. They support their favorite team flexing all of its rights for the betterment of the team, but get mad when players flex their rights for the betterment of themselves. It’s unfortunate when it happens, but the CBA allows it.
I would love to see guaranteed contracts. No reason for workout bonus, per game bonus, signing bonus, void years, franchise tags, and all that nonsense.
NFLPA gives 18 game seasons with 2 bye weeks, NFL gives guaranteed contracts.
That is a very easy simplified compromise that benefits everyone.
Yep, exactly. And in this situation, I’d be fine to see an eraser clause given to teams where every 3+ years they can eliminate a contract in its final year from the cap, so long as the pay out the salary to the player upfront.
Absolutely. Easier cap management, more movement for players in prime years too.
A team would likely not offer a 6 year fully guaranteed deal to a player, but would offer a 3 or 4 year deal and then either be forced to re-up at a higher rate or let them walk to get paid elsewhere at a prime age if the player played well.
I am 1000000% for guaranteed contracts.
The Parsons effect? When you pay a league breaking contract middle and lower roster value comes into play? As for his play, 9 million is not exactly top CB money or top CB expectations? He’s was a depth piece that now can’t be afforded.
Preach. Been saying this in several chats and the farmers from Wisconsin have been criticizing me for it. If it smells like sh** it’s prolly sh**
You 2 should go hang out on the farm together and try to understand cap% and then look at team needs and value of players and understand why this was an easy cut.
What are you talking about?
Parsons last year had a cap % hit of only 3.4%. For 2026 it is only 6.2%. His cap number was smaller than Rashan Gary’s for 2026 but no one is out here saying he was given a league breaking contract.
By the time Parson’s deal is untenable (2028 8.2% of cap and 2029 12% of cap nearly all of the guaranteed money is gone and the Packers can cut or trade him and save all but 8.8m that is signing bonus money.
The Packers had several contracts coming into their worst years this year (Rashan Gary, Elgton Jenkins) that ballooned the cap. Pair that with dead money from the Parsons trade that sent Clark away. The team has 100m to spend in 2027.
This deal was structured to pay up front and leave the ability to extend, cut, or trade him once 2028 or 2029 comes around depending on his production. The structuring of this deal.
Hobbs was cut because he was a bum and should have never been signed. He is a 5th round CB that misses a lot of time due to injury, has a career passer rating on balls thrown his way of over 100, a career completion percentage allowed on balls his way of over 70 percent, and only has 3 career interceptions. He was overpaid and should have never been signed. Even with factoring that he plays mostly inside and his numbers aren’t to be similar to shut down outside corners, he is still a bum.
Now finally someone who stepped up with numbers. Macbeth Bravo. Because someone knowledgeable posted good numbers and opinions I will stop with my theory. Just from the outside point-of-view it does look like what I thought.
Macbeth, sir i only have 1 like.
Total. Fail.