Packers To Release Nick Perry
The Packers will release outside linebacker Nick Perry, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The decision to cut Perry comes moments after the Packers agreed to sign linebacker Preston Smith and pass rusher Za’Darius Smith. 
Perry was set to make $11MM this season and had a $4.8MM roster bonus due on March 15. With tons of new firepower (and expenditures) in the front seven, there was little room left for Perry.
The Packers happily re-upped Perry on a five-year, $60MM extension in 2017, but he’s missed eleven games since then. His latest injury came in 2018 when he landed on IR with a knee ailment. Perry had a career-low 1.5 sacks last season and he was bracing himself for a release.
Previously, it was believed that the Packers could have interest in restructuring Perry’s deal, but there’s little need for him after the Packers’ free agent shopping bonanza. Perry won’t turn 29 until April and is healthy once again, so he shouldn’t have too much trouble finding work.
Per Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com, Perry was not designated as a post-June 1 cut, which means that the Packers will eat all of the dead money from the release ($11.1MM) this year. The club will still save roughly $3.3MM in cap space in 2019, but they could have saved nearly $11MM if they spread out the dead money into 2020.
Packers To Sign OL Billy Turner
The Packers’ shopping spree isn’t over yet. On Tuesday morning, the Packers agreed to sign offensive lineman Billy Turner, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). Turner’s deal with Green Bay is for four years and $28MM, with a max value of $29.5MM, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic tweets. The contract calls for him to receive $11MM in the first year.
Turner, 27, has spent the last two years and change with the Broncos. He was discussing a new deal with Denver this week, but the addition of Ja’Wuan James probably squeezed him out of Denver. Turner now turns his attention to the Packers, where he can offer help at both tackle and guard.
The former Dolphins third-round pick has 25 career starts to his credit, including 11 last year. After suffering a rash of injuries up front, the Packers can use all the help they can get in protecting Aaron Rodgers.
Of course, Turner’s signing isn’t the real attention grabber in Green Bay. On Tuesday, the Packers also agreed to sign safety Adrian Amos, linebacker Preston Smith, and pass rusher Za’Darius Smith. Given all of the expenditures, it seems unlikely that the Packers will be serious suitors for Le’Veon Bell.
Le’Veon Bell Deciding Between Five Teams?
Free agents have been flying off the board but perhaps the biggest name, running back Le’Veon Bell, remains unsigned. The market does appear to be narrowing down for Bell’s services, and there’s a “good likelihood” he signs with one of the Jets, Colts, Ravens, Packers, Texans, or Bills, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
However, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com soon tweeted that the Colts are officially out on Bell, which would narrow down the list to five teams. Furthermore, the Packers have already spent a ton of money today on Adrian Amos, Za’Darius Smith, and Preston Smith, so they might not no longer be able to fit the massive contract Bell is seeking into their cap.
The Jets have been the team most heavily linked to Bell for months now. There have been conflicting reports about their level of interest, and rumors they’re concerned about his weight, but they’ve been the one constant when discussing Bell. The Jets are looking to add some excitement, need a running back, and have plenty of cap space, so they still make the most sense on paper.
The Ravens make some sense as well, as they’re looking for weapons for Lamar Jackson and are planning to have a very run-heavy offense. The Texans and Bills are more outside the box options, as both have established running backs. The Texans have Lamar Miller, while the Bills have LeSean McCoy and just added Frank Gore. Both Gore and McCoy are getting up there in age while the Texans could get out of Miller’s contract fairly easily, so they’re both definitely options.
Interestingly, Anderson’s list doesn’t include the Raiders. After trading for Antonio Brown, rumors began swirling that Jon Gruden would attempt to re-pair him with Bell in Oakland. That could still be the case, although they didn’t make Anderson’s shortlist.
Packers To Sign OLB Preston Smith
The Packers won’t stop adding to their defense. Green Bay has agreed to terms with outside linebacker Preston Smith, a source told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that it’s a four-year deal for Smith worth $52MM. He’ll get $16MM to sign with $27.5MM coming his way over the first two years of the deal, Rapoport reports. It’s been a big day for the Packers, particularly on defense, as they’ve already added safety Adrian Amos and fellow outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith. The three big signings in one day are indicative in the change of philosophy the Packers’ front office has undergone.
Under old GM Ted Thompson, the Packers were generally conservative and not very active in free agency. With team president Mark Murphy and new GM Brian Gutekunst now in charge, the team has been much more aggressive. With new coach Matt LaFleur in tow, the Packers have clearly decided to go bold.
They’ve already re-invented their defense, and will now have a very solid group of pass-rushers in both Smiths, Kenny Clark, and Mike Daniels. Smith comes to Green Bay from the Redskins, where he spent the first four years of his career. Last year he had 53 tackles, four sacks and one interception. The year before that he had eight sacks and two interceptions.
Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who LaFleur retained from Mike McCarthy’s staff, will have a lot of new pieces to work with. Paired with the returning pieces of Daniels, Clark, and the promising young cornerback duo of Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson, the Packers’ defense has the potential to be really good next year.
Packers To Sign Adrian Amos, Za’Darius Smith
This year, the Packers were serious about making noise in free agency. On Tuesday morning, they agreed to sign safety Adrian Amos, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The club also agreed to terms with former Ravens edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, according to Rapoport (Twitter link). 
Amos is getting a four-year deal worth $37MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Rapoport notes that it’ll pay him $21MM over the first two years. He was reported to have been seeking between $9-10MM annually, so he got what he wanted.
Amos, 26 in April, enjoyed the best season of his career at the perfect time. Starting in all 16 games, Amos finished out with 73 tackles, two interceptions, nine passes defensed, a fumble recovery, and a sack in 2018. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus positioned Amos as the eighth-best safety in the NFL last year, though he placed even higher in 2017.
Smith has been an object of the Packers’ affection for some time now. A few years ago, they tried to trade for the former fourth-round pick. Years later, they got him, albeit at a bit of a premium. The 26-year-old (27 in September), also timed his breakout season well. Last year, the edge rusher finished out with 8.5 sacks and 45 tackles despite starting in only eight of his 16 games.
With these two signings, the Packers have managed to close the gap between themselves and the Lions, who spent some serious coin on Monday. They also stole Amos away from the rival Bears, who were hoping to retain him. Thanks to his link to new Broncos coach Vic Fangio, Amos had been heavily linked to Denver, but ultimately it was Green Bay who won the bidding. Amos was a bit unheralded coming out of college, and was a fifth round pick out of Penn State back in 2015. He became a near immediate starter, and this is a big loss for the Bears’ elite defense.
With the signing of Buster Skrine and the expected departure of Bryce Callahan, Chicago’s secondary will look quite a bit different next year. Smith is the latest in a series of departures from the Ravens’ defense, with linebackers C.J. Mosley and Terrell Suggs, along with safety Eric Weddle, all finding new homes.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/11/19
Here are Monday’s moves involving restricted and exclusive-rights free agents:
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Packers: OLB Reggie Gilbert, WR Jake Kumerow, OL Lucas Patrick, TE Robert Tonyan (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
- Seahawks: DE Branden Jackson, S Shalom Luani, WR David Moore, LS Tyler Ott, G Jordan Simmons (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson, on Twitter)
RFAs
Tendered at second-round level:
- Colts: C Evan Boehm, S Matthias Farley (via CBS4’s Mike Chappell, on Twitter)
Tendered at original-round level:
- Texans: DL Brandon Dunn (per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, on Twitter)
Non-tendered:
- Buccaneers: CB De’Vante Harris (per Greg Auman of The Athletic, on Twitter)
- Colts: S Corey Moore (via Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star, on Twitter)
- Dolphins: C Jake Brendel (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald)
Eagles, Packers Eyeing Malik Jackson
The Jaguars dumped Malik Jackson last week, but the defensive tackle won’t be out of work for long. Jackson is in advanced negotiations with both the Packers and Eagles, Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter) hears. Those two clubs are Jackson’s “primary options,” but there could be other clubs in on the veteran. 
Jackson had three years to go on the six-year, $85.5MM contract he inked with the Jaguars in 2016, but the Jags cut him to save $11MM against the cap. They tried to find a suitable trade for Jackson, but were unable to find a team willing to take on his contract and forfeit anything of value.
Jackson didn’t miss a single game during his time with the Jaguars and even earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017. However, he took a step back in 2018 and was benched late in the season in favor of Taven Bryan. Jackson finished the season with 32 tackles and 3.5 sacks, with Pro Football Focus ranking him just 85th among 112 interior defenders.
The Packers have been looking for a defensive line upgrade and Jackson could be a strong value add. Meanwhile, the Eagles are looking to fortify their D-Line in the wake of the Michael Bennett trade.
Packers Won’t Sign Tashaun Gipson
The Packers had talks with safety Tashaun Gipson, but it appears he will be signing elsewhere, a source tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). It’s not clear whether Gipson’s asking price was too high for Green Bay or if he simply preferred another team, but the Packers were interested in meeting with him. 
[RELATED: Packers Might Not Be Match For Dee Ford]
Reading between the lines, this could mean that Gipson is on the verge of signing elsewhere. Released by the Jaguars late last week, Gipson was expected to have a strong market for his services.
Free agency officially begins on Wednesday, but Gipson has an early jump on the competition thanks to his Friday release. That’s excellent news for Gipson, because this year’s free agent safety market is positively stacked.
Packers Might Not Be Good Match For Dee Ford
- The Packers have reportedly expressed interest in Chiefs pass-rusher Dee Ford. But trading for Ford, who has been franchise-tagged by Kansas City, may prove difficult for Green Bay. Any team that trades for Ford is likely to try and sign him to a longterm deal, but the Packers don’t usually like longterm deals with a ton of guaranteed money and prefer to structure deals with large signing bonuses instead, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). That could be a problem because as Rapoport points out, Ford has the same agent as Le’Veon Bell, and the agent takes a very strong stance on the need for more guaranteed money in deals. None of this means the Packers won’t be able to trade for Ford, but it’s an interesting note nonetheless, and it could force them to turn their focus elsewhere as they look for pass-rushing help.
Packers, 49ers Have Expressed Interest In Dee Ford
The Chiefs have some suitors for Dee Ford. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the organization has a “market” for the pass rusher, with the Packers and 49ers among the teams that have expressed interest in a trade.
Kansas City slapped Ford with the franchise tag earlier this week, and subsequent reports indicated that they were shopping the Pro Bowler. The Chiefs are reportedly seeking a second-rounder for the 27-year-old, who finished last season with 55 tackles, 13 sacks, and seven forced fumbles.
While the asking price isn’t particularly high, an acquiring team would be required to pay Ford’s $15.433MM salary for next season. This number has the chance to increase; as our own Dallas Robinson pointed out, Ford is likely to file a grievance arguing that he’s a defensive end, and that would boost his franchise value to $17.128MM in 2019.
The Packers have been seeking an edge rusher, and Ford would be an easy replacement for free agent linebacker Clay Matthews. Meanwhile, the 49ers defensive line showed some intrigue in 2018, and adding a player of Ford’s caliber would surely boost the defense’s ceiling in 2019.