With the salary cap expected to shrink in a single off-season, the Green Bay Packers are poised to push dollars in the years to come in an effort to maximize their ability to win now.
General manager Brian Gutekunst said on Monday that he did not know the exact number of the salary cap for 2021, but the Packers have a “pretty good idea where it will be” and expects it to “fall”, complicating things for a team with so much money already employed at next year’s ceiling.
In response to the challenge, Gutekunst is ready to restructure existing contracts and push capping commitments in the coming years to help the Packers keep their list together and remain a competitor in the Super Bowl.
“We’ve done that in the past, we’re going to have to do that this year, for sure,” Gutekunst said Monday. “The situation in which our football team is now, I think we have only one goal in mind. And if there is an opportunity to take some risks to help us win now, we are definitely that way. ”
Even if the salary cap reaches the range of 180-185 million dollars, the Packers are still above the maximum limit and will have to make several adjustments just to operate during this season. The salary cap is likely to drop to the $ 175 million limit, although current projections appear slightly more optimistic based on 2020 earnings.
Gutekunst still expects a significant drop and said he does not expect the lid to stay anywhere near the level.
“I expect it to go down, that’s what we planned,” Gutekunst said.
Like the Packers, another 31 NFL teams will likely have to hit the proverbial salary cap for a year or two to cope with a declining ceiling in 2021.
“Obviously, with this year’s situation, I think most teams will give out money to try to keep their teams together and we will certainly not be different,” Gutekunst said.
Packers will have options for creating space. As Ken Ingalls mentioned in the breakdown of our list, veterans Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, David Bakhtiari, Billy Turner, Za’Darius Smith and Adrian Amos have contracts that can be restructured to open up significant space in 2021. Stress on the ceiling in this year, but commits more guaranteed money and ceiling commitments for future ceilings.
For example, the Packers will almost certainly turn a major part of Bakhtiari’s future roster into a signing bonus, freeing up ceiling space now, but it also requires scattering money throughout its new transaction, adding new money. in the future limits.
When asked about restoring parts of Rodgers’ agreement, Gutekunst largely avoided giving a direct answer, but he works on the assumption that more veteran players will need redoed agreements or payouts for everything to work out. operate in 2021.
The Packers could also release veterans like Rick Wagner, Dean Lowry, Preston Smith or Christian Kirksey to create more ceilings with no future obligations.
The next few months will be key to shaping the list in 2021 and understanding the team’s long-term plans for next year, but Gutekunst said his team is comfortable with what’s next and is ready to make a “tough decision” on his list. .
“It’s a unique year, it’s very challenging, obviously we’re not the only team that has these challenges,” Gutekunst said. “I feel very comfortable, I’ve been working on it all year, preparing for what’s going to happen in the next three or four months.”