ESPN made some offseason predictions this week for every NFL team (minus the two teams in the Super Bowl) and they think the Green Bay Packers will let a former first round draft pick depart the franchise in free agency.
Aaron Schatz’s “big prediction” for the Packers this offseason is that the team doesn’t bring safety Darnell Savage back.
Instead, Schatz thinks Green Bay will sign a veteran safety like Jordan Whitehead or CJ Gardner-Johnson.
From ESPN : The Packers will allow Savage to leave in free agency, replacing him with another veteran free agent safety such as Jordan Whitehead or C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Savage was selected by the Packers with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The former Maryland standout missed seven games in 2023, but he nearly totaled his tackle output from the 2022 season when he played in 16 games (Savage had 51 tackles in 2023 compared to 58 tackles in 2022).
Green Bay will face a $5.5 million dead cap hit in 2024 because of the void years they added to Savage’s contract (to help manage their salary cap situation in 2023).