Green Bay Packers Make Shocking Decision on Contract of Former First-Round Draft Pick.
Many people were startled when the Green Bay Packers chose to exercise the fifth-year option on 2019 first-round pick Darnell Savage. While the Packers’ former safety had good seasons in his first two years, his performance on the field declined in his third year.
Green Bay hoped that 2021 was a fluke and Savage would back to form, so they picked up his fifth-year option despite allowing a 117.4 passing rating and eight touchdowns on target. Unfortunately, his performance did not improve much in 2022, as he allowed a 114.2 passer rating when targeted and a career-low 68.2% completion percentage.
Green Bay had little choice but to play him last season due to the $7.9 million cost of the fifth-year option, which would count against the cap regardless of whether he was on the club.
The outcomes were as predicted, if not worse. Savage failed to stay on the field due to injury, allowing 78.3% of passes thrown his way to be caught and missing 13.6% of tackle attempts.
The Green Bay Packers hope to avoid the same mistake with Eric Stokes
Savage, of course, was not re-signed by the Packers and became a free agent. He inked a three-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this offseason.
The Packers appear to have learned their lesson about taking risks on fifth-year options for defensive backs who either flopped on the field or struggled to get on the field at all.
As Garafolo points out, Stokes was a first-round choice in 2021 and performed admirably. As a rookie, he had 14 pass breakups and a 49.5% completion rate.
Eric Stokes struggled in 2022 before to a series of injuries.
Stokes allowed an 80.0% completion rate in nine games in his sophomore season. His troubles on the field were obvious, but there was hope that the young defensive back would be able to turn things around.
Unfortunately, a major foot injury in midseason forced him to miss not only the remainder of the 2022 season, but also the start of 2023.
When Stokes was able to return, he sustained a series of hamstring issues that limited him to only three appearances last season.
The Packers declined Stokes’ option because they were unsure whether he would be able to stay healthy or return to his level of play from 2021.
The Green Bay Packers have several young, exciting defensive backs.
Jaire Alexander, a two-time All-Pro, is leading the Packers’ defensive backs during voluntary offseason workouts in Green Bay. Last year, he decided not to participate in these sessions.
In addition to Alexander, the Packers have Carrington Valentine, a seventh-round choice in the 2023 NFL Draft who performed admirably in place of the injured veterans last season. Corey Ballentine and Keisean Nixon will also return in 2024.
Green Bay also signed the top free agency safety on the market, Xavier McKinney, and picked three promising safeties: Javon Bullard, Evan Williams, and Kitan Oladapo. Each of the three rookie safeties is expected to contend for snaps at nickel.
