The Green Bay Packers are releasing cornerback Nate Hobbs with a post-June 1st designation, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
The decision ends a disappointing one-year relationship between player and team. The Packers signed Hobbs to a four-year, $48 million deal last March. By cutting him now, the Packers will avoid paying his $6.5 million roster bonus due later this month. Hobbs suffered three different knee injuries and struggled playing on the perimeter during his lone season in Green Bay.
A few things to know about the release:
— Designating Hobbs as a post-June 1st release will clear $8,838,235 off the Packers’ salary cap in 2026.
— However, the cap savings won’t be applied until after June 1st. The Packers will carry Hobbs’ $12,838,235 cap number on the books for the next few months, so there isn’t immediate savings created by this move.
— The Packers will take on a $4 million dead money cap hit for Hobbs in 2026 and $8 million more in dead money in 2027. This is the post-June 1st mechanic. It splits the dead money cap hit over two years and provides more relief in the present. The dead money is all from Hobbs’ prorated signing bonus.
— The Packers will also clear Hobbs’ $14.1 million cap number in 2027 and $14.7 million in 2028.
— The Packers ended up paying Hobbs $18.2 million for 358 snaps in 2025.
— The Packers are inching closer to $40 million in dead money cap hits in 2026. Hobbs, Kenny Clark ($17 million), Rashan Gary ($17 million) and Colby Wooden ($200K) will all count against the Packers’ cap despite not playing in Green Bay this year.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Salary cap ramifications of Packers releasing CB Nate Hobbs
Reporting by Zach Kruse, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
