The Green Bay Packers made some long overdue investments at defensive tackle this offseason, signing veteran free agent Javon Hargrave and drafting Chris McClellan in the third round.
While those additions should help shore up the defensive line in 2026, there are still lingering questions over what the group will look like beyond this season.
Hargrave signed a two-year deal, but he will turn 34 next February. If he does not enjoy the kind of bounce-back season the Packers are hoping for, he could be off the team, with $10 million in savings available if he is cut before the 2027 season.
As talented as he may be, McClellan is a third-round pick whom the media consensus expected to go later. There is a scenario where he is not especially impactful for the next couple of years.
The other protagonists of Green Bay’s D-line are Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks, both of whom are set to hit free agency next spring. That leaves general manager Brian Gutekunst with a decision to make sooner or later on the pair’s future.
Given their cap situation in 2027, the Packers can probably afford to keep a maximum of two out of Hargrave, Wyatt and Brooks. If they are to extend either Wyatt or Brooks, how much would it be likely to cost them?
For Wyatt, the floor is probably $13 million per year, which is the value of the fifth-year option he is playing on in 2026.
From Wyatt’s camp’s viewpoint, that will be the starting point for negotiations and would put him alongside Grover Stewart and D.J. Jones in average annual value (AAV), tied for 25th among NFL defensive tackles.
The ceiling feels like $17 million, which is Ed Oliver’s AAV. Although Wyatt has been one of the league’s better pass-rushing D-tackles, it would be hard to argue he should earn more than Oliver, mostly because he has not been able to stay healthy and put together a full, consistent season.
Currently behind Oliver is Tershawn Wharton, who got $15 million a year from the Panthers, and he is not as impactful a player as Wyatt, but his injury issues could loom large in the negotiations and dictate where he falls within the defensive tackle market.
Brooks should be in a lower bracket, with $11.5 million, which is Javon Hargrave’s AAV, likely his ceiling, and around $7 million the floor, in the range of T.J. Slaton, Khyiris Tonga and Bobby Brown. Of course, for both Wyatt and Brooks, playing their best ball in a contract year could change everything.
As things stand, there is an argument to let both players walk on the basis that they have not performed consistently enough (or in Wyatt’s case, been on the field enough) to bet on long term.
However, they may have backed themselves into a bit of a corner, and feel like they need to re-sign at least one of Wyatt or Brooks just to give them a building block for the coming seasons, even if they are more solid than spectacular.
In that sense, renewing someone like Brooks would feel similar to the extension they gave to Dean Lowry a while back. It was done for peace of mind and to reward a steady presence in the D-line room, but did not age especially well.
Wyatt is likely the leader in the clubhouse for an extension due to his impact when available and his first-round pedigree, but the fact he is already 28 years old complicates matters.
Another consideration is the fact NFL free agent classes seem to get weaker every year, so there may be limited options if the Packers let Wyatt and Brooks go. Gutekunst has decisions to make regarding the defensive line room within the next year, and they are not straightforward ones.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: What is Packers’ long-term plan at defensive tackle?
Reporting by Mark Oldacres, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mark Oldacres, Packers Wire | USA TODAY Network
