3 Packers Veterans Who Could Be Cap Casualty Cuts This Offseason

The Green Bay Packers have made the NFC Championship game in each of the last two seasons but ultimately fell short of their goal to win a Lombardi trophy each time. They head into the offseason with a multitude of important roster decisions to make about the future of the franchise.

One way the team can address the cap space situation is by looking toward the veterans on the team and what it is costing to keep them around. With that being said, here are three Packers veterans who could be cap casualty cuts this NFL offseason.

1. Christian Kirksey, Linebacker

Christian Kirksey signed with the Packers during the 2019 offseason, but did not put together a great season. He suffered an injury early on and played rather subpar throughout the season. Kirksey did excel for the Packers in the NFC Championship game, but it may have been too little too late as the team can save $5.6 million by cutting him in the offseason. The Packers have never valued the linebacker position very highly and have had success using players with much lower costs. Plus, young linebackers Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin have looked good and that means Kirksey's price tag just may not be worth it anymore.

2. Rick Wagner, Offensive Tackle

Rick Wagner gave up two crucial sacks in the NFC Championship game that soured what was a successful season for the veteran offensive lineman. The problem with Wagner is that he simply becomes a backup once starter David Bakhtiari returns to the field. Letting Wagner go would save Green Bay $4.3 million in cap space and allow the front office to use that money elsewhere on the roster. This draft is also being touted as a great lineman draft and the Packers could use that as another reason to cut Wagner. His role on the team simply does not justify what it would cost to keep him around.

3. Preston Smith, Defensive End

This cut may be surprising, but Preston Smith really struggled in 2020 and has a massive $16 million cap hit next season. Smith was a key part to the Packers 2019 team as he had 12.0 sacks, but he only had 4.0 last season as well as just 26 pressures. Smith clearly didn't look like the same player and now could be cut due to the amount of money he is costing the team. Fellow defensive lineman Rashan Gary emerged this past season and looks ready to take over Smith's role if need be. This one would sting, but Smith's cap hit may just be too much.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.