Packers Earn Harsh Grade for Massive Free Agency Signing
March 12, 2025
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The Green Bay Packers had high expectations that they didn’t quite live up to last season. They looked promising in Jordan Love’s first full season but fizzled out last season in the playoffs.
The Packers have a young roster and multiple needs, so they have multiple avenues they can follow to improve the roster. So far in free agency, they have signed an o-lineman and a corner.
In a Sports Illustrated article by Matt Verderame, each major free agency move is graded. The Packers have two moves graded in the article guard Aaron Banks from the San Francisco 49ers, and cornerback Nate Hobbs from the Las Vegas Raiders.
Banks was the larger of the two signings, going for four years and $77 million.
More news: Patriots Free Agency Grades Highlight Massive Overpay
Banks is a solid signing, but entering his age-28 season, he is a bit expensive for being just solid.
His signing earns a harsh D+ grade, showcasing the risk this move possesses. Upgrading the offensive line to better protect their young quarterback is a good decision, but Banks may not have been the best value to pursue.
Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after a holding penalty in the fourth quarter of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFC Wild Card Playoff at Lincoln Financial Field. Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after a holding penalty in the fourth quarter of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFC Wild Card Playoff at Lincoln Financial Field. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
He does have good experience coming from the 49ers, but he isn’t some elite-level talent and top free-agent acquisition. A D+ feels harsh but the price level probably warrants at best a C.
Keeping Love upright and healthy should be a huge priority for the Packers this offseason, so in that sense, this move at least is somewhat reasonable.
Hobbs is a solid addition, and at 25 years old, should serve as a long-term option at the position.
He comes from a bad Raiders secondary which isn’t promising, but he showed enough to warrant a decent payday and prove that a better defense around him will improve his production.
He earns a B- grade, and that feels like a fair one.
With the status of star cornerback Jaire Alexander uncertain, this seems like an insurance move to help shore up the secondary at a decent value. Packers fans should hope that Hobbs improves on a better defense.
While the Packers haven’t made many moves this offseason, the moves they have made have gone somewhat under the radar, in both a positive and negative way.
They’ve been more in the news about potential moves, like Alexander’s, rather than the moves they have made. Banks and Hobbs should both be serviceable, but based on their varying grades, it will be interesting to see just how much each is relied on next season.
More NFL news:
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