Packers elect to not re-sign any of their restricted free agents

Neither running back Patrick Taylor nor cornerback Robert Rochell were hit with a tender on Wednesday.

The deadline has come and gone for NFL teams to place tenders on their restricted free agents, players who were in contract seasons in 2023 but had accrued only three seasons in the league — rather than the typical four years that usually accompany rookie contracts. League-wide, only seven of these players were tendered this year, none of which were Green Bay Packers.

Only two Packers players qualified to be restricted free agents this offseason: running back Patrick Taylor and cornerback Robert Rochell. Both were technically practice squad poaches by the team in-season during the 2023 campaign.

Rochell was on the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad when Green Bay plucked away the 2021 fourth-round pick. Taylor had a short stint with the New England Patriots’ practice squad before he was brought onto the Packers’ 53-man roster. Previously, Taylor had spent three seasons in Green Bay.

Last year, Rochell played 112 special teams snaps for the Packers over nine games, but he was unable to record a single defensive snap for the team, despite there being injuries to the cornerback unit as a whole. Taylor played 109 special teams snaps, too, but he was also a contributor on offense, where he played 226 snaps — mostly on passing downs as a pass protector.

If Green Bay did want to tag their restricted free agents, they had three options: a first-round tender, a second-round tender and a right of first refusal tender. They would have cost $6.82 million, $4.89 million and $2.99 million, respectively.

The first- and second-round tenders would have given the Packers those corresponding draft picks (via the poaching team) had another squad attempted to sign one of their restricted free agents away on an offer sheet. The right of first refusal tender would have allowed the Packers to match any offer sheet that a poaching team offered a restricted free agent, with no compensation going to Green Bay if they chose to let the player sign elsewhere. This was relevant last year when the Packers placed a second-round tender on tackle Yosh Nijman.

Taylor and Rochell might return to Green Bay eventually, but not at anything close to a $3 million salary for the 2024 season.

The league’s exclusive rights free agents, players who have fewer than three accrued seasons in the NFL, and their tenders have yet to be announced by the NFL. The Packers have three such players in 2024: running back Emanuel Wilson, offensive tackle Caleb Jones and punter Daniel Whelan. Unlike restricted free agents, exclusive rights free agents must sign a contract just shy of $1 million, without any threat of an outside offer sheet. Because of that, and the lack of guarantees in these deals, they are generally picked up.

Below are the restricted free agents who were tendered in 2024:

• Lions TE Brock Wright (right of first refusal)
• Seahawks LB Jon Rhattigan (right of first refusal)
• Rams LB Michael Hoecht (right of first refusal)
• Seahawks DB Michael Jackson (right of first refusal)
• Giants DB Nick McCloud (right of first refusal)
• 49ers WR Jauan Jennings (2nd round tender)
• Rams OL Alaric Jackson (2nd round tender)