Packers 2024 Free Agent Tracker: Exclusive-Rights Tenders

The Green Bay Packers reached the divisional round of the NFC playoffs in 2023. General manager Brian Gutekunst will try to build upon that roster during NFL free agency.

Here is the latest news.

Exclusive Rights News

The Packers have three exclusive-rights free agents: punter Daniel Whelan, running back Emanuel Wilson and offensive tackle Caleb Jones. Those players really aren’t free agents. So long as the Packers give them a qualifying tender, they will return for another season.

Those tenders must be made by the start of the league-year on Wednesday. Whelan and Wilson, at least, will be tendered.

Both were no-brainers. With AJ Dillon headed to free agency, Wilson is the No. 2 back behind Aaron Jones.

While the Irish-born Whelan ranked only 27th in net punting and had an unimpressive 18 inside-the-20 punts vs. five touchbacks, he ranked fourth in the NFL in average hangtime. Impressively, including playoffs, he had 11 inside-the-20s and no touchbacks in the final 10 games.

Re-Signed: TE Tyler Davis

The Packers kept one of their own by re-signing tight end Tyler Davis, according to a source, just before the start of the negotiating window.

Davis missed all of last season with a torn ACL. The source said Davis probably will be cleared for football action before the end of the offseason program. However, with his experience in Green Bay, there’s probably no reason to get him back on the field until training camp.

While the Packers drafted Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft, Davis was slated to have a big role on special teams.

“That’s a tough one right there,” special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said at the time. “He contributed so much. First of all, he’s a big guy that can really run, and so, yeah, it’s going to be multiple people that have to fill his role.”

The Packers’ Free Agents

The Packers entered free agency with 12 unrestricted free agents. That number was set to increase 14 with the expectation that running back Patrick Taylor and cornerback Robert Rochell would not receive restricted free-agent tenders.

Here is that group.

Running back: AJ Dillon, Patrick Taylor.

Tight end: Josiah Deguara, Tyler Davis (re-signed).

Offensive line: Jon Runyan, Yosh Nijman.

Linebackers: Eric Wilson, Kristian Welch.

Cornerbacks: Keisean Nixon, Corey Ballentine, Robert Rochell.

Safeties: Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Jonathan Owens.

The Packers’ Salary-Cap Outlook

According to OverTheCap.com, the Packers were about $13.6 million under the salary cap at the start of the day on Monday, the unofficial start to free agency. Only 10 teams were in worse shape.

While the Packers released De’Vondre Campbell a day earlier, his full cap charge of $14.23 million will remain on the books until he’s officially released on June 1. At that point, the Packers will receive some considerable cap savings to help with any in-season transactions. However, none of that money can be used to sign a player in March.