Nate Hobbs. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Packers moving on from $48 million free-agent bust

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Matt Lombardo | Last updated Mar 10, 2026 10:24 AM ET

The Green Bay Packers admitted a pretty major mistake on Tuesday.

One day before the NFL league year officially opened, the Green Bay Packers elected not to exercise cornerback Nate Hobbs’ $6.25 million roster bonus, releasing him to free agency, according to a report from USA Today's Ryan Wood.

#Packers are not paying Nate Hobbs the $6.25M roster bonus, facilitating his release, per source.

Benjamin St-Juste in. Hobbs out.

— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) March 10, 2026

Nate Hobbs didn’t work out for Packers

Green Bay originally signed Hobbs with plenty of optimism that he would elevate former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s secondary last offseason, but it never quite worked out.

Hobbs, 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, never quite lived up to his $48 million contract signed last March, allowing opposing quarterbacks a 125.3 passer rating when throwing his direction while only producing 14 total tackles.

After moving off Hobbs, the Packers may push cornerback up the franchise’s target board when Green Bay first goes on the clock in the second round of April's 2026 NFL Draft.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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