Green Bay Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker may be looking at a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Walker is reportedly the best player left in free agency who has yet to sign with a team by the second day of the new league year.
Walker’s Market Value and Potential Contract
Schefter suggested Walker might seek a one-year deal to put himself in a good situation and re-enter the market next year. There were not a lot of teams in the left market to begin with.
The good news for Packers fans is that the only number in a player’s contract that matters in the compensatory draft pick formula is a player’s average per year (APY). As long as Walker can get market-value cash flow in that one-year deal, there’s nothing to worry about.
The Impact on Green Bay’s Draft Pick
Schefter noted that the market pushed back on pricing at both off-ball linebacker and cornerback this free agency cycle. There were really three markets that blew up last year: offensive tackle (Dan Moore Jr. making a $20.5 million APY after leading the NFL in sacks allowed), off-ball linebacker and cornerback.
Walker was thought to be the only offensive tackle of his calibre on the market this year. Since Walker is the only tackle in his tier (young and a true starter), those other data points won’t help inform us of Walker’s market.
However, Schefter indicated that the league might push back on tackle pricing, potentially bringing Walker’s APY under the $20.5 million Moore received. Should that happen, Green Bay’s projected third-round pick, which was assumed based on contract projections coming into free agency, could be pushed to a fourth-round pick.
If you’re wondering why there’s some pushback on pricing, the teams that have most aggressively borrowed from future cap space for the present since the pandemic seasons are now running out of runway. Essentially, they borrowed from the future at a higher rate than the cap was going up, and they’ve already exhausted a lot of their options to create easy cap space in 2026.
The teams that have most aggressively borrowed from future cap space for the present since the pandemic seasons are now running out of runway. On top of that, not every team is willing to borrow at the same rate as these teams. When teams like Cleveland, Miami and Philadelphia are locked up cap-wise, it’s felt in the market.
Key Considerations
- Rasheed Walker is reportedly considering a one-year deal.
- The APY is the only number in a player’s contract that matters in the compensatory draft pick formula.
- Walker’s contract could affect Green Bay’s projected draft pick.
The situation will become clearer whenever Walker signs.