Packers Linked to Pursuit of NFL’s Top-Rated Safety
Bleacher Report examined every NFL team and suggested top free-agent priorities for each on Wednesday, January 10. The staff’s selection for Green Bay was safety Antoine Winfield Jr. of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Cheeseheads have several impending free agents at safety, including Darnell Savage Jr. Meanwhile, Winfield projects to be one of the top players available on the open market and would be an upgrade over Savage.
The former has earned an elite grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF) this season, as he has contributed on all three levels of the defense with 117 total tackles, five sacks and 15 combined interceptions and passes defended heading into this weekend.
Antoine Winfield Jr. Led NFL in Forced Fumbles this Season
Describing Winfield as elite isn’t hyperbole. In fact, characterizing him as the best safety in football is entirely accurate based on PFF’s advanced analytics.
Winfield finished the year as the website’s top-ranked safety out of 99 players who saw enough snaps to quality at the position. He earned grades above 92 as a run-defender and a pass-rusher, a grade of over 85 in coverage and a grade of 91.2 as an overall defender. Winfield has ranked among the league’s top-10 safeties in each of the previous three years, according to PFF.
Winfield led the NFL with 6 forced fumbles in 2023 and added 3 interceptions, per Pro Football Reference. The fourth-year defensive back and one-time Pro Bowler (2021) will hit the free-agent market in March after helping the Bucs to their third consecutive NFC South Division title and fourth straight playoff berth. Winfield also won a Super Bowl ring as a rookie starter for Tampa Bay in 2020.
Packers Will Have to Spend Big to Acquire Bucs Safety Antoine Winfield Jr.
The Bucs would almost certainly have exercised a fifth-year option on Winfield if they had the choice. However, as a former second-round pick (No. 40 overall out of Minnesota) and not a first-round selection, Winfield will become a free agent unless the Bucs utilize the franchise tag to retain him.
Winfield played the first four years of his career on a $7.3 million contract that offered Tampa Bay incredible value. Now, however, it’s time for Winfield to cash in.
Spotrac projects his current market value at $18.5 million annually over a new four-year deal, which would place Winfield as the second highest-paid safety in the NFL based on current salaries at the position, per Over The Cap. Only Derwin James of the Los Angeles Chargers makes more with an annual average salary of $19.1 million.
Green Bay has just $8.5 million in cap space available for 2024 as of Wednesday, per Spotrac, though the team can clear massive chunks of space by cutting ties with some of its more expensive and less available players this offseason.
The prime candidate on that list is left tackle David Bakhtiari, who has appeared in just 13 games over the past three seasons due to knee injuries and is set to cost the Packers approximately $40 million against the salary cap in 2024.
