The Green Bay Packers have a glaring need at cornerback, especially if Jaire Alexander doesn't stay on the team next season. With enough cap space available, general manager Brian Gutekunst has plenty of flexibility to find one in free agency if needed.
Based on Gutekunst's track record, you can understand what type of players he would look for. Ideally, it has to be a young player, preferably entering his second NFL contract. He has to be at least a decent athlete, with a proven record of good performance.
Evaluating the options at cornerback, it's hard to find someone who is a better fit than New Orleans Saints' Paulson Adebo.
Profile
Adebo has been one of the most unique players at his position in recent years. At his peak, he's played at a Pro Bowl level for New Orleans. At other times, he's been a liability due to penalties. There seemed to be very little in between for the cornerback. A great characteristic is that he had a knack for somehow coming up with an interception in clutch moments for the Saints.
Adebo is coming off a serious leg injury, a broken femur, so there's plenty of risk involved for whoever targets him in free agency. The expectation in New Orleans, though, is that he will test the market. A short-term deal may make the most sense as he tries to prove he can return at full strength. According to Adebo himself, he expects to be ready to go by training camp.
"Every offseason, we have to attack aggressively. The opportunities that present themselves, whether that be free agency, trade, are different every year," Gutekunst said last week. "Every year there's not gonna be a Josh Jacobs and a Xavier McKinney out there to go get. So we'll see what transpires with the free agency class, who gets re-signed, who doesn't, if there's salary cap casualties, if there's trade opportunities, all those. But we always operate under the kind of aggressive mindset. But we have a process that we go through and we'll see what's available. If it's right for us, we're gonna attack it. But if it's not there, it's not there."
Adebo played only seven games in 2024, but that's a freaky injury, more than a lingering issue. It was the first season of his career in which he played fewer than 13 games.
When Adebo was on the field, he played at a high level. He allowed a 67.0 passer rating when targeted, had seven pass breakups, and three interceptions. The coverage grade, according to PFF, was solid (63.9), and he added an intriguing dimension as a blitzer with a 91.5 pass rush grade, with two pressures coming from the defensive backfield.
Repercussions
Right now, the Packers are projected to have $40 million in cap space. After procedural moves, the expectation is that they will have around $20 million to spend. And Gutekunst is happy with where the franchise is at after some tough financial seasons.
"I feel really good, Russ (Ball) does a fantastic job with our cap and all the decisions we've made over the past few years have put us in a situation where we're in pretty good shape right now," Gutekunst added. 'Again, we gotta keep making good decisions, it's never a one-year thing. You're looking at two, three years down the road as far as how these things impact things."
Cornerback is a premium position, and usually top players don't even hit the market. Paulson Adebo, a former third-round pick, might bring some risk and some question marks, but he would be a solid option to address the most impactful need the Packers will have to answer in the 2025 offseason.
