De'Vondre Campbell was an All-Pro for the Green Bay Packers in 2021 but he saw his effectiveness wane in 2022 and 2023 as he struggled with injuries as well as perhaps a return to his "normal" level of play.
Remember, prior to the Packers taking a chance on him in 2021, he was trending toward being your typical average NFL "journeyman"/practice squad player — which is certainly nothing to be ashamed of but its certainly not All-Pro.
As a result of is lessening play the Packers decided to release Campbell — voiding the final three years of his contract — on March 10 of this year with a post-June 1 designation, which allowed them to split Campbell's dead-money cap hit between 2024 and 2025.
They'll owe $3.65M in dead cap for 2024 and $7.97M in dead cap for 2025, but importantly, Green Bay was able to free up an extra $10.5M in cap space for 2024 because of the move.
That money just recently freed up, and it couldn't have happened at a better time for the Packers because they've got one player, at least, that deserves to get paid.
Everyone know it's going to happen eventually, and if you were to believe Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, the expectation is that star quarterback Jordan Love should have a new contract by training camp.
It makes sense, too. The Packers gave Love a one-year extension last offseason to basically serve as a "prove it" deal with him firmly as the starter in the post Aaron Rodgers. He responded by throwing for 4,159 yards and 32 touchdowns with 11 interceptions while leading one of the youngest teams in the NFL to the divisional round of the playoffs.
Loved proved that he could be "the guy" to replace "the guy" in Green Bay, and now he's going to get paid big-time.
Let's bring in full circle here. Interestingly enough, a player who ultimately did not end up being "the guy" for the Packers — Campbell —should end up helping Green Bay fund the initial parts of Love's new deal.
Love is expected to get much more than just $10.5M per year with his new deal. In fact, Spotrac believes his new contract should be worth somewhere around $47M a year over four years.
That extra $10.5M in cap space the Packers got from cutting Campbell should provide them with some wiggle room under the 2024 cap in order to be able to easily afford the Love extension, though.
According to Over the Cap, the Packers currently have roughly $30M in room for 2024, but think about how much of that would be taken up if Love gets anywhere near that $47M a year.
Suddenly that extra $10.5M looks really important in the ever-connected world of NFL salary caps.
