Coming Off Torn ACL, Tonyan Returns to Packers

Robert Tonyan was one of the NFL's breakout stars in 2020 but a torn ACL ruined his chance for what would have been a lucrative repeat.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With an eye on a big free-agent contract, Green Bay Packers tight end Robert Tonyan went into the 2021 season hoping to prove his 2020 season wasn’t a fluke.

He’ll try again in 2022.

Having missed the second half of last season with a torn ACL, the Packers re-signed Tonyan on Saturday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein. It’s a one-year deal, a source confirmed, which wasn’t what he had in mind 12 months ago, but the Packers, no doubt, are thrilled to get a potential bargain.

Tonyan had a breakout 2020 season in which he caught 52 passes for 586 yards and 11 touchdowns. Of the 34 tight ends who were targeted at least 40 times in the passing game, Tonyan was No. 1 in catch percentage (89.7), drop percentage (0.0) and passer rating (148.3), according to Pro Football Focus, and tied for No. 1 in touchdowns.

A restricted free agent last offseason, the Packers gave him the second-round tender of $3.38 million, then restructured it by adding four void years to deal with the cap hit.

His new contract also has a void year inserted to help with the cap.

Had Tonyan even gotten close to duplicating that production, he would have been one of the best tight ends on the free agent market. Instead, he suffered a torn ACL at Arizona.

“He’s been here a while and we know his work ethic,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said recently. “He’s working his tail off and we feel pretty good about his recovery.”

It was a clear tear, a source said recently, and the hope is he will be on the field for the first practice of training camp.

In eight games, Tonyan caught 18-of-29 passes – those 11 incompletions more than all of 2020 – for 204 yards and two touchdowns. After a four-game stretch in which he caught just 6-of-13 for 32 yards, Tonyan got rolling by catching 4-of-5 for 63 yards vs. Washington and 3-of-4 for 49 yards with a season-long gain of 33 vs. Arizona before the injury.

“Bobby is a tough one to replace,” coach Matt LaFleur said at the time. “He’s a guy that’s so versatile in terms of both the run game and the pass game.”

Tonyan provides the playmaking element to Green Bay’s deep group of tight end specialists. Veteran Marcedes Lewis provides the grit and blocking and 2020 third-round pick Josiah Deguara provides the jack-of-all trades skill-set. But the Packers sorely missed Tonyan’s ability to get open, stretch the field and catch everything in the 920 area code.

Other than the injury, perhaps the most noteworthy part of Tonyan’s season was the drop in Week 1 against New Orleans. The pass wasn’t great and it didn’t matter in the grand scheme of a 38-3 loss. Still, it seemingly foreshadowed what was to come that afternoon.

The last time Tonyan had dropped a pass, Joe Philbin was the interim coach, DeShone Kizer was the quarterback and the Packers were finishing a turmoil-packed 2018 season with a 31-0 loss at home to the Detroit Lions. He caught 10-of-11 passes in 2019 and 52-of-59 in 2020, so the drop ended a streak of 70 consecutive targets.

“I didn’t even really think about that – which is good that I didn’t think about that until it popped up on the board that (the coaches) gave me a drop,” Tonyan said a few days later.

“I know how miraculous his season was last year and having the ability to catch everything and every target thrown at him,” then-tight ends coach Justin Outten said.

The Packers used third-round draft picks on Richard Rodgers, Jace Sternberger and Deguara. They signed Martellus Bennett, Jared Cook and Jimmy Graham in free agency. It turns out the difference-making tight end they had been seeking for years was a college quarterback-turned-receiver who joined the practice squad late in the 2017 season.

“Just reps and having a pretty good quarterback isn’t all that bad, either,” Tonyan said. “(Aaron Rodgers) puts it right there and now it’s my job is to catch it.”

Green Bay Packers: Key 2022 Transactions

Extended: QB Aaron Rodgers

The offseason drama is over. Four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers signed a contract extension with the Packers that significantly lessens his 2022 cap charge while tying him to Green Bay through at least the 2024 season.

Traded: WR Davante Adams

The Green Bay Packers shocked the NFL by trading All-Pro receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders for first- and second-round picks.

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Replacing Adams through NFL Draft

Somehow, Packers win without Adams

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With money to spend, Rasul Douglas reportedly will re-sign

Packers trade Adams in NFL shocker

Re-Signed: LB De'Vondre Campbell

All-Pro linebacker De'Vondre Campbell will return on a five-year, $50 million contract, Packer Central was the first to report. He turned a one-year, $2 million contract into a Year 1 payout of $16.25 million.

Re-Signed: CB Rasul Douglas

The Packers brought back cornerback Rasul Douglas, giving the Packers a potentially superb cornerback trio of Douglas, Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes.

Signed: P Pat O'Donnell

One day after Packer Central learned Corey Bojorquez would not be asked back at punter, they signed veteran Pat O'Donnell away from the Bears. Looking at the season-long numbers, it was not a positive move.

Tendered: WR Allen Lazard

The restricted free agent, and coach Matt LaFleur's beloved "goon," was given the second-rounder of almost $4 million. He'll be able to shop himself around the league until April 22.

Extended: OLB Preston Smith

The Packers extended outside linebacker Preston Smith after he recorded nine sacks in 2021. The upcoming season would have been his final one under contract. The extension resulted in more than $8 million of cap savings and includes sack-based incentives.

Released: OLB Za’Darius Smith

Releasing two-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith produced more than $15 million in cap savings. He missed most of last season with a back injury. Smith momentarily returned to the Baltimore Ravens on a four-year deal worth $35 million; a lot of money but not even close to the four-year, $66 million contract he signed with Green Bay in 2019. Ultimately, Smith did not sign and remains a free agent.

Released: RT Billy Turner

The Packers released offensive lineman Billy Turner, who started 43 games at three positions in his three seasons with the team. Elgton Jenkins or Yosh Nijman could wind up in the lineup.

Pay cut: WR Randall Cobb

With a huge cap number given his age and productivity, veteran receiver Randall Cobb agreed to a pay cut to stay in Green Bay alongside Aaron Rodgers.

Restructured: S Adrian Amos

The Packers took out the credit card again with a restructure for safety Adrian Amos. As it stands, his cap number is lower with the team in 2022 then it will be when he's a free agent in 2023.