Due to Injuries, Lot of Salary Cap Could Be Out for Packers at Broncos

The Green Bay Packers listed 10 players on their final injury report of the week. Here’s what it means for Sunday’s game at the Denver Broncos.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Oct 21, 2023 10:27 AM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The final injury report for Sunday’s game between the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos was stunning. The Packers, having played one game over the past 22 days, listed nine players as questionable and one as doubtful. The Broncos, coming off their mini-bye, listed only one player.

On the scoreboard, it’s 10-1 on injuries. The financial scoreboard is even more amazing.

Here’s a look at the team’s 10 most-expensive players in terms of salary-cap dollars and their potential impact at Denver on Sunday.

QB Aaron Rodgers ($40.31 million): Rodgers was traded to the Jets this offseason and suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1. For what it’s worth, backup Zach Wilson led the Jets to a victory over the Broncos.

LT David Bakhtiari ($21.34 million): The five-time All-Pro is out for the season following the fourth and fifth procedures on the knee originally injured on Dec. 31, 2020. Will he play another down for the Packers? His cap charge for 2024 is $40.58 million; they can save $21.5 million by releasing him, which would dump his base salary and bonuses off the ledger.

DT Kenny Clark ($12.91 million): Clark, as usual, will be providing the power to Green Bay’s young defensive line.

OLB Rashan Gary ($10.89 million): Coming off a torn ACL, Gary incredibly has been as powerful as ever. His numbers in limited snaps compared to the team’s healthy outside linebackers are jaw-dropping. With every sack, the price tag for his upcoming contract extension is going up.

CB Jaire Alexander ($10.76 million): Alexander missed two games with a back injury but returned to play every snap in an excellent performance against the Raiders. On Thursday, the back flared up on him. Alexander didn’t practice on Friday, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he doesn’t play against Denver.

RB Aaron Jones ($8.20 million): Because of a hamstring injury sustained in Week 1 at Chicago, Jones has played in only two games this season and logged a total of 48 snaps. A surprise inactive at Las Vegas, Jones should be back in the lineup this week but, presumably, on a snap count.

S Adrian Amos ($7.95 million): Did the Packers go “all in” to win with Rodgers? Exhibit A is Amos’ contract, with restructures and void years meaning his dead-money cap charge is about $100,000 less than all of Green Bay’s safeties combined. Between defense and special teams, Amos has played about 300 snaps in six games with the Jets.

LG Elgton Jenkins ($6.97 million): The two-time Pro Bowl guard, who suffered a torn ACL in 2021, popped up on the injury report on Thursday. He did not practice on Friday. Was that for precautionary reasons? After a pause, coach Matt LaFleur said, “I believe so.”

OLB Preston Smith ($6.37 million): Smith is impervious to injury, having missed just one game in his nine-year career. He has only one sack this year but is probably the best run defender among the outside linebackers.

LB De’Vondre Campbell ($5.53 million): An All-Pro in 2021, Campbell missed four games with a knee injury last year and likely will miss a third game this year with an ankle injury. They are 2-5 when he’s out of the lineup.

Added together, Rodgers, Amos and Bakhtiari (who won’t play), Campbell (who almost certainly won’t play), Alexander and Jenkins (who might not play) and Jones (who might be on limited reps) are consuming $101.1 million of the cap. That’s 45 percent.

Now, add five more players who are questionable – backup offensive tackle Yosh Nijman, who was added to the report on Friday, cornerback Eric Stokes, who remains on PUP, and safety Darnell Savage, linebacker Quay Walker and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, all of whom are expected to play – that’s $117.12 million, or 52 percent of the cap.

For any team to be successful, its high-priced players must be high-impact players. Too many of the Packers’ high-priced players are enveloped in gauze and bubble wrap.