Packers Lose Coveted Linebacker Littleton to Raiders

The top linebacker in free agency, and a top target for the Packers, agreed to a three-year, $36 million contract.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Mar 17, 2020 3:35 PM EDT

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Linebacker Cory Littleton, a top target for the Green Bay Packers before free agency, has agreed to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders.

A source confirmed an NFL Network report that the deal is for three years and $36 million.

Based on conversations with sources, it appears the Packers were not too involved with any of the top free-agent linebackers. Kyle Van Noy got $51 million over four years to go from New England to Miami, Joe Schobert got $53.75 million over five years to go from Cleveland to Miami, Jamie Collins got $30 million over three years to go from New England to Detroit and Nick Kwiatkoski got $21 million over three years to go from Chicago to Las Vegas.

“They couldn’t afford him,” the agent for one of those linebackers said.

The new collective bargaining agreement didn’t provide extra salary-cap space. In fact, the cap went from a projected $200 million to $198.2 million. Moreover, the new CBA bumped up the salaries of all the league’s minimum-wage players, which ate into the remaining cap space. With Monday’s additions of linebacker Christian Kirksey and right tackle Rick Wagner, the Packers have about $15.2 million of cap space, according to OverTheCap.com.

The reality is the Packers have far less money to spend, since they have a 10-man draft class and undrafted free agency to account for, as well as the need to save money for in-season transactions. Ken Ingalls, who analyzes the Packers’ salary cap, believes the amount of true cap space is about $1.94 million.

That means the Packers might not only be done at linebacker, but they might be done overall beyond some smaller re-signings.

Green Bay could create space by restructuring contracts to take advantage of what’s expected to be a greatly increased salary cap for 2021. That is not being done in the process of hammering out a long-term extension for defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers restructured his contract already. Receiver Davante Adams could be a candidate for a reworked deal. Guard Lane Taylor, who missed most of last season due to injury and lost his job to talented rookie Elgton Jenkins, has a base salary of $3.8 million and could be released to create $4.09 million of cap space, but the Packers might be looking to trade the experienced and talented veteran.

The team's leading tackler the past three seasons, Blake Martinez, agreed to a three-year, $30 million deal with the Giants.