Packers Sign Veteran Punter

Longtime Chicago Bears punter Pat O'Donnell, who is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, will replace Corey Bojorquez.

Author:
Bill Huber
Updated:
Mar 17, 2022 10:34 AM EDT
Original:
Mar 17, 2022

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have a new punter.

A day after it was learned Corey Bojorquez would not be re-signed, the Packers made a big move by signing longtime Chicago Bears punter Pat O’Donnell. NFL Network was first to report.

A source said it was a two-year deal. ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reported the deal is worth $4 million. It includes a $950,000 signing bonus.

O’Donnell, who turned 32 last month, was a sixth-round draft pick by the Bears in 2014.

In eight seasons, he’s got a lofty average of 45.1 yards. While he’s not getting any younger, he averaged 45.7 yards in 2020 and 46.2 yards in 2021. In 2020, he tied for third in the NFL with 28 punts inside the 20. In 2021, he almost set a career high for punting average.

It’s interesting to compare the 2021 seasons of O’Donnell and Bojorquez. Bojorquez ranked 11th in the NFL with a franchise-best 46.5-yard average and 17th with a 40.0-yard net. He had 18 punts inside the 20 and four touchbacks. O’Donnell ranked 14th in average and 24th with a 38.5-yard net. He had 19 punts inside the 20 and five touchbacks.

Of 29 qualifying punters according to Pro Football Focus, Bojorquez ranked sixth in hangtime (4.29 seconds) and 14th in percentage of punts returned (39.6), while O’Donnell was just 28th in hangtime (4.09) and 27th in return percentage (54.8).

So, for the season, Bojorquez was the better punter. However, he went into a late-season slump. The hope is O’Donnell, with a wealth of experience just a few hours south of Green Bay, will punt consistently late in the season.

In case you were wondering, O’Donnell ran his 40 in 4.64 seconds with 23 reps on the bench press at the 2014 Scouting Combine. His Twitter bio includes his nickname, “MegaPunt.”

“Pat’s obviously got a very strong leg. He's very athletic. You see his size out there. He's a big man,” former Bears coach Marc Trestman said. “If you have a good punter, that's one play that can mean a lot; it changes field position. When you can directionally punt at this level and do it consistently and do it with height as well as length, that creates an advantage field-position-wise. We know that.”

OverTheCap.com had the Packers with $1.9 million of cap space as of Thursday morning, which includes the contract for De'Vondre Campbell, which he had not signed as of Wednesday afternoon.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.