Best Fits in Free Agency? There’s Bit of Consensus for Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’s an open question as to whether Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst will be active in free agency, as was the case the last two seasons, or sit in the background waiting for bargains.

If he dives head-first into the free-agent pond again, the consensus among pundits is the money will be spent on defense. That’s logical considering Green Bay’s biggest needs are on that side of the ball.

Pro Football Network selected one free-agent target for every team. For the Packers, it was Super Bowl-winning cornerback Josh Jobe of the Seahawks.

“The Packers struggled with depth in their secondary last season,” Ben Belford-Peltzman wrote. “Keisean Nixon endured an uneven year, and Nate Hobbs failed to provide the impact that the team hoped for. If the Packers added a corner like Josh Jobe, it would make a huge difference in the secondary. Jobe thrives in press and can hold up in man coverage, which would give Gannon more schematic flexibility.”

Green Bay’s cornerbacks intercepted only one pass – Nixon’s to save the win over Chicago at Lambeau Field – but were charged with 14 touchdowns and 19 penalties.

Jobe entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Eagles in 2022. He was released by Philadelphia at the end of camp in 2024 and signed with Seattle. In 2025, PFF charged him with a 51.8 percent completion rate with three touchdowns, one interception and a 75.2 passer rating. He broke up 12 passes and was guilty of 10 penalties in 16 games (15 starts).

“He’s tough, physical,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said early in the season. “All this guy does is work and try to pay attention to detail and prepare. Doesn’t have a lot to say for it, which is cool; that’s his personality. He’s playing really good football right now.”

There might be some risk that Jobe is a one-year wonder. Combined his first three seasons, Jobe had one interception, 11 passes defensed and started nine games.

Jobe is a rags-to-riches story – or will be – having opened the 2024 season on Seattle’s practice squad.

“That’s one of my favorite things since I've been here,” Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde said early in the season. “I actually said it to the defense last week, to see him come in and basically this time last year he was on the practice squad and to push himself and compete and be on the field I think is a credit to him as a player and him as a man.”

In finding the best fits for his top 50 free agents, ESPN’s Matt Bowen also went with a cornerback, former first-round pick Greg Newsome II of the Jaguars.

“The Packers’ cornerbacks struggled after Micah Parsons’ injury limited the pass rush, and new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will install a zone-heavy scheme,” Bowen wrote. “That’s a fit for Newsome, who uses his backfield vision in coverage. Re-signing with the Jaguars is also an option.”

While Jobe was a lockdown cornerback for Seattle’s powerhouse defense, Newsome in a 2025 season split between the Browns, who drafted him in 2021, and the Jaguars, who acquired him in October, PFF charged him with a 65.8 percent catch rate with five touchdowns, one interception and a 107.2 passer rating. He broke up nine passes and was guilty of five penalties.

What About Pass Rusher?

Pro Football Focus selected one free agent every team should pursue. Rather than a cornerback, the selection was edge defender Khalil Mack.

The Packers have a lot of uncertainty at defensive end. When will Micah Parsons return to the lineup and return to game-wrecking status? Will Rashan Gary be retained? Will Kingsley Enagbare re-sign in free agency?

Mack would ease some of those concerns. He had 5.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 12 games last season.

“Whether or not Mack returns for another season is still up in the air, but his productivity isn’t in question,” Bradley Locker wrote. “The former Charger produced a 79.2 overall PFF grade last season with a 77.2 PFF run-defense grade and a 13.2 percent pass-rush win rate. The soon-to-be 35-year-old could bolster Green Bay’s pass-rushing rotation, which may or may not include Rashan Gary in 2026.”

What About Tyler Linderbaum?

What about the big fish in the pond, Baltimore center Tyler Linderbaum, the 25-year-old, three-time Pro Bowler?

ESPN and Pro Football Network had Linderbaum going to the Giants, where he’d reunite with former Ravens coach John Harbaugh, while Pro Football Focus had him going to the Chargers.

“Given his movement traits, he would fit the Giants' zone and gap schemes, and his 97.2 percent pass block win rate with the Ravens tied for second among 31 qualifying centers last season,” Bowen wrote. He also thought the Raiders could be a fit.

Linderbaum is a stud. In four seasons, he’s missed only two games. The Packers need to solidify that position after former second-round pick Josh Myers failed to reach expectations and neither Elgton Jenkins (cap-saving cut) and Sean Rhyan (free agency) might return.

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER