8 best salary cap bargains for Packers this season

Building a competitive football team under the salary cap is a delicate process for NFL general managers like Brian Gutekunst of the Green Bay Packers. He must structure contracts to create bargains year-to-year, especially with an MVP quarterback taking up a big chunk of the cap and future cap.

A bargain can be considered any player with a cap hit lower than the expected contributions to a team that year.

Here are the eight best salary cap bargains for the Packers in 2022:

CB Rasul Douglas

Green Bay Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas (29) celebrates his 55-yard interception return

2022 salary cap hit: $3,334,313
Percent of cap: 1.55
Position rank: 50th among CBs

A breakout star for the Packers in 2021, Douglas returned to Green Bay on a three-year deal. With a low base salary and a $5.3 million signing bonus spread out over three years, the Packers were able to keep Douglas’ cap hit under $4 million in 2022 – a steal for a starting corner who intercepted five passes last season. Forty-nine cornerbacks have a higher cap hit this season.

OLB Rashan Gary

2022 salary cap hit: $5,051,872
Percent of cap: 1.0
Position rank: 39th among edge rushers

The power of a rookie contract. Gary, one of the best young edge rushers in football and a headliner of the Packers defense, will take up roughly one percent of the team’s cap in 2022. The Packers won’t have this benefit for long; with another terrific season, Gary is likely to cash in big on a new deal next summer.

CB Jaire Alexander

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

2022 salary cap hit: $7,076,000
Percent of cap: 3.28
Position rank: 20th among CBs

The Packers made Alexander the highest-paid defensive back ever, but the structure of his new deal was specifically designed to lower his cap hit in 2022. Now, Green Bay will have a top-three cornerback in the NFL taking up a small fraction of the team’s cap this year. Alexander’s cap hit will balloon over $20 million starting in 2023.

LG Jon Runyan Jr.

2022 salary cap hit: $7,076,000
Percent of cap: 3.28
Position rank: 55th among LGs

Runyan was excellent as a first-year starter at left guard, and he’s capable of ascending into the upper tier of starting guards with another step forward in 2022. This season, he’ll cost the Packers less than $1 million on the cap. Even among only left guards, he’s not in the top 50 for 2022 cap hits.  A sixth-round pick in 2019, Runyan is a huge bargain as a strong starter on the offensive line.

LB De'Vondre Campbell

2022 salary cap hit: $4,241,176
Percent of cap: 1.97
Position rank: 19th among ILBs

Much like Rasul Douglas, the Packers kept Campbell after a breakout 2021 season with a team-friendly deal that is light on the front end. Campbell, an All-Pro last season, isn’t even in the top 15 of cap hits among off-ball linebackers in 2022. The strategy for Campbell’s $50 million deal was a familiar one: Low base salary in Year 1, and a signing bonus spread over many years.

QB Aaron Rodgers

(AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

2022 salary cap hit: $28,533,568
Percent of cap: 3.28
Position rank: 5th among QBs

How can Rodgers be a bargain after signing a market-altering new deal? Here’s how: Rodgers, the back-to-back MVP, ranks only fifth among quarterbacks in cap hit, and he’s a full $10 million under the top cap hit at the position (Ryan Tannehill). In 2022, Rodgers’ cap hit for the Packers is almost identical to Carson Wentz’s hit in Washington. His base salary is just over $1 million. Not bad for the game’s best player.

CB Eric Stokes

(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

2022 salary cap hit: $2,710,344
Percent of cap: 1.26
Position rank: 59th among CBs

The Packers think Stokes is about to become a star. The 2021 first-round pick was excellent as a rookie, and he’s going into Year 2 with a chance to play alongside Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas in a talent-filled secondary. Having a young, ascending talent on a rookie deal and at a premium position is a huge asset for the Packers.

RB A.J. Dillon

Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

2022 salary cap hit: $1,441,590
Percent of cap: 0.67
Position rank: 52nd among RBs

Dillon, who led the Packers in rushing last season and created over 1,000 total yards, won’t even account for a full percentage point of the team’s salary cap in 2022. Although Aaron Jones is still the top gun at running back, Dillon is going to play a huge role in the offense this season. Over 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns are possible. And the cap charge for the production will be almost negligible.

Honorable mentions

(AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

DL Kenny Clark: The Pro Bowl interior defender has a cap hit under $10 million in 2022.

OL Elgton Jenkins: He would have made this list without his injury. He’ll count around $5 million on the cap in 2022, but he’s expected to miss a chunk of the season.

TE Robert Tonyan: If he can come back and give the Packers a legit weapon in the passing game, he’ll be a huge bargain with a cap hit under $3 million.

C Josh Myers: The Packers’ starting center has a cap hit of about $1.2 million in 2022.

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