If we are looking at a 4 to 5 year Super Bowl window, why would we go for a very good player in free agency, so early in that window, instead of a great player? If we could land Xavier McKinney we get a more explosive player. I get that the cap is a major consideration, but in this new defense all I hear is how important the guy in the single high spot is. If that spot is filled by one of the best in the league than it should give Hafley freedom to call whatever he wants, in any scenario. Don't get me wrong, If McKinney's price tag skyrockets due to bidding wars, then I would absolutely love to see Jordan Fuller as a Packer. But if the goal is to be the best, we have to pursue the best.

Any team is never just one player away. However a great, solid player can make a huge difference. When the Brett Favre Super Bowl window opened, Reggie White (and others) were brought in. I think it is time for Matt and Brian to call Xavier and tell him, "God says go to Green Bay!"

Leadership is great! But a great player can sometimes be more of a follower than a leader. The team can use good leadership. Sometimes players need to follow as well as lead.

He played out of his Mind.
A comeback player-
And what you didn't bring up is size.
At 6'2, it's something the packers
never had.
Under six and light never worked in GB.
And now were going to throw big bucks
at a guy who looks like a hybrid Lb?
You know Gute only likes RAS guys.
I recommend we start new, and keep too what
we can afford.
Forget leaders from other systems!
This DC doesn't Need the interference on his ideas.
It's Time Gute drafts players that succeed at safety.

I'd like to see them make a run at Fuller and draft a guy like Tyler Nubin from Minnesota or Calen Bullock from USC. Just because we finally have a little money doesn't mean we need to spend it all at once on a guy like McKinney. Plus, how many times have we saw a FA leave one team, sign a big ole contract, and not be worth a damn on that new team.

I was a pretty good leader in my day - CEO of a company. I had adequate size at 6'2' and 195 pounds and I was a willing tackler (in high school). Should I have been a safety for the Packers? Unfortunately you could time my 40 with an hourglass. I wasn't a college level athlete much less capable of playing in the pros.

My point is that leadership is a valuable commodity provided you have all of the other requisite qualifications. Cory just assumes that Fuller has all of the physical attributes needed (and no decline has occurred) and focused on his leadership skills. I would like to have heard a lot more about Fuller's physical capabilities and performance statistics over the last couple of years with the Rams as well as why the Rams chose to cut him - was it just financial or has a decline in play happened?

A comparison article between McKinney, Simmons and Fuller (and maybe others) which would have included a discussion of performance versus price (i.e. overall value) would have been more useful before deciding who the next great Packer safety is.

I would not mind either McKinney or Justin Simmons coming to GB. Still, to get a guy with either of their talent levels at S, would be huge for GBP. I'd also like to draft a S, like Tyler Nubin or Javon Bullard, etc, to roll with the veteran we would bring in. I'm not so sure Fuller is the guy I'd want. GO PACK, GO!!!

Great break down of coverages and Safety need by Andy Herman.

https://247sports.com/nfl/green-bay-packers/article/pack-a-day-what-the-...

Versatility, not pigeonholing a player in one position.

Fuller is an interesting option. However, there are reasons he’s not seen as likely to get a massive contract. It’s not age in his case. He’s not old at 25.

Why then are the Rams letting him walk? One reason is concern over persistent ankle problems. He suffered an ankle injury in 2021 and missed the team’s playoff run and eventual Super Bowl victory. They signed Eric Weddle to replace Fuller. The same injury hampered his play into the 2022 season. Another ankle issue kept him out of the wildcard game against the Detroit Lions in 2023.

Additionally, Fuller isn’t an elite NFL athlete. He’s a firmer 6th rounder with a 5.5 RAS. Instinctive as he is, any diminution of burst of long speed could be critical. What is his medical prognosis? That could be critical. Teams know, we don’t. I should note that McKinney only tested marginally better to put this in context, but he’s not had a lingering issue. Both tested rather similar to Nubin, which is interesting given the reaction to his combine.

So unless Fuller’s availability is significantly driven by his medical prognosis why are the Rams passing on him? His cap hit probably wouldn’t have been fearsome. If as Corey contends, he’s this great galvanizing force, that decision would seem even more illogical. In reality it’s either medical or the fact that they think they can do better and not miss this general.

I’m not opposed to Fuller if healthy. He’s an option that improves us and is likely relatively affordable and thus keeps other options open. However, I find the leadership justification melts when one tries to grasp it. I hope we make these decisions for reasons more tangible than that.

One thing is certain, we need a veteran S to go with our young draft picks. No need to break the bank with Fuller, we also get the young center field S we have needed.

Leadership is absolutely not the most important quality. Making plays is. Go ahead and trot 11 fat-assed Andy Reeds on to the field and see how well they do.

We're in the same position we were back in 2019.

The Packers needed safety help, so they traded up to draft Darnell Savage, and then paired him with a veteran in Adrian Amos. The plan worked well, as Amos was a solid addition whose play only declined until the final year of his 4 year contract.

Savage never really lived up to his potential, but I also put some of that on Pettine and Barry. Could he rejuvenate his career under Hafley? I don't think we'll ever know as it looks like the Packers are going to let him walk and join the deep pool of free agent safeties (perhaps in the hopes that he'll circle back and take a deal on the cheap).

So fast forward to 2024 and we're in the same dilemma, and I think the Packers will have the same solution: they will draft one in the first two rounds, and then sign one of many free agents out there that might better suit Hafley's scheme.

McKinney fits what Gutey wants: versatility. He played all 17 games, and per PFF, he had an overall rating of 87.8, with 464 snaps at free safety, 388 in the box and 167 in the slot cornerback role. Dude can do it all.

"I'm particular that those guys are all interchangeable," Gutekunst said recently.

McKinney not only shares the same agent as Jordan Love, but his lead recruiter at Albama, Derrick Ansley, is now the Packers defensive pass game coordinator too. I do think he'll be too expensive, but we shall see.

Fuller's price will definitely be cheaper. I will say PFF graded him about 20 points lower than McKinney, with an overall grade of 66.7. He also played for Hafley at Ohio State when Hafley was the defensive playcaller in 2019. Fuller played 692 snaps at free safety with 357 combined in the box and slot. So he's versatile too.

If you're going to burn a lot of your limited cap on a guy, you want him to click as many boxes as possible: leadership is certainly one of those boxes.

McKinney, Simmons--those guys have already been linked to 2/3 of the teams out there. Their agents are going to take advantage of the increased caps, bid them up and cost a fortune. Even Fuller is going to probably cost more than we anticipate.

Packers have to decide when/how to burn that cap that they're just starting to generate. Do you spend that buck like it's burning a hole in your pocket? Do you lean into the draft, fill some holes with mid-run FAs, but bankroll cap for when you have a better feel for how your young roster is developing? Plenty of these young guys are going to need to be extended, traded, or allowed to walk in the next couple years to make the cap work--simultaneously the benefit but also the problem of a very young roster. This is why the braintrust gets the big bucks.

I like the player and I like the price tag.

Some things I believe in terms of free agency and the draft:

1) Bigger money or higher draft position doesn't necessarily mean bigger results.
2) What's his desire to play once the player has gotten 'the check'.
3) Will the player fit the system he's brought into?

I think Fuller is a really good choice without breaking the bank to fix a glaring hole.

I think it's hard to bring a guy in from the outside and say "lead". Guys like Reggie and Woody are few and far between. I'd look to guys like Clark, and PSmith,and Gary....guys who have been in the locker room longer than most and who've played in some big games.

I have nothing against Fuller, and if he can help lead, that's a plus.

I think it makes a ton of sense to get a free agent Safety. It is like having anther top round draft pick. We will not have to use our first pick on a Safety. For a number one pick you really want to get a premium pick that will be able to start immediately. Fuller or McKinney as free agents should be considered depending on what the new DC prefers.

FA or draft? I know two things. One is I hate the idea of spending big in FA. Two, our drafting the safety position for several years now has been like Stevie Wonder playing tennis. Something's gotta give at some point. I just don't know what GB should do anymore with Safety position.

Hard as it is to believe, Savage graded out higher per PFF (75.5) than all of the free agents at the safety position out there except for McKinney (87.8) and Gilman (86.1).
Gilman is projected to sign at around 4 mil per year. Would look at bringing him on along with LB Frankie Luuvu.
With these two I would hope for Bullard / Hicks / Bishop in the draft. One or two. Along with Cooper, Wilson, or Gray @ LB.

From PFF: Darnell Savage
Defense grade - 75.5 (15th)
Pass Rush - 52.2
Coverage - 74.2 (21st)
Run defense - 71.8 (30th)

Please share where your numbers are coming from. Mine are directly from PFF.

I think you're looking at the playoffs.

https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/darnell-savage/34247

Well, is it better to be one of the top graded regular season Safeties, or one of the top in the playoffs?

Savage missed 7 games in the regular season , so it's easy to believe his season average isn't very good. Down the stretch and in the playoffs, this guy played like one of the best Safeties in the NFC. We haven't resigned any of the guys from last year, and they played 2000 snaps among them, so I can't believe the entire answer is that we're going to sign a FA and the problem is fixed. Either some of these guys will be back or we're bringing in multiple Safeties. Remember, Gutekunst likes to use FA to fix problems before going into the draft, and IMO, we're looking at a problem that's more than one guy.

Savage and the Packers are doing the dance. Savage could get offers from other teams that the team is unwilling to match. He's young, he's been to the Championship Game twice, etc. etc. I bet the Bears will put in an offer on this guy, just because they can. He'll get a bigger offer than we want to match.