Packers reportedly bringing back LB Isaiah McDuffie on two year deal
The 25 year old will serve as depth behind Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper.
By PackerAaron
Sources: #Packers are re-signing LB Isaiah McDuffie on a two-year, $8-million deal with upside to $9.5M.
McDuffie has 183 tackles over the last two seasons. pic.twitter.com/wxUnkAhuMQ
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 3, 2025
McDuffie is coming off a 94 tackle effort in 2024, the first year in Jeff Hafley's 4-3 scheme while playing 528 snaps at linebacker for the Packers. He also added two quarterback hits and a forced fumble.
Much has been made about McDuffie's history with Hafley, having played for him at Boston College, which no doubt played a factor in his return. That familiarity should serve him well if called into extended action should Quay Walker or Edgerrin Cooper miss time.
The gobbling and stuffing he did on turkey day got him paid pic.twitter.com/Iix2lFtqBA
— CheeseheadTV 🧀 (@cheeseheadtv) March 3, 2025
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Comments (21)
T7Steve
March 03, 2025 at 11:22 am
Good!
Packers0808
March 03, 2025 at 11:33 am
Smart move.
Leatherhead
March 03, 2025 at 11:34 am
Two years at $4.5M each....roughly. Spotrac said his market value was just under $5M. Good for the Packers. He played a lot of snaps and made a lot of tackles on defense and special teams.
MitchAnthony
March 03, 2025 at 11:40 am
The Hafley/Boston College connection likely helped this deal win out. He's played well within his limitations as well.
Now what to do with Wilson. How much faith does the coaching staff have in Hopper based on what they've seen last year? The rumors were they wanted to feature him more next season. A retention of Wilson might signal he's (Hopper) not there yet and they like their known entities.
Leatherhead
March 03, 2025 at 11:53 am
Walker-Cooper-McDuffie-Wilson-Hopper would be about the strongest 5 man LB unit in the league.
MitchAnthony
March 03, 2025 at 12:49 pm
Strongest five? Yeah, let's hope so.
I don't think we've seen enough of Hopper to make that assumption yet. Would be nice if he plays very well when offered more real playing time.
Walker definitely looked like a much better version of himself in three games last year. He's very fast and strong and plays so much better in the company of Cooper.
The good thing is the linebacker room isn't the glaring need in the defense.
dobber
March 03, 2025 at 02:26 pm
I think they'll spend a later round pick on a speculative LB/ST and let Wilson go. With Hopper as a ST guy who has a chance to develop into a regular, it's time to lean into those four and to go with a younger, cheaper guy behind them. It could be that if they are unsure about Hopper, they could make their move earlier in the draft. 5 LBs seems to be their preferred construction.
stockholder
March 03, 2025 at 12:18 pm
Mediocrity -
No upgrades coming.
dobber
March 03, 2025 at 02:31 pm
I don't think this precludes them from doing other things. McDuffie can contribute on D and he's a proven ST player. Hopper has played almost exclusively STs. They could draft an LB earlier to hedge their bets on whether they keep Walker.
For a team that plays an awful lot of nickel and will use primarily 2 LB, I don't know what you expect. I think it was pretty clear they were likely to bring one of McDuffie or Wilson back.
stockholder
March 03, 2025 at 03:35 pm
contribute? -
More Bark than Bite here.
Leatherhead
March 03, 2025 at 04:09 pm
McDuffie had 699 snaps on defense last year, 5th most on the defense. He had 46 solo tackles, 6th most on the team. He also had 125 special teams snaps.
This is quality depth at an affordable price.
Coldworld
March 04, 2025 at 09:06 am
McDuffie is the archetype of a one dimensional player. He’s good in the run game but an absolute liability on passing downs. We will see what the details of any contract are, but if it’s not guaranteed then this may just be a backstop move to set the floor in the room if others don’t surpass him.
McDuffie is an ok STer, but he’s not a mainstay. Wilson had 111 fewer, 588, defensive snaps and 200 more (321) ST snaps, for example. Notably, when Wilson started he still maintained those snaps and wasn’t spelled by McDuffie. Hopper had 215 in about half a season. Both suggest McDuffie is not seen as being as versatile on STs or, alternatively, as a prime ST asset.
Packers0808
March 03, 2025 at 02:35 pm
HIGGINS gone!
LeotisHarris
March 03, 2025 at 03:26 pm
No, it's still open for lunch Wednesday through Friday 11:00-2:30, and dinner Tuesday through Sunday, starting at 5:00.
Thegreatreynoldo
March 03, 2025 at 06:49 pm
This is a terrible decision and vastly overpays a player who can't cover anybody. They should have kept Eric Wilson and signed a competent veteran. So Spotrac thinks McDuffie is worth $4.8M? Well, they think Myers is worth $7.8M, that Andre Dillard is worth $2.9M for sitting on his ass all season and thus deserves a raise from $1.25M to $2.9M, Slaton is worth $3.8M, and Wilson is worth $1.6M. As a note, OTC thought McDuffie was worth $3.0M and Eric Wilson was worth $4.8M, and OTC thinks Slaton is worth $2.05M. These outlets do not agree and have little to no credibility.
I know Wilson is getting older, but I am just looking for a bridge until GB can take another swing at ILB in the draft. I guess they think little of Hopper. It would have been much better to sign a competent veteran and dump both Wilson and McDuffie. I have no interest in keep 5 ILBs, 3 of whom are liabilities when they step on the field.
At $4M, it is not that far off fr om Jamien Shherwood or one of the ancient but still good players like Bobby Wagner.
LeotisHarris
March 03, 2025 at 07:14 pm
Great locker room guy and a guy you can win with.
Leatherhead
March 03, 2025 at 07:30 pm
No, TGR, they aren't saying anybody is worth anything. They're saying "This is their market value". In the case of McDuffie, they were on target and OTC was kind of lowball. They think Dillard has a market value of $2.9M? We'll see.
Wow. Uncharacteristically harsh words for our linebackers, and by extension, the people who acquired them. Interesting.
jannesbjornson
March 03, 2025 at 08:11 pm
Wilson made plays for them; McDuffie is a Gutey guy who will be overpaid to play special teams. Draft Stutsman to control the middle and he can cover the hook zones. The next announced resigning will probably be Dillon.
dobber
March 03, 2025 at 08:27 pm
"The next announced resigning will probably be Dillon."
Oof.
stockholder
March 03, 2025 at 08:32 pm
Shouldn't sign any of them.
Can't cover - correct
Wilson - age
Dillard is done.
Myers- Hype- big money absurd.
beerandbrats
March 04, 2025 at 09:42 am
Eggs cost $5 dollars a dozen and bench warmers cost $4 million a season.
This world is becoming very unaffordable!