Packers will re-sign punter Jacob Schum, per report

The first free agency decision of the year appears to be complete for Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson. Although it’s not a big one, it is an important one.

The decision is to retain punter Jacob Schum, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. He reports that Schum will be in Green Bay next week to sign a new contract and take a physical.

Considering the phrasing of this report, it suggests that Schum’s contract is likely more than just the Exclusive-Rights tender that the Packers could have offered him. This deal could take the form of a multi-year contract or may include some amount of guaranteed money; we likely will not know more about the details of the deal until it is signed next week.

In his first year with the Packers in 2016, Schum averaged 43.2 gross yards per punt on 56 attempts. Although that average was middle-of-the-pack in the NFL, he did have a good year punting directionally and landing kicks inside the 20, while also remaining fairly consistent throughout the season. In fact, Schum only had four games all season with an average kick of under 40 yards, compared to four (including playoffs) of 50 or more.

Stay tuned for more free agency news throughout the next week.