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It’s looking more and more like the Green Bay Packers will have a new right tackle in 2020. Bryan Bulaga has said that he would like to finish his career in Green Bay, but the free agent market may dictate otherwise.
The Packers have reportedly made no contact with Bulaga and his representation as of last week, which is never a good sign. Still, the last time he was a free agent, in 2015, Bulaga went into the legal tampering period without a contract but re-signed with the Packers prior to the formal opening of free agency. It’s possible that the team could be letting him evaluate his price on the open market, particularly if they feel he would come back to the Packers and see if they would match a proposed deal.
However, given the numbers being discussed around Bulaga, that price may end up being far steeper than the team is willing to pay. Even though they will have an extra $8 million in cap space as of this afternoon with Jimmy Graham’s release, that still leaves just $28 million or so for the team to work with this offseason. With other needs also pressing on Brian Gutekunst’s budget, the price for retaining Bulaga might be too much to keep the Packers in the game.
Here’s a look at that price and what the Packers might do in free agency if they move on without Bulaga in the fold.
Report: Market for Packers RT Bryan Bulaga projected at $12M/year | Packers Wire
If Bulaga gets a contract in that range, it's no wonder the Packers are planning for life without him. His highest cap percentage on his last contract was 4.7%, so a raise to about 6% at age 31 would probably price him out of the Packers' plans.
NFL free agency predictions: Matching teams with the top 100 players – The Athletic
One writer sees Bulaga's best fit coming with the Chargers, who recently hired former Packers offensive line coach James Campen. Meanwhile, the Packers are connected to a few big names including Austin Hooper, Nick Kwiatkoski, and a suprise name in Michael Brockers.
Green Bay Packers: End could come suddenly for career of ageless wonder Tramon Williams | Packersnews.com
It seems like now might be the right time to let Williams ride off into the sunset. He played well in his limited role for the past two years, but it will be tough to keep a 37-year-old cornerback on the roster at this point.
Prospect Primer: LB Patrick Queen | Packers.com
Is Queen the right guy for the starting linebacker job in Green Bay? If he’s still available at 30, the Packers will surely consider him heavily.
The NBA suspends season over coronavirus pandemic - SBNation.com
Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, two days after touching every microphone in the media room while seemingly trying to joke about the spread of the illness. Now the NBA is stopping all of its games for the immediate future, with no clear plans moving forward.
Packers Monitoring Coronavirus But Conducting ‘Business as Usual’ | SI.com
Of course, the big news from around the world this week is around COVID-19, which has caused the NBA to suspend its season and the NCAA to plan for a March Madness tournament with no fans in attendance. The Packers haven’t changed their plans for now, but that could change if circumstances do in the coming days.