Green Bay signed three players to guarantees in the six figures, but what does that look like in the overall NFL market?
With training camp on the horizon, I wanted to answer one question I still had about the Green Bay Packers’ offseason: Are they actually paying good money for undrafted free agents now?
The Packers have a long history of developing undrafted rookies into players who actually end up making their 53-man roster, but the team has developed a reputation over the years as one that doesn’t spend much cash to actually secure this talent. Just generally, my belief is that the price for undrafted free agent players has gone up over the years, too, for several reasons: The COVID era extension of eligibility that has allowed players to spend more years in college, NIL being a factor in players returning to school and the league’s salary cap that is now rising at a pace of about $25 million per year.
Three undrafted Packers, notably, received big guarantees this year, at least on the relative scale of Green Bay’s history in the market: defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse, linebacker Jamon Johnson and safety Johnathan Baldwin.
Stackhouse got a $15,000 signing bonus and $150,000 in guaranteed salary. Johnson and Baldwin each received a $15,000 signing bonus and $100,000 in guaranteed salary. Those numbers are bigger than we’re used to for the Packers’ undrafted free agents, but how do they stack up with the rest of the league?
According to OverTheCap’s numbers, Stackhouse’s $165,000 in guarantees is good for 10th among undrafted interior defensive line rookies, despite him being ranked 246th on the Consensus Draft Board going into the draft — making him a draft-caliber prospect.
Below are the defensive tackles who received more guaranteed money than Stackhouse from this undrafted rookie class, including their spot on the Consensus Draft Board.
- Jared Harrison-Hunte, Panthers ($300,000 in guarantees, #262 on consensus draft board)
- Elijah Simmons, Cardinals ($269,000, #321)
- Simeon Barrow Jr., Falcons ($264,000, #261)
- Coziah Izzard, Chiefs ($225,000, #703)
- Jahvaree Ritzie, Patriots ($210,000, #381)
- Payton Page, Jets ($201,500, #342)
- Junior Tafuna, Texans ($200,000, #272)
- Cam Horsley, Titans ($190,000, #244)
- Sebastian Valdez, 49ers ($185,000, #592)
It’s worth noting that only one other defensive tackle received more than $115,000 in guarantees behind Stackhouse, so he was right on the edge of a payment cliff.
When you look at Johnson’s situation, he fits in similarly in the undrafted linebacker market. Johnson, who was 263rd on the consensus board, was the 11th-highest-guaranteed player at his position in the undrafted rookie class behind:
- Bam Martin-Scott, Panthers ($290,000, #339)
- Justin Barron, Cowboys ($254,000, #365)
- Brandon George, Chiefs ($249,000, #401)
- Austin Keys, Vikings ($249,000, unranked)
- Karene Reid, Broncos ($249,000, #313)
- K.C. Ossai, Texans ($175,000, unranked)
- J.B. Brown, Broncos ($160,000, unranked)
- Tuasivi Nomura, Panthers ($140,000, unranked)
- Eugene Asante, Dolphins ($140,000, #268)
- Power Echols, Bears ($130,000, #390)
Baldwin falls even further down the ranks at his position, finishing 15th among just safeties, let alone all defensive backs, behind:
- J.J. Roberts, Buccaneers ($300,000, #333)
- Jack Henderson, Panthers ($300,000, #462)
- Alijah Clark, Cowboys ($259,000, #366)
- Isaac Gifford, Panthers ($244,000, unranked)
- Malik Verdon, Falcons ($244,000, #308)
- Glendon Miller, Chiefs ($220,000, #502)
- Donovan McMillon, Browns ($210,000, #359)
- Maxen Hook, Eagles ($200,000, #211)
- Mike Smith Jr., Cowboys ($190,000, #709)
- Robert McDaniel, Commanders ($180,000, #391)
- Makari Paige, Giants ($165,000, #360)
- Dean Clark, Jets ($160,000, #287)
- Zion Childress, Cowboys ($135,000, #468)
- John Saunders, Dolphins ($120,000, unranked)
While those three specific players drew attention for their relatively large guaranteed numbers, they definitely stood out among the Packers’ rookie class. Behind Johnson and Baldwin’s $115,000 in guarantees are two running backs: Amar Johnson and Jalen White. Both received the same $15,000 signing bonus that Johnson and Baldwin got, but neither received a penny in guaranteed salary. Offensive lineman J.J. Lippe and cornerbacks Kazhir Brown and Tyron Herring each signed for a $10,000 signing bonus
Behind them, quarterback Taylor Elgersma signed for a $3,000 bonus, offensive lineman Brant Banks for $1,000 and receiver Sam Brown Jr. apparently has no guarantees in his contract at all.
For perspective, here are the top 10 undrafted free agents in terms of guarantees they were given this offseason:
Top 10 UDFA Guarantees, 2025
- OL Ben Chukwuma, Buccaneers ($300,000)
- DL Jared Harrison-Hunte, Panthers ($300,000)
- SAF J.J. Roberts, Buccaneers ($300,000)
- SAF Jack Henderson, Panthers ($300,000)
- LB Bam Martin-Scott, Panthers ($290,000)
- CB Johnathan Edwards, Colts ($280,000)
- OL Jeremiah Byers, Cardinals ($279,000)
- OL Tim McKay, Commanders ($275,000)
- OL Valentin Senn, Cardinals ($274,000)
- CB Cobee Bryant, Falcons ($274,000)
So Green Bay was willing to pay three players about top-10 to top-15 money at their position within their own undrafted free agent class, but there was a steep dropoff after that money was spent. How does that compare to the rest of the league?
I’m glad you asked. According to OTC’s count, there are currently 458 undrafted free agent rookies on NFL rosters right now, about 14 per team. Below is a table that breaks down how many UDFAs a team signed this offseason, how many raw dollars they guaranteed to their undrafted rookie class and how many dollars that works out to per UDFA.
Based on these numbers, the league average per undrafted rookie is about $85,189 in guarantees and the median is about $45,000. Obviously, this means that the numbers skew toward higher-end free agents receiving more money, but it’s worth mentioning that only 3 of the Packers’ 12 undrafted rookies received more than one-third of the league-median $45,000 for the group this offseason.
Ultimately, the Packers’ $47,833 in guarantees per undrafted free agent signing ranks 25th in the NFL this year, ahead of the Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens. They’re out of the undrafted free agent basement, but don’t mistake them for a big spender. They didn’t come close to the Arizona Cardinals, who guaranteed a league-leading $176,875 per UDFA in 2025 — more than three-and-a-half times Green Bay’s rate. They did spend well above the Baltimore Ravens, though, who guaranteed just $179,500 — close to what the Packers guaranteed to Stackhouse alone — for their entire 20-man undrafted rookie class.
To say the least, teams approach undrafted free agency very differently.