NFL Free Agency Grades: What Experts Say About Packers

It’s been an impactful start to NFL free agency for the Green Bay Packers, who replaced Josh Myers with Aaron Banks, added critical talent at cornerback with Nate Hobbs and lost a combined 24 starts from their defense.

What does it mean? Here are what the experts are saying in their free-agent grades.

CBS Sports: B

In Pete Prisco’s free-agent rankings, Hobbs was No. 76 and Banks was No. 77.

Banks got an enormous four-year, $77 million contract. While the analytics show he’s been an average starter, he has “surrendered just one sack in 897 pass-blocking snaps” the last two seasons and is “also a bulldozer in the run game.”

Hobbs is a “starting-caliber defensive back” capable of playing at corner or in the slot.

The Packers’ grade was solid but lagged well behind the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears, with the latter completely retooling their porous offensive line.

Yahoo: C-minus

Frank Schwab said Banks and Hobbs are “solid players but both seem a bit overpaid.”

Making matters worse: The Lions and Bears, a pair of NFC North rivals, received the only solid A grades.

Pro Football Network: C-minus

Banks and Hobbs have been “nice starters but are far from stars.” It’s hard to be stars when you’re not playing, which the authors drove home. Hobbs, for instance, played less than half the defensive snaps in 2024.

“Hobbs has missed 16 games the last three seasons, while Banks has missed seven in that same span. Green Bay didn’t hand out much in guarantees, which should enable them to move on if needed, but these were curious players to aggressively pursue so quickly.”

The Packers had the worst grade in the NFC North, and only six teams had a worse grade overall.

ESPN

Seth Walder graded only the signing of Banks. He didn’t like it, giving it a C-minus. In writing about the Vikings’ signing of guard Nate Fries, Walder said he “would rather have Fries than Banks, and the Vikings are getting him for $17.6 million per year as opposed to the $19.3 million per year that Banks received.”

Writing much more extensively about Banks, Walder said: “This is high-end money for a player who hasn't proved to be that yet. Banks is coming off his best season by our numbers, but even with that context, his pass block win rate (92 percent) ranked 38th out of 64 guards and his run block win rate (69 percent) ranked 46th.”

The 33rd Team

Tyler Brooke graded only the individual transactions, with Banks getting a C-plus and Hobbs getting a C. On both, they were dinged by the massive prices.

Of Banks, Brooke wrote in part: “The move makes sense from a scheme standpoint. The Packers became a heavy run team, but lacked a thick lineman like the 325-pound Banks to move bodies in the trenches. That's exactly what Banks can bring as a guard who also allowed just one sack in pass protection.”

The Bengals got a B-minus for signing defensive tackle TJ Slaton, who started 17 games the past two seasons, and the Raiders got a C-minus for signing cornerback Eric Stokes, who started seven games last year. The Jets got an A-plus for signing Josh Myers, with Brooke calling it a “steal,” and the Eagles a C for AJ Dillon.

In a separate story, Marcus Mosher picked three winners. Two were teams and one was Davante Adams. The teams were from the NFC North.

Pro Football Focus

PFF also looked at the signings individually rather than cumulatively. Both were deemed “below average.”

Of Banks, the author wrote: “The good news with this deal is that Banks is coming off a career-high 65.4 PFF overall grade in 2024 and has developed throughout his NFL career. However, a deal that makes him the sixth-highest-paid guard in football is very rich. The Packers are betting on his continued development.”

In a separate story, the Vikings were deemed one of four teams that added the most talent.

And in another story, the Packers were one of the early “losers.” From the introduction:

“Green Bay’s front office isn’t known for handing out big contracts to free agents — a key aspect of modern roster construction — which led to limited movement during the legal tampering period. However, the few moves they did raise questions about the value, given the significant money spent.”

Over The Cap

These grades were based on the money. Of 63 contracts that were graded, only three received an F. Banks was one.

The closing lines on Banks: “The team will even bump his salary if he winds up a Pro Bowl-level player when you think this number reflects that expectation. On top of that, it moves the current guard to center, giving the team a $17M center to go along with a near $20M guard. The Packers line better be great this season.”

Even the Brandon McManus contract was scrutinized.

The Sporting News

Vinnie Iyer doesn’t have team grades but he liked both of the Packers’ signings, with an A given for Hobbs.