Why the Packers actually added Aaron Banks and Nate Hobbs (and the work still left to do)

Many have misinterpreted what the Packers' early free-agent additions mean for the team.

For the second consecutive year, the Green Bay Packers invested considerable money in free agents during the first day of the NFL's contract-negotiation window. However, unlike in 2024, the team's moves generated more confusion than excitement.

The first of the Packers' additions, former San Francisco 49ers guard Aaron Banks, agreed to a four-year, $77 million contract. The $19.25 million average annual value of the deal ranks seventh among all guards. It also places Banks ahead of his new Green Bay teammate Elgton Jenkins by over $2 million per year.

But the Packers had more in store. Later that day, news broke that they had also agreed to a four-year, $48 million deal for former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs. A former fifth-round pick, Hobbs now finds himself in line for a starting job in a secondary that expects to lose Jaire Alexander in the near future.

For an audience primed to anticipate splashier names, flashier positions, or both, the Banks and Hobbs additions appeared to come out of left field. Certainly, the availability of field tilters like Davante Adams, DK Metcalf, and Chase Young set the tone in the days leading up to free agency and the new league year while Banks and Hobbs garnered few if any mentions in relation to Green Bay. Regardless of whether the Packers actually pursued any or all of those big names, the expectations inevitably superseded reality.

This included some members of the media who jumped to wild conclusions about both of the players the Packers added as well as the team's reasoning for those moves.