On a day when two former Green Bay Packers were introduced by their new teams, General Manager Brian Gutekunst added some veteran depth to the defensive line by reaching an agreement with 6 year veteran Jarran Reed on a one year contract, the financial terms haven’t yet been disclosed.
Reed, 29, was a second round pick of Seattle in 2016 where he played in 72 games with 63 starts. The best year for the 6-3, 306 pound defensive tackle was in 2018 when he recorded a career high 10.5 sacks. After five years with the Seahawks, Reed joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021 where he started all 17 games and produced 43 total tackles with 2.5 sacks, giving him 24.5 for his career. Reed will bolster a defensive line that has gotten thin since the end of 2021 when former 5th round pick Kingsley Keke was let go at the end of the year and Tyler Lancaster was allowed to hit the free agent market. He’ll join a group that retains Pro Bowler Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry and last year’s draft pick T.J. Slaton.
Meanwhile, some old faces were introduced in new places.
Davante Adams held his introductory news conference at Allegiant Stadium, the home of his new team, the Las Vegas Raiders. The Packers traded Adams for their first and second round picks in next month’s NFL draft and the unanimous All-Pro quickly signed a five year, 141 million dollar contract with Las Vegas.
Adams said growing up in East Palo Alto, California, he was an Oakland Raiders fan and dreamed of someday playing in silver and black. He said in his third grade yearbook, he wrote about playing professional football or basketball while donning a Charles Woodson Raider jersey in the yearbook photo. Being close to his family in Northern California, gaining financial security for his own family with a second child on the way and playing once again with his Fresno State teammate, quarterback Derek Carr, were all factors in his desire to move west.
Adams appreciated his 8 years with the Packers playing with what he called the best quarterback ever in Aaron Rodgers, breaking team receiving records along the way, won’t be forgotten. He said even while in Wisconsin, he stayed close with Carr and when free agency was beckoning (until Green Bay applied the franchise tag two weeks ago), the opportunity for a reunion was finally knocking.
As for Za’Darius Smith. After agreeing to a deal with his original team, the Baltimore Ravens, he backed out of the 4 year, 35 million dollar contract and resumed his free agency search. On Monday he visited with the Minnesota Vikings and by Tuesday, agreed to terms on a three year deal worth a reported 42 million dollars. Smith couldn’t wait to get started with his new employer, perhaps the chief division rival of his old employer.
After four years in Baltimore, Smith was among the first free agents signed by Gutekunst when he became GM and he had an immediate impact on the Packer defense, racking up 26 sacks and leading the league in quarterback pressures in his first two years. A back injury eventually required surgery after the season opener in 2021. Smith said a bulging disc was taken care of in Los Angeles and he returned in four months to make an appearance in the team’s final game, the Divisional Playoff loss to San Francisco. With an extremely high salary cap figure for 2022, the Packers released Smith and now he’s joined up with two of his former coaches in Minnesota. Former Packer defensive coordinator Mike Pettine and linebackers coach Mike Smith are a part of new Head Coach Kevin O’Connell’s staff.
