Green Bay has now re-signed three of their cornerbacks via free agency with the addition of Robert Rochell.
Earlier this offseason, the Green Bay Packers had the opportunity to tender cornerback Robert Rochell with a “first right of refusal” tag that would have made the restricted free agent $2.985 million and never let the defensive back hit unrestricted free agency. Instead, the Packers elected to not place that tender on Rochell and have now re-signed the cornerback, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
Assuming that the Packers are acting rationally here, Rochell’s 2024 salary should come under that $2.985 million mark for the season, based on their prior actions. The addition of Rochell adds even more depth to a cornerback unit that was looking bare going into the offseason.
Since unrestricted free agency opened up a week ago, the Packers have brought back three of their own cornerbacks: Rochell, Keisean Nixon and Corey Ballentine. Nixon received a three-year contract that gave him a raise of about $2 million per year while Ballentine re-signed on a one-year contract that doubled his 2023 salary. At this point, I think it’s fair to say that Green Bay’s plan is to run it back at the position in 2024.
Currently, it appears that Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine will be battling for a starting outside cornerback position opposite of Jaire Alexander with Nixon playing in the slot. From there, Ballentine is a reserve outside cornerback who is a special teams contributor, a role that Rochell will also contribute in.
Last season, after Rochell was plucked off of the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad, he played in nine games for the Packers, recording 112 special teams snaps and never playing on the defensive end of the game. Back in 2022, with the Los Angeles Rams, Rochell also only played 26 defensive snaps, compared to 325 special teams snaps, another signal that he’s viewed as a special teams player by the league.
Rochell wasn’t the Packers’ only restricted free agent in the 2024 cycle by the way. Patrick Taylor, a pass-protecting running back who also contributed on special teams, was another player that Green Bay could have tendered. He’s now an unrestricted free agent and hasn’t been reported to have signed with another team. At the moment, there’s no update on whether or not he will be brought back to the team on a deal worth less than the nearly $3 million tender that the Packers had the option of placing on him earlier this offseason.
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