The Packers’ first signing of an unrestricted free agent this year came eight days after the unofficial start to free agency, reportedly inking cornerback Kevin King to a one-year, $6 million deal on Tuesday.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported the agreement.
King, the Packers’ 2017 second-round pick and their first in a draft without a first-round selection, seemed as good as gone entering free agency because of his inability to consistently stay healthy over his first four years in Green Bay and a tendency to allow explosive plays when he was in uniform.
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A trio of plays in the NFC Championship Game against the Buccaneers — mistiming his jump on Mike Evans’ first-quarter touchdown, allowing Scotty Miller to blow by him for a touchdown to close the first half and committing the game-sealing penalty on a fourth-quarter third down — made it seem even less likely he would return to the Packers because it served as a troublesome reminder for what King is too often prone to when healthy.
Alas, King will be back on a short-term deal that will require him to return to his 2019 form in order to keep a job in Green Bay beyond this coming season.
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Here is what the signing means for the Packers and King.
How he fits
King will retain his spot as the second starting outside cornerback opposite Jaire Alexander, at least for the 2021 season. This signing confirms the Packers and new defensive coordinator Joe Barry will run it back with the same starting base secondary as Mike Pettine had the past two seasons: Alexander, King and safeties Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage Jr. Though Packers fans might not be thrilled with King returning after an injury-hampered first four seasons in Green Bay and the sour taste left in their mouths after King’s NFC title game showing, that continuity in the secondary counts for something.
The Packers have always liked King’s size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) as a contrast to Alexander’s (5-foot-10, 196 pounds). When healthy, King can still be a reliable outside cornerback when he keeps up with opposing receivers. As we saw in the NFC Championship Game, that isn’t always the case against faster receivers. But if the Packers can get the 2019 version of King (15 games, five interceptions, 15 passes defensed) instead of the 2020 version (11 games played, no interceptions, five passes defensed), then this could look like a smart signing by the end of the year.
My whole secondary back! I love it !
— Adrian Amos (@_SmashAmos31) March 23, 2021
2021 impact
King’s return means the Packers don’t have to integrate an outside free-agent signing at cornerback into a new defense during what could be another virtual offseason due to COVID-19. That familiarity with each other’s playing styles should help the team learn Barry’s defense, especially if he must teach it to his defensive backs over Zoom at first. As for King’s actual skill set on the field, his impact on the team this year hinges largely on whether he can stay healthy.
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Since the Packers drafted King with the 33rd overall pick in the 2017 draft, he has played in only 41 of a possible 64 regular-season games and only in 2019 did he play more than 11 in a regular season. King was questionable entering a Week 6 tilt with the Buccaneers last season because of a quad injury and worked out on the field in Tampa pregame, then missed five consecutive games after experiencing a setback. Unfortunately for him, that’s been the story of his career so far. The structure of King’s contract has not been announced, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there is hefty money tied into playing-time bonuses to ensure King only really gets paid if he stays on the field.
Kevoooo🤘🏿
— Kenny Clark (@KCBoutThatLife) March 23, 2021
Draft impact
Re-signing King doesn’t mean the Packers won’t draft a cornerback in the first or second round. King’s deal is for just one year, and if he again can’t stay healthy or play consistently well when he is, the Packers could let him walk next offseason in favor of someone such as Georgia’s Eric Stokes or Tyson Campbell, Northwestern’s Greg Newsome or Florida State’s Asante Samuel Jr.
If the Packers had given King a long-term extension, maybe they’d be more inclined to use a first- or second-round pick on a defensive lineman or offensive tackle. But with the low-risk, high-reward deal they gave King, the Packers should still strongly consider drafting a cornerback early and having him learn the ropes for a season, if that. King and Alexander were the Packers’ first picks in the 2017 and 2018 drafts, respectively, and neither started from Day 1.
Cap update
The Packers finally got under the cap last Wednesday because league rules say they had to, and Overthecap.com had them at about $3.4 million under the threshold as of Tuesday morning. While King’s deal is for a reported one year and $6 million, it’s not yet known whether part of that $6 million includes incentive-based payouts that aren’t guaranteed. Until we know what the breakdown is, we can’t paint an accurate picture of how King’s deal will affect the cap.
Outlook
It’s a big “if,” but the Packers can have one of the league’s best secondaries if King stays healthy and doesn’t totally combust like he did against the Buccaneers in January. Alexander is a top two or three cornerback in the NFL, and Amos and Savage are one of the most underrated safety tandems in the league. The only true question in the secondary, at least when playing with four defensive backs, is King.
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When he’s close to the ball, he’ll probably break it up; his length and physicality make it hard for him not to. Now it’s about making sure he’s not standing on the sideline in sweats watching that ball or chasing down a receiver 5 yards past him who’s reeling it in for a touchdown. This signing might cause some fans to sweat, but it has the potential to give the Packers an elite secondary in 2021.
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / Getty Images)
