The Green Bay Packers might be staring down a situation similar to the Deshaun Watson saga in Cleveland, albeit with less impact, as offensive guard Aaron Banks is proving to be a serious concern. Last offseason, the Packers threw a hefty four-year, $77 million deal at Banks, a guy who struggled with consistency even back with the San Francisco 49ers.
Big Money, Not-So-Big Performance
Talk about a surprise free agent acquisition that hasn’t paid off! Those same consistency issues from his 49ers days popped up big time in Banks’ first season with the Packers. Pro Football Focus tracked him giving up two sacks and a brutal 27 pressures on just 484 pass-blocking snaps. You read that right: 484 snaps. That is NOT what you want from the NFL’s seventh-highest paid left guard by average annual salary.
Let’s be real, other high-paid left guards out there are putting in way more work for similar or better numbers. Peter Skoronski, pulling in $25 million annually, had two sacks and 23 pressures over 694 snaps. Tyler Smith ($24 million) logged three sacks, 26 pressures on 700 snaps. Matthew Bergeron ($23.5 million) only gave up one sack and 28 pressures on 519 snaps. Luke Goedeke ($22.5 million) didn’t allow a single sack, with just 22 pressures on 416 snaps. Quenton Nelson ($20 million) gave up one sack and just 15 pressures over 637 snaps. Even Joe Thuney ($17.5 million), who’s making less than Banks, posted zero sacks and 22 pressures on a massive 788 snaps. Banks’ 484 snaps make his numbers look even worse compared to those guys, except maybe Landon Dickerson who had a wild season with the Eagles on a similar snap count.
Sunk Costs and Fresh Faces
The big worry now for Green Bay is falling into that “sunk cost fallacy” trap. With that massive contract, are the Packers going to stubbornly keep leaning on Banks as a full-time starter just to try and justify the money they spent? That would be a huge mistake if the struggles continue. Luckily, they’ve got some other options bubbling up.
Fifth-round rookie Jager Burton has shown some legitimate flashes during preseason and could seriously push for a starting job. Anthony Belton and Jacob Monk are also on tape as potential options, though it’s likely one of those three will slot into the *other* guard spot, opposite Banks. The Packers have decisions to make on that offensive line, and ignoring Banks’ performance because of his paycheck won’t help anyone.
The Packers have choices to make on that offensive line. Will they stick with the struggling, highly paid Banks, or will they roll the dice on some of the younger talent emerging? That’s the question looming large for Green Bay as the season gets rolling.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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