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The Green Bay Packers have always been a team that tries to prioritize developing talent through the NFL Draft. While many consider former first-round pick Devonte Wyatt a bust due to his inability to live up to the hype, Brian Gutekunst and the front office believe that what will come in the future is better than what fans have seen so far.
Gutekunst and the Packers agreed to terms with Wyatt on a three-year contract worth $57 million, paying him just outside the top 10 in terms of average annual value for defensive tackles. This seems risky, as it appears hard to believe a team on the open market would have been willing to hand him that contract.
Gutekunst is of the belief that Wyatt's best football is in the windshield, not the rear-view mirror. That may end up being the case, but it would require him to reach levels that have simply not been available to him throughout most of his time with the Packers. Will Gutekunst come to regret betting on himself here?
Packers executive Brian Gutekunst takes risk with Devonte Wyatt contract
Wyatt has spent most of his Packers career as a rotational defensive lineman, tallying 16 sacks in four seasons and failing to really take the leap from an average run defender to a great one. With injuries now also starting to come into focus, there is a very real possibility that Wyatt is not going to play 17 games with regularity.
Wyatt is worth giving a second contract, but for $19 million per year that pays him like a mid-range No. 1 defensive tackle across the league? Even if you strip away his status as a first-round pick, giving someone who hasn't proven to be elite in any particular area could stretch an already thin Packers roster to breaking point.
The defensive line was considered one of the weakest units on the Packers' roster, and now over $60 million per season will be tied up in Wyatt and Micah Parsons. While Parsons at full strength is worth every cent of that contract, it is fair to wonder if he will be up to the task of being an All-Pro every year after his injury.
Wyatt was always meant to be a player who takes some time to develop, but with the Packers committing to him for the next three seasons, Guetkunst's forward planning might be tested in a very extreme way.
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This article was originally published on lombardiave.com as Brian Gutekunst bets on himself with big Devonte Wyatt overpay.
