The Packers keep stumbling in free agency while the 49ers’ brilliant strategy makes rivals look foolish.QQ
It’s no secret the San Francisco 49ers were forced into many a tough roster decision last offseason, headlined by the bittersweet trade of wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders.
Additionally, the Niners let plenty of starting-caliber players walk in free agency. And while big names like linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga were tough to see go, the choice to let left guard Aaron Banks sign elsewhere was certainly notable.
Especially after Banks inked a lucrative four-year, $77 million deal with the Green Bay Packers, making him one of the highest-paid interior linemen in football.
Less than one full season into that contract, Banks and the Packers are making San Francisco look genius for not offering him a re-sign deal to stay in the Bay Area.
And now, Green Bay fans are feeling the frustration.
Aaron Banks’ woes with Packers continue to justify 49ers’ decision to let him walk
Sure, the 49ers have had their own problems at left guard this season, including injuries and player rotations involving seldom-discussed linemen like Ben Bartch, Connor Colby and Spencer Burford.
Yet those three are making a fraction of the amount of cash now at Banks’ disposal, yet the latter certainly doesn’t seem to be living up to his expectations.
Just take it from the folks over at Acme Packing Co.:
“Banks has been a borderline disaster at guard. Barely healthy this year (he’s dealt with back, ankle, groin, and shin injuries this year), Banks hardly looks like a starting-caliber guard, much less one of the highest paid in the league.
Pro Football Focus grades are hardly the be-all, end-all for offensive line evaluation, but if we concede that they point us in the general direction of the correct answer, Banks looks pretty bad. Among guards that have played at least 200 snaps this year, Banks is the 55th highest graded guard overall (out of 74), the 58th graded run blocker, and the 39th graded pass blocker. Of the three Packers players who have played significant snaps at guard this year (Banks, Jordan Morgan, and Sean Rhyan), Banks is rated as the third-best guard overall, the third-best run blocker, and the second-best pass blocker.
In short, despite being one of the highest-paid guards in the league, Banks isn’t even playing like the best guard on the Packers.”
Indeed, the Niners’ second-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft has appeared in seven of the Packers’ nine regular-season games to date. And, as pointed out above in relation to PFF not being a perfect evaluatory measure, it’s impossible not to overlook Acme Packing Co.’s frustration with its new starter.
San Francisco has rarely prioritized spending big bucks on guards during head coach Kyle Shanahan’s tenure, so letting Banks hit the open market last offseason was essentially a foregone conclusion.
But Green Bay felt he was worth the high-profile price tag and priority, and it’s paying the cost.
In more ways than one.
