Jordan Love can breathe a bit easier now after the Green Bay Packers’ latest signing.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Monday that the Packers will be signing offensive lineman Aaron Banks in free agency. Banks is reportedly getting a big four-year, $77 million contract from Green Bay.
Playing at the left guard position, Banks, 27, had been with the San Francisco 49ers ever since they made him a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft (No. 48 overall). A former All-American at Notre Dame, Banks had been a rock for San Francisco these last few years, making 49 total starts for them over the past three seasons (regular season and playoffs).
Banks was regarded as the top guard available on the free agent market this offseason. He is also notable in that he has allowed just one sack in more than 1,000 pass blocking snaps over the past two NFL seasons (per NFL writer Eli Berkovits).
Coming off an 11-6 regular season and a Wild Card round exit in 2024, the Packers needed some extra protection for their prized quarterback Love. Longtime left tackle David Bakhtiari retired before the 2024 campaign, and Love was notably injured on a sack attempt in Week 1 of the season, missing multiple games.
Banks certainly did not come cheap for Green Bay as he will be making nearly $20 million per year in each of the next four NFL seasons. But it is an investment that is very much worth making for the Packers as they rework their offensive line a bit.
