RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 12: Aaron Banks #65 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates after the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field on October 12, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Getty
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur made a very revealing statement earlier on Friday when he suggested that the team could in fact have a true competition on their hands at left guard, where second-year pro Jager Burton has been shining in lieu of the hurt current starter, Aaron Banks.
Matt LaFleur says rookie fifth-rounder Jager Burton is going to make their decision on who starts at left guard âextremely difficult.â Likes how Burton has been playing while Aaron Banks is hurt. pic.twitter.com/QOV4wMhj91
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 14, 2026
“Matt LaFleur says rookie fifth-rounder Jager Burton is going to make their decision on who starts at left guard âextremely difficult.â Likes how Burton has been playing while Aaron Banks is hurt.” Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reported on Friday.
The quick ascension of the rookie Burton, who was drafted in the fifth round of April’s draft, will no doubt be music to the Packers’ ears. Especially considering the struggles the team have had on the interior of the offensive line over the past year.
Indeed few struggled more than Banks, who after arriving from the San Francico 49ers on a four-year $77 million free agent contract in March 2025, struggled to make an impact early on as he battled injuries.
Although his and the rest of the line’s play improved towards the end of the season, there are certainly improvements to be made if he is to start living up to his hearty contract.
In fact, Pack-A-Day podcast host Andy Herman suggested that LaFleur’s comments may just be a ruse to get the most out of Banks and give him some bona fide competition for the position.
I think LaFleur and the Packers still want Banks to be the starting LG – but I think today was about sending a message. Now itâs up to Banks.
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) August 14, 2026
But if the Packers head coach is serious, and it turns out that the team is genuinely considering starting Burton over Banks, how could Green Bay navigate this situation.
What are the Options for the Packers Regarding Aaron Banks?
The first option is also the most likely at this stage: keep and start the 28-year old and hope he continues his upwards trajectory seen at the back end of last season.
Banks is on the bigger end for guards in the NFL at 6’5, 325 lbs, and alongside his even-bigger teammate and book-end guard Anthony Belton, who comes in at 6’6, 336 lbs, Green Bay could have one of the scariest, most physical interior tandems in the game to wreck havoc in the rushing attack.
The second option is perhaps the least likely at this stage â a trade or release. Banks restructured his contract this offseason, lowering his cap hit by more than half ($24.8 million to $12 million), and in doing so converted part of his base salary or roster bonus into a signing bonus that was then prorated over the course of the deal.
The only problem with that; whilst providing much-needed short-term cap relief â is that it pushed much of the former Notre Dame product’s guaranteed money down the line, making him a net-negative to release or trade for the next two seasons. In other words, the Packers would not save any money by trading or releasing him prior to the start of the 2028 season.
Green Bay would incur a massive $24 million in a net dead cap hit by moving off him at any point this season.
The final option is somewhere in the middle. The Packers ultimately give Burton the starting job and let Banks ride the bench as a premium backup until thrust into action this coming season. And when 2027 comes along the Packers attempt to trade him to a guard-needy team looking for a competent starter as Green Bay agrees to eat just over $1 million in net dead cap hit.
None of these scenarios are ideal, and they all have their limitations in some way, shape or form. But at the end of the day seeing players play well and compete is never a bad thing.
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