Green Bay Packers’ New Star Named NFL’s Most Overpaid
September 1, 2025
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Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for On SI, Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.
Matthew Schmidt
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Green Bay Packers made multiple big-money moves this offseason, and while just about everyone is talking about the Micah Parsons trade (and subsequent extension), the Packers also handed guard Aaron Banks a four-year, $77 million contract in free agency.
Green Bay’s decision to sign Banks to such a lucrative deal was immediately met with raised eyebrows. Not because the Packers didn’t need another piece in the trenches, but because it seemed like an awful lot of money to pay someone who has never made a Pro Bowl and played in just 13 games last season.
Count Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon among those who aren’t enamored with the move, as Gagnon has named Banks the most overpaid interior offensive lineman in the NFL.
“Banks has zero of those Pro Bowl nods, but he has the bigger deal following a move to Green Bay in free agency this offseason,” Gagnon wrote. “He’s now the sixth-highest-paid interior offensive lineman in the league, but the 2021 second-round pick didn’t do much to earn that during a four-year run in San Francisco in which he lacked consistency and put up generally shoddy PFF grades.”
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 12: A detailed view of a Green Bay Packers helmet during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty… PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 12: A detailed view of a Green Bay Packers helmet during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
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Banks posted a 65.4 overall grade at Pro Football Focus in 2024, which ranked 50th among 136 qualifying guards. Terrible? No, but not exactly worth a contract that pays him $19.25 in average annual value.
To be fair, it’s entirely possible that the Notre Dame product possesses untapped potential. It should be noted, though, that he is now 28 years old, so it’s not like Banks is still a neophyte.
More news: Chiefs Named Trade Destination for Former First-Round QB
Perhaps playing in Green Bay will help bring out the best in Banks, who also has plenty of big-game experience from his San Francisco 49ers days.
And fortunately, the Packers’ offensive line is pretty impressive as a collective, so maybe the rest of Green Bay’s lineman will help elevate Banks.
For more on the Packers and NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
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