Packers free agency predictions: Will C Josh Myers return?

Paul Bretl | 3/4/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — With free agency on the horizon, I have been taking a closer look at the Packers pending free agents in my ‘Re-sign or Let Go and Prediction’ series.

For each free agent, I will make a case as to why the Packers should re-sign them, and I’ll also discuss why the Packers would let them walk and play elsewhere. Then at the end, I’ll make my prediction.

This will be my third offseason doing this series, and through the first two, I’ve gotten 24 of the 27 predictions correct.

Up next, let’s take a closer look at whether or not center Josh Myers will return for the 2025 season. If you missed our other previews, you can find them below:

Eric Wilson
Isaiah McDuffie
Robert Rochell
TJ Slaton
Tyler Davis
Eric Stokes
Brandon McManus

Why the Packers will re-sign Josh Myers

After Myers was responsible for giving up eight combined sacks during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, he allowed only one this past year. In the run game, Josh Jacobs would average 4.3 yards per rush when running directly to Myers’ right or left, according to PFF’s metrics.

“I thought he had his best year. I thought he dealt with some things during this year that were tough, and I thought he fought through it like a champion, and certain an asset to our football team,” said Brian Gutekunst. “I know Jordan trusts him very much as his center.”

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How a player performs once the ball is snapped is ultimately what matters most and, admittedly, if you search through the stat sheet, Myers isn’t going to be among the best in pressures allowed, win rate, or run-blocking grade.

However, there is a stabilizing force his presence provides in the middle of the offense and on this Packers’ team as a whole. During the season, Matt LaFleur would say that Myers is the guy “driving the ship up front,” and added that he is a “heart and soul of the team” type of player. Myers has also emerged over the last two seasons as one of the leaders, not only in the offensive line room but on the team as a whole.

Those players are not easily replaced.

When it comes to playing the center position, there is also a lot more that goes into it than just after the ball is snapped. The center’s job begins pre-snap with identifying defensive personnel and alignments, along with any potential blitzers, and then communicating that effectively to the rest of the blockers so everyone is on the same page with their responsibilities. A mix-up here, and the play can have almost no chance of success before it even begins.

Myers has rarely missed a snap in his NFL career, let alone a game. This past season, he fought through several injuries to make sure he was on the field on Sundays. That availability and reliability are key components to the continuity of the offensive line unit and has helped build trust, as Gutekunst mentioned, and a rapport with Jordan Love.

“I can’t say enough good things about Josh Myers, not only as a player but as a leader,” added Gutekunst. “He really does embody kind of a Green Bay Packer and what we’re looking for and how they’re wired. Again, I thought he had a really good year, fought through some things. . . “I look back at that one, and I’m really glad we’ve had him for the last four years.”

When it comes to playing the center position, all of these other elements just described very much matter as well.

Why the Packers won’t re-sign Josh Myers

As mentioned above, there’s a lot that goes into the center position pre-snap, but ultimately, the question is, how did the player perform once the ball is snapped? And for Myers, he’s had up and down play throughout his career.

Even this past season, one that Gutekunst thought was Myers’ best, out of 41 eligible centers, he ranked 36th in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric. He also surrendered the third-most pressures. In run-blocking grade, Myers ranked 38th. Those metrics are just one evaluation tool and aren’t the be-all-end-all, but they do provide some context around Myers’ play compared to his counterparts.

For many of the reasons discussed, I do think the Packers would like to have Myers back–but at the right price. This feels like one of those situations, not unlike last offseason with Jon Runyan, where the Packers have their line in the sand on what they’ll offer contract-wise.

Myers will test the market, probably earn more elsewhere than what the Packers are willing to pay, and end up signing with a new team. Runyan would earn a contract last offseason with the New York Giants, paying him $10 million per year. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Myers “would likely cost at least that much.”

Outside of Atlanta’s Drew Dalman, Myers, given his experience and age, is going to be one of the top available free-agent centers this offseason and likely compensated as such.

Prediction: Josh Myers signs elsewhere

It was about halfway through last season when I was first asked whether I thought Myers would return in free agency. Since then, I’ve gone back and forth on what I think the Packers will do. I really do believe that the pre-snap component to playing center is extremely important, and Myers is very good in that area.

However, with it now being prediction time, my gut says Myers signs elsewhere.

In short, the play over four seasons has been sporadic at times. As Demovsky reported, Myers is going to get a good-sized payday on the open market–more than what the Packers are probably willing to pay. And when it comes to replacing Myers, there are already a few options on the roster, including Jacob Monk, Elgton Jenkins, and even Sean Rhyan.

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