Acme Packing Company
Welcome running back Emanuel Wilson and punter Daniel Whelan back to Green Bay’s roster.
According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Green Bay Packers officially signed two of their three exclusive rights free agents — running back Emanuel Wilson and punter Daniel Whelan — on the opening day of the team’s organized team activities. Generally, the Packers wait to sign their exclusive rights free agents until they make the trip out to Green Bay in person.
Exclusive rights free agents are players who have accrued fewer than three NFL seasons and have seen their previous contracts expire. Usually, these are players who worked their way off of a practice squad as undrafted free agents or were signed from a spring football league.
The ERFA process allows the Packers to place a tender on these players, which they essentially have to sign if they want to continue to play NFL football, and it locks them into a low-cost one-year contract. In 2025, though, Wilson and Whelan will become restricted free agents, which carried tenders that ranged from $2.99 million to $6.82 million this offseason.
Wilson originally began his NFL career with the Denver Broncos, where he signed as an undrafted free agent last offseason. In May, he was picked up by Green Bay, where he had a stellar preseason. In the summer, Wilson was able to record 38 carries for 223 yards and two touchdowns. He’s expected to be the Packers’ number three back going into camp, behind the recently-signed Josh Jacobs and the re-signed AJ Dillon.
Whelan spent the 2022 offseason with the New Orleans Saints after going undrafted out of UC Davis. The punter earned All-XFL honors in 2023, though, which earned him another opportunity at an NFL roster spot. Last summer, he beat out veteran Pat O’Donnell, giving him the title of the Packers’ lone punter in the regular season. in 2023, Whelan punted the ball 57 times for a 46.2-yard average and 18 punts pinned inside the 20.
One notable name missing from this list is tackle Caleb Jones, who is Green Bay’s third and final exclusive rights free agent in 2024. It’s possible that Jones simply hasn’t made the trip to the Packers’ OTAs yet, so don’t fret if you’re worried about the team losing even more offensive line depth this offseason. The 6’9”, 370-pound tackle has been on Green Bay’s roster for the past two seasons, but he has only seen action in one NFL game in his professional career.
