GREEN BAY, Wis. — Safety and special teams ace Zayne Anderson won't be issued a qualifying tender by the Green Bay Packers, according to The Athletic.
Anderson, 29, will instead enter unrestricted free agency where he'll either have the opportunity to latch on elsewhere or potentially return to the Packers at a lower number. Anderson, who entered the offseason as a restricted free agent, was playing on a one-year contract worth just north of $1.17 million dollars that he signed last year as an exclusive rights free agent. If the Packers were to issue a right-of-first-refusal tender to Anderson, that number, per NFL Operations, would be worth $3.263 million dollars. With a right-of-first-refusal tender, the original team—the Packers, in this case—is allowed to match any offer sheet that the player signs with another club. If the original team decides not to match the offer, then the player leaves. No draft compensation is involved.
The Packers aren't tendering restricted free agent Zayne Anderson and the safety/special teams ace will become an unrestricted free agent, per source.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) February 27, 2026
It's simply logical business for the Packers, who are already straining with the salary cap as is. They're over the cap by roughly $3.9 million dollars and, like nine other teams in the league, will have to get themselves back in the green by the start of the new league year on March 11. If Anderson were to return to the Packers, he'd have to do it as a free agent on the open market where other teams will be vying for his services.
The path that the Packers took with Anderson will likely be repeated with the majority of their seven restricted free agents, if not all of them. That list includes offensive tackle Darian Kinnard, defensive ends Brenton Cox Jr. and Arron Mosby, running backs Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks, tight end Josh Whyle and defensive lineman Jonathan Ford.
If Anderson were to return to the Packers, he wouldn't have the luxury of playing under a familiar special teams coordinator in Rich Bisaccia. After four seasons, Bisaccia stepped down from his position last week, leaving head coach Matt LaFleur and the rest of his staff scrambling to interview candidates from a relatively vacant hiring pool. That may or may not be a deal-breaker for Anderson, who has played all three seasons in Green Bay under Bisaccia.
Zayne Anderson (left) celebrates with Edgerrin Cooper (right) after intercepting New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
The Packers claimed Anderson off waivers from the Buffalo Bills following roster cut-downs in the summer of 2023 and he's blossomed into one of the team's top contributors on special teams. On defense, he's helped provide valuable safety depth behind the entrenched starters of Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams, even intercepting Spencer Rattler in a game against the New Orleans Saints in 2024. Unfortunately, Anderson has seen back-to-back seasons end with injuries.
He missed the Packers' playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last year due to a concussion and then sustained a season-ending ankle injury this past season in the Dec. 27 game against the Baltimore Ravens. He's played 40 games for the Packers across three seasons, including 14 in 2025, still managing to finish tied for fourth on the team in special teams tackles.
Zachary Jacobson is the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is entering his 12th season covering theGreen Bay Packers. He is a member of thePro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter@zacobson or contact him via email atitszachariahj@gmail.com