The Green Bay Packers brought back an old friend, Jonathan Ford, to the team in 2025, after a slew of injuries to their defensive line. Ford, a 2022 seventh-round pick, was plucked from the Chicago Bears’ practice squad after spending the 2022 to 2024 seasons with the Packers. He never played a regular-season snap with Green Bay on his first stint, but played 30 snaps in the regular season and 18 snaps in the postseason for the Packers in 2025.
Ford was a restricted free agent going into this offseason, and it was highly unlikely that Green Bay was going to tender him at the $3.5 million right of first refusal rate. It was reported earlier that Ford would be re-signing to the team on a one-year deal, though, which we assumed meant that he’d be coming in well below the tender number.
[According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson](https://x.com/AaronWilson_NFL/status/2031896817764290874), it will be a much lower figure. Ford is going to make a $1.145 million non-guaranteed salary in 2026 (if he makes the team and sticks on the roster through the regular season) and received just a $100,000 signing bonus to ink the deal. He also has $230,000 that can be earned via per-game active roster bonuses.
As it stands now, Ford will join Devonte Wyatt (coming off a fractured fibula and tendon tears), Javon Hargrave, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson, Jordon Riley (coming off an Achilles tear) and Nazir Stackhouse on the Packers’ interior defensive line. This contract certainly does not promise Ford a spot on the team. Green Bay will probably look to add more players at this position, either via free agency or in the draft.
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