Packers announce contract extension for DL Dean Lowry

-- The Green Bay Packers have signed defensive lineman Dean Lowry to a contract extension, the team announced Tuesday.

Lowry, a fourth-round pick in 2016, was scheduled to be a free agent this coming spring. He was scheduled to make just over $2 million dollars in the final year of his rookie deal.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Lowry's extension is a three-year deal worth $20.325 million.

Lowry has missed just one game in his first three seasons, and that was a game in which he was a healthy scratch during his rookie year. He's played in 47 of a possible 48 games with the Packers, registering seven sacks, 14 quarterback hits and 84 total tackles.

Lowry's last two seasons have seen him become a steady anchor of the Packers' defensive line, becoming a formidable option with the duo of Kenny Clark and Mike Daniels manning the interior. Lowry played in 65.6 percent of the Packers' defensive snaps last year -- second-most amongst the defensive line -- en route to a career year.

With veterans -- Lowry included -- reporting for training camp on Wednesday, the Packers will have locked up one of their quietest defensive contributors. He ventures into August with a solidified roster spot ahead of Montravius Adams, Tyler Lancaster, Kingsley Keke, Fadol Brown, James Looney, Deon Simon and Eric Cotton -- the rest of the Packers' defensive line.

As of now, Clark, Adams and Keke are the only aforementioned players under contract for next season and beyond, whereas Daniels, one of their top defensive assets, will be a free agent.

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Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].

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Comments (59)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Rak43's picture

July 23, 2019 at 04:30 pm

Wow! Didn't see that coming so soon but glad they did it. Now it's time for Lowry to have a breakout year. Congrats big guy!

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dobber's picture

July 23, 2019 at 04:34 pm

I'm very surprised, too. I'll be very interested to see the terms. Could be they plan for a bigger role (or feel someone like Adams isn't going to pan out) and want to nail him down at a pre-breakout rate.

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Coldworld's picture

July 23, 2019 at 05:04 pm

Got to stagger your contract expiries. Lowry is the kind of dependable workhorse every team needs and still improving while not breaking the bank. Good move. Not sure it links with Adams, who is signed through 2020 anyway.

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KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

July 23, 2019 at 06:21 pm

Goodbye Daniels?

Has nothing to do with Adam's whatsoever! In fact anticipating Adam's having a very good year. He has talent and he see's the writing on the wall.

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KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

July 24, 2019 at 04:16 pm

Guess I was right about Mike Daniel's. Also, have to believe Adam's looks good to have let MD go.

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Leatherhead's picture

July 24, 2019 at 08:07 pm

Or perhaps they're figuring snaps for Gary. I think we'll generally play nickel and that means six strong guys on the field against the run.

Martinez on most every snap, Clark and Lowry and Smith and Smith,
probably Gary , Adams, Fackrell, Burks, Lancaster in the rotation. That's the front end of our defense this year right now.

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Lare's picture

July 23, 2019 at 05:49 pm

Looks like around $20 million for three additional years with $6 million signing bonus. That'll eat up a pretty big chunk of their available salary cap space for 2020.

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hobowilly's picture

July 23, 2019 at 07:23 pm

interesting share. Do you have insight into the front office and Mr. Ball? I'm not trying to be mean, just asking..will some say MD is done? Don't necessarily think so. Geez, it's such a positive to have Gutey as GM, though many have said Russ Ball really gets the Ball moving (aka has force!)

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Leatherhead's picture

July 24, 2019 at 04:27 pm

I wouldn't say Daniels is done. I mean, even a 70% Daniels 70% of the time, he's still not worse than a lot of guys that'll earn paychecks this year,

Daniels will play football this year unless he's broken. If he's healthy enough to play, he'll be at least average IMO...

I would think this means his snaps will be soaked up by Adams and Lancaster and Gary.

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GBPDAN1's picture

July 23, 2019 at 09:31 pm

Almost 7M a year? I guess he's worth that, but it seems that he'd probably sign for very close to that at the end of the year? Would it not have been better to see how some of the young DLs progressed this year and make a decision later? That 7M could have been applied somewhere more pressing as our cap will be tight next season. Oh well, hopefully Lowry can take the next step and 6.8M will seem like a bargain?

This doesn't bode well for Daniels for next year

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mamasboy's picture

July 23, 2019 at 09:04 pm

Bet your last buck GBPD, Daniels is a Packer this year . He's one of the reasons the Packers will have one of better D lines in the league. If he stays healthy, we'll be getting a gift. Someone tell me if I'm wrong , but I think he's making about 9 million this year. That's only 2 million more than Lowery. He'll be playing for his next contract ( not with the Packers ), so he'll be motivated.

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stockholder's picture

July 23, 2019 at 09:54 pm

The extension should have went to Clark.

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MarkinMadison's picture

July 23, 2019 at 10:06 pm

It will.

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Oppy's picture

July 24, 2019 at 07:36 pm

I think you owe GBPDan your last buck.

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Leatherhead's picture

July 24, 2019 at 08:09 pm

Is it too late to take that bet?

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Coldworld's picture

July 24, 2019 at 07:50 am

It strikes me as a way that they can move some into this season, which would make sense. If they have tagged him as someone they see as a valuable piece, this was likely a deal that could be done now to achieve that. We will see when full details emerge.

It also adds to predictability in that we have at least one more piece locked in beyond this season. It does suggest a higher internal assessment of the player than often reflected here.

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Guam's picture

July 24, 2019 at 08:40 am

I think your last sentence is spot on. I am not a big Lowery fan, but the front office clearly values him enough to spend $20M on him. Durability/availability does have a value...…..

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stockholder's picture

July 23, 2019 at 04:37 pm

Whats Good for Dean Lowrey. Is good for the packers. Seems like Dean just might have a break out year. And it must make him feel good, that the packers think highly of him.

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Turophile's picture

July 23, 2019 at 05:09 pm

The knock on Lowry was always short arms.............but his hand-use is good enough to make it very difficult for others to capitalise on their longer arms, so short arms does not matter nearly as much.

Lowry is dependable, always available, and well worth keeping.

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Bure9620's picture

July 24, 2019 at 05:54 am

He has a long torso too, his overall length lessens the arm issue

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Oppy's picture

July 24, 2019 at 07:40 pm

Having the longest torso in the world doesn't do a thing for keeping an opposing offensive lineman's hands off of your chest and shoulder pads.

Arm length matters. It's not the end-all, be-all, but a long torso does nothing to mitigate short arms.

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Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

July 24, 2019 at 07:44 am

DL: Mom I love you thiiiis much.
Mrs. Lowery: That’s not very much...

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LeotisHarris's picture

July 24, 2019 at 08:30 am

LOL, Doug. Friends report Dean doesn't even try to exaggerate the length of Muskies he's caught.

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Leatherhead's picture

July 23, 2019 at 04:38 pm

This is a solid move to secure a big, smart, durable guy. I thought all along it made more sense to sign him and Martinez than lock up Daniels.

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KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

July 23, 2019 at 08:58 pm

At 25 years of age Dean is getting ready to enter his prime years.

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CoachJV's picture

July 23, 2019 at 04:39 pm

I don't know the financials, but he's solid on the DL... he holds his own and the biggest factor is Availability. Good signing as long as they don't break the bank.

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Guam's picture

July 23, 2019 at 04:50 pm

Surprised they signed Lowery ahead of Clark and Martinez, but they do have more time with Clark. I will be interested to see the terms and its impact on the cap space.

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Coldworld's picture

July 23, 2019 at 05:05 pm

Cheaper proposition than either I expect and allows us get as much under the cap this year as possible hopefully.

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ShanghaiKid's picture

July 23, 2019 at 07:17 pm

Under the current CBA hypothetically, the Packers could exercise the 5th year option and tag twice after. Not the Packer mode of conducting business, but to your point, there’s plenty of time to get a deal done.

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Lare's picture

July 23, 2019 at 05:00 pm

Gutekunst appears to be after players that are generally healthy and available like Lowry, the Smiths, Turner and Amos.

It hurts teams to spend millions on players that are usually injured and watching from the sidelines. Better to sign a player that tends to stay healthy and contributes to the team.

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Cubbygold's picture

July 23, 2019 at 05:11 pm

That mentality seems to pair well with Pettine's track record of scheming production out of lesser known players. If you can stay healthy and learn the playbook, he's going to get the most out of you. In that world, availability is huge.

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jannes bjornson's picture

July 23, 2019 at 08:37 pm

It helps when your corners are Revis and Cromartie. Lots of talent on that Jets team. Bart Scott, Wilkerson, Richardson,

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hobowilly's picture

July 23, 2019 at 07:27 pm

Hah, hi again Lare. Can you say Nick Perry?! Further, being an optimist, Kevin King stays healthy and has a breakout year.

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SmallmouthBass's picture

July 23, 2019 at 05:52 pm

Does this three year extension take it all the way to the end of AR 12's contract? How will this interfere with extending Kenny Clark?
In a non-snarky way, I hope the "Don't extend Kenny" crowd comes to the table about extending KC now with Dean getting paid.

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Leatherhead's picture

July 23, 2019 at 06:44 pm

There are a lot of big decisions about the future of Dline, but for this season we have a pretty good group. Clark, Daniels, Lowry and Gary.

Depending on what happens , I think you resign Martinez and then Clark later. You replace Daniels with a premium pick. This Dline should be good for several years

Next year, it'll be Clark and Gary and Lowry and some premium pick with Adams/Lancaster. You've still got the Smiths and Fackrell and Burks.

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NickPerry's picture

July 24, 2019 at 07:18 am

I think you get Martinez and then Clark signed in that order if possible. Yes, the price for Clark is going up, but the Packers don't have much space to work with before 2021. BUT by that time Bakhtiari and Lindsey will be FA too as well as Kevin King. IF King stays healthy (And that's a HUGE IF) it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

I don't think there's a doubt This will be Lane Taylors and Grahams last season in GB. Cut them NEXT season and the Packers gain about $13 million which they'll absolutely need moving forward. Unless Jenkins totally balls out and Madison doesn't look like a 1st-year player who missed an entire season of Football, I think Taylor is safe no matter what.

Frackrell is a FA next season so they don't have him next year, not yet. I'd be surprised if he stays in GB too.

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ShanghaiKid's picture

July 23, 2019 at 07:11 pm

I’m thinking this signals the end for Daniels. Lowry will play 5 tech in 3 man fronts, and more than likely Adams slides inside to play next to Clark in 4 and 2 man fronts. Just my way too early projection.

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Leatherhead's picture

July 24, 2019 at 12:13 pm

Shanghai.......you nailed it. Daniels was released today.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

July 23, 2019 at 07:16 pm

I'm surprised Lowry got that much. I like Lowry but he hasn't even been a starter.

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Leatherhead's picture

July 24, 2019 at 02:17 pm

Well.... I reckon he’s a starter now

——- Mike Daniels

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splitpea1's picture

July 23, 2019 at 08:14 pm

Smart move; the length and money seem reasonable. Good to see a reliable player rewarded,

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showmefan's picture

July 23, 2019 at 08:48 pm

Not sure why some think that Mike Daniels days are numbered. If in fact we are going to have a top 10 D this year we will need Daniels to have a Pro Bowl year or close to it. You can never have enough of the big boys up front and that is where the top defenses always start.Short of a trade I look forward to seeing Daniels wreak havoc.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

July 24, 2019 at 02:53 am

Because his stats plummeted.

2018: 18 tackles, 5 QB hits, 1 TFL and 2 sacks
2017: 49 tackles, 14 QB hits, 10 TFL, and 5 sacks.

Daniels played 10 games in 2018 and 14 in 2017, but even extrapolating both seasons, his stats are waaay doown. I thought he was still a good player, particularly as a pass rusher, but his run defense was not very good.

I can make a pretty good case for trading Daniels for a 4th and taking the $8M in cap savings.

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NickPerry's picture

July 24, 2019 at 05:53 am

"I can make a pretty good case for trading Daniels for a 4th and taking the $8M in cap savings."

LOL...Didn't you just make the case by getting a 4th AND saving $8 million this year? If the Packers could get back a 4th, save the $8 million, then I think Gute should hurry up and run to make that deal.

As much as I'd hate to see Daniels go that's just a no brainer IMO. Case made TGR.

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Coldworld's picture

July 24, 2019 at 06:29 am

I don’t disagree that the chances are that Daniels is in his last year, but I think the fact is that his snap percentage is part of the problem. He was simply on the field too much. I think that he will have a good year and benefit considerably from less snaps.

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NickPerry's picture

July 24, 2019 at 07:23 am

Agreed...Also with Gary and Za'Darius Smith both able to play along the D-Line, there's no reason for Daniels to be on the field that much. A classic case of less is more...

This much depth, versatile depth is starting to be a lot of fun!

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Leatherhead's picture

July 24, 2019 at 02:26 pm

This was exactly what it looks like: A vet is getting tackled by age and injury and wear and tear and the team will replace him and save money.

I’m thinking the plan has to be that we’re going to be seeing Lowry, Clark, Gary, and Martinez on the field a lot. Then the Smiths and Fackrell and Adams. Maybe Lancaster.

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Lphill's picture

July 24, 2019 at 05:40 am

I believe also Daniels will not be back , going to need money for Martinez and Clark , he is easy to replace plus I think Lancaster will be solid on the D line as well , Adams needs to amp it up this coming season too.

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Guam's picture

July 24, 2019 at 06:52 am

I also think Daniels will not be back due to contract size/age/cap space issues, but I don't think he will be easy to replace. While Clark and Lowery are established players, our current reserves of Lancaster, Adams, Brown and Kingsley all have much to prove. The Packers will need at least two of those players to develop this year or we will be spending a high draft choice replacing Daniels next year.

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Coldworld's picture

July 24, 2019 at 07:58 am

That is the nature of football though: age and cap means that have to rely on a pipeline of talent coming through and supplement that via FA and future drafts.

Our pipeline was broken in recent years. Too few players at too many positions. On the face of it, Gute has seemingly done a good job of restocking it. That is expensive though, because we needed to bring in players to repair the drought now. That inevitably has knock on effects especially when one has Rodgers cap hit.

I believe Daniels will be one where it will make the difference. Whether that proves to be a good decision or not only time will tell: big contracts for linemen in their 30s are risky. Nevertheless, that is where we are and, to be successful we need players to step up from within now. Let’s hope the pipeline is starting to flow.

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Guam's picture

July 24, 2019 at 08:48 am

Draft and develop is the heart of that pipeline and TT didn't draft particularly well his last few years. Gute does seem to have a higher hit rate on his draftees although it is early to truly evaluate his drafts.

I think it will be interesting to see what kind of year Daniels, Graham and Taylor each have as the Packers will have a tough time replacing all three, but given age and current salary, each could be vulnerable particularly if they have a poor year.

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Leatherhead's picture

July 24, 2019 at 04:29 pm

Well, he drafted Lowry.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

July 24, 2019 at 07:19 am

The MJS reports the extension is worth $20.325, with a $6M signing bonus, and that his 2019 cap will be $3.55M.

Extrapolating from that and using GB's customary contract structure, Lowry would have a minimum cap hits of $5.15M in 2020, $6.245M in 2021, and $7.34M.

Gute/Ball could have used an option bonus or escalator to reduce Lowry's cap number in 2020.

When the exact numbers and structure comes out, it will perhaps give us clues as to Gute's thinking about priority re-signings/extensions and how much cap space GB needs. Of course, his crystal ball might be a little foggy as he waits to see how some of the players perform in 2019.

So, Lowry's extension reduced our cap space in 2019 by $1.425M down to about $7M and he reduces our cap space down from $13.7 to about 8.55M in 2020 (plus any rollover from 2019).

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NickPerry's picture

July 24, 2019 at 07:31 am

BUT... If for example, the Packers were to cut Graham and Lane Taylor next year, they'd gain about $12.7 million right? Cut Josh Jones and Kizer next year (again just examples) they'd pick up about $2 million more.

Just looking ahead a tad because they'll NEED cap space if they want to keep Martinez and attempt to get Clark extended next season if that's what they decide to do.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

July 24, 2019 at 11:09 am

All that sounds about right, Nick. I don't think anyone really knows what to expect out of Allison, Fackrell, Spriggs, and Bulaga. Grady Jarrett getting $17M AAV pumped up Clark's price. Probably will want to extend Bakh, but I suppose they could reduce his 2020 cap hit if they wanted to. Bakh is probably looking at north of $17M AAV as well.

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Leatherhead's picture

July 24, 2019 at 04:45 pm

Expectations:

Allison enters camp as the #2. With Adams on the other side. Allison is going to draw single coverage and needs to make the most of limited targets. MSV and ESB will be the #3/#4 guys. I predict people will be screaming "Geronimo" early in the season because he'll be making big catches on limited opportunities. We're going to throw less passes, you want to feed Adams, and MSV and ESB are too good not to use. Plus the TEs and RBs.

Fackrell will probably play the entire season and end up getting a Smith-type FA deal.

Spriggs will be given the first chance to play LT behind Bakhtiari. Hopefully he doesn't see t he field much.

Bulaga will fight hard and play well for us most of the time at RT, but we won't resign him.

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Coldworld's picture

July 24, 2019 at 08:03 am

If the Packers have just used their traditional cap spread, this would be a disgraceful waste of an opportunity to eat up 2019 cap to lower future charges and maximize future flexibility while retaining a player obviously valued by the team.

Unless they truly believe Lowry is going to explode this season, future cap hit reduction is the only reason to do this now that I see.

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Rick1's picture

July 24, 2019 at 09:05 am

Lowery signing is a good to get a inside tackle that can be a movable and effective player. This D line group has a lot of talent and Pettine can get match ups and a rotation going and the packers are always fresh.
This defense is big, long and athletic. They have more options to attack a offense. Pettines pressure packages and wealth of football players that can effect the game will be a huge difference maker.

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IceBowl's picture

July 24, 2019 at 09:06 pm

Shows us how little we know!

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