Green Bay, WI – May 12, 2025
Veteran linebacker Preston Smith is staying in Green Bay — and he’s making it count. The 31-year-old edge rusher has agreed to a restructured deal, reducing his 2025 cap hit by $5.5 million, sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The move not only gives the Packers much-needed financial flexibility but also underscores Smith’s commitment to one final playoff push with the team that believed in him.
Smith, entering his seventh season with the Packers, had a $16.5 million cap hit for 2025. After the restructure, that number drops to $11 million, creating space for Green Bay to pursue a veteran cornerback or bolster the safety room — two positions of need following an up-and-down 2024 campaign.
“I’m all in,” Smith said in a statement released by the team.
“This defense has something special brewing, and I want to be part of it.”
Though his production dipped slightly last season — 6 sacks and 44 tackles — Smith remains a steady force on the edge, offering leadership in a young room that includes Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, and Brenton Cox Jr.
Head coach Matt LaFleur praised Smith’s unselfishness:
“Preston leads by example. Moves like this set the tone in our locker room.”
With a loaded 2025 schedule and playoff expectations rising around quarterback Jordan Love, Green Bay is pushing its chips in. And Preston Smith, by taking less, might just help deliver more.
