Veteran Packers Starter Joins Saints: Source
Lucas Patrick, a former starting center for the Green Bay Packers, has found his next home after waiting patiently for a free agency contract.
On Sunday, May 12, Travis May of AtoZ Sports announced on X that Patrick has reached an agreement to sign a contract with the New Orleans Saints.
Patrick was able to sign a new contract with the Saints following several months of waiting to enter free agency. He will only be signed to a league-minimum contract in 2024, therefore he must perform well enough in 2025 to secure a contract extension with an NFL franchise.
The Football Career of Lucas Patrick
Patrick has established a solid and extended NFL career despite never being a standout player. That becomes much more evident when you take into account how his career began.
In college, Patrick started for multiple years for the Duke Blue Devils. He participated in 44 games by the time his college career ended, starting 26 of them. Although he started at offensive tackle at least once, he was mostly an offensive guard.
However, Patrick was not selected in the 2016 NFL Draft because he did not receive any honors or recognition. After the draft, the Packers selected him and ultimately placed him on the practice squad.
Patrick nervously awaited his chance. Despite making sporadic appearances, he wasn’t a full-time starter until the 2020 campaign. He has participated in 73 games by the time he left in free agency in 2022, starting 34 of them.
Patrick signed an eight million dollar, two-year contract with the Chicago Bears following five seasons of play for the Packers. During that time, he started 20 games for Chicago, but only appeared in seven games in his rookie year due to a toe injury that ended the season on injured reserve.
Patrick might have a few more years left in him because he is still only thirty years old. But given how long it took him to negotiate a contract this offseason, he will need to play well for the Saints in order to draw interest the next offseason.
The Packers are stacked on the offensive line.
Going into the summer, it appeared as though the Packers would be seriously short on offensive line depth.
The unit has been targeted by the Packers in both the draft and free agency. Before the 2024 NFL Draft, veteran offensive tackle Andre Dillard was signed by general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Dillard, a 2023 first-round selection by the Philadelphia Eagles, has fallen short of expectations and will have a difficult time cracking the 53-man roster given his problems.
The Packers tripled their offensive line talent once the draft was announced. Jordan Morgan, a left tackle from Arizona, was selected in the first round to start that. Graham Barton of Duke was also eligible with the pick, but Morgan’s background and physical attributes seemed to be more appealing to the Packers.
On Day 3, the Packers then increased their investment in offensive linemen. In the sixth round, the Packers selected Travis Glover from Georgia State, having previously selected Jacob Monk of Duke in the fifth round.
Although there were doubts earlier in the summer about the team’s offensive line depth, it doesn’t appear that they will be a problem in 2024.
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