Monday is not just the first day of Draft week; it is also the first day of the offseason workout program for the Green Bay Packers, among other teams. As a result, players on the roster are back in the building for the first time since they cleared out their lockers at the end of the season — wherever they played in 2025.
There is still a bit of business to attend to for a handful of individuals, however, and one of them evidently took care of that business upon arrival at the team’s facilities this morning. Wide receiver/cornerback Bo Melton is one of two players on whom the team exercised exclusive-rights free agent tenders this offseason, along with offensive lineman Donovan Jennings. On Monday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Melton signed his tender, locking in his one-year, $1.145 million contract for the 2026 campaign.
Ultimately, Melton had no real negotiating ability as an ERFA. Players in that category — defined by having two or fewer accrued seasons of experience towards free agency — are eligible for a one-year tender at the league minimum base salary, and if tendered, the player cannot negotiate with other teams. The only other possibility there would be for a player to try to negotiate a longer-term or higher-priced deal with their original team, but that situation rarely arises.
As a result, players tagged with the ERFA tender almost always just sign the tender, play on the league minimum if they make the roster in the summer, and then eventually become restricted free agents the following season. That’s surely what Melton is hoping to do this year.
The more relevant question for Melton was not whether he would return or on what kind of contract, but what position he will focus on. Historically a wide receiver who played significantly as a gunner on special teams, Melton switched to cornerback during last year’s offseason workouts. However, he never played a snap on defense, instead seeing 185 snaps on special teams and another 96 on offense, most of those coming late in the season. He caught four passes for 107 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown in the Packers’ first of three games against the Chicago Bears in 2025.
With wideout Dontayvion Wicks off to Philadelphia and cornerback Benjamin St-Juste brought in as a free agent, Melton may well end up back in the wide receiver room full-time this spring. And now that he’s officially under contract, the coaching staff can start working with him on their plans for him immediately.