Packers release two players

GREEN BAY, WI (WSAU) — Two players who joined the Packers for a season have been released.

According to a press release from Packers GM Brian Gutekunst the team has released LB Christian Kirksey and OT Ricky Wagner. The cuts free up $10.25 million dollars in cap space, bringing the team just under $10 million to reach the league’s $180 million cap limit.

Kirksey started all 11 regular-season games he appeared in during his one year with the Packers, finishing tied for No. 2 on the team with 78 tackles He also saw action in both postseason contests with one start. Kirksey was originally selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of the University of Iowa. Over seven seasons with the Browns, he played in 73 games with 54 starts, registering 463 tackles (289 solo), 11.5 sacks, two interceptions, 16 passes defensed, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Kirksey served as a team captain for three years (2017-19) and was the Browns’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2018.

Wagner played one season for the Packers, appearing in 16 regular-season games with nine starts and starting both postseason contests. He helped Green Bay rank tied for No. 2 in the NFL in sacks allowed (21) in 2020, the fourth-fewest by Green Bay in a 16-game season. Wagner was part of a line that allowed one sack or zero sacks in a league-best 13 games, tied for the most in team history (2004), including four zero-sack games, the most by Green Bay since 2008 (four). He was originally chosen in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens out of the University of Wisconsin.