Bryan Bulaga has been a stalwart on the Packers’ O-line since his rookie campaign in 2010. Though he has never made the Pro Bowl, he has been a consistently solid performer who has generally been able to keep star QB Aaron Rodgers clean, and 2019 was no exception.

The former first-round pick graded out as the 16th-best tackle in the league last year, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, and despite a couple of injury concerns during the season, he played a full 16-game slate for the first time since 2016. The O-line as a whole performed pretty well, and Bulaga was a big reason for that.

However, it looks like the Iowa product will be testing the free agent waters for the first time in his career. Tom Silverstein and Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report that the Packers have not had any talks with Bulaga’s camp since the end of the season, and while that could simply be a function of the uncertain CBA situation that has the entire league in limbo to some degree, the team does not appear to be interested in tagging Bulaga either.

Per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, it’s unlikely that Bulaga gets hit with the franchise tag, which comes at a value of $16.1MM. Theoretically, the slightly less expensive transition tag could be in play, but it sounds as though the Packers are simply prepared to cut ties.

Bulaga would become one of the better tackles available on the open market, and he stands to earn a sizable raise over the $6.8MM he took home in 2019.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.