GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Jahri Evans was once the NFL's highest-paid guard. Now, he could be one of the Green Bay Packers' biggest bargains.

If the veteran guard plays like he did last season, his 11th for the New Orleans Saints, then the one-year, $2.25 million contract he signed with the Packers on the eve of the draft might be a steal. At that price, Evans ranks 86th among offensive linemen based on average pay per year, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Even if Evans is just a suitable one-year, stop-gap player, it will be worth it. Before they signed the 33 year old last Wednesday, the Packers faced the prospect of picking a replacement for Pro Bowl right T.J. Lang (who signed with the Lions) from the group of Don Barclay, Kyle Murphy and Lucas Patrick. Or they would have to use a draft pick on a guard who could come in and play right away. In a weak offensive line class, that not only would have been difficult but might have required them to pass on one of the defensive players they coveted with their first four selections.

“The most important thing is you can't overreact and say, 'If I lose this guy I need to replace him with this type of person,'” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after the draft. “I think our personnel staff has done a very good job; the Jahri Evans addition is excellent.

“You talk about leadership and success. Having an opportunity to visit with him on his visit here, where he is in his career, what he was looking for -- to be part of a championship program -- that's exactly what we're looking for. You've got a veteran player coming in here that will bring some leadership. It'll be good to bring a little bit of experience from another winning organization that he brings.”

Evans experienced a bit of a revival in his last year with the Saints, the team that drafted him in the fourth round of the 2006 draft. They actually cut the six-time Pro Bowler last February to avoid paying him $4.9 million in salary and bonuses that was part of the landmark seven-year, $56.7 million deal he signed in 2010. He signed with the Seahawks only to return to the Saints before the start of last season on a one-year, $1 million deal and played in every game in 2016.

Saints coach Sean Payton admitted late last year that if he knew Evans would play as well as he did and would remain healthy, the Saints never would have released him.

“He played at a high level last year, really durable, tons of experience,” Packers director of player personnel Eliot Wolf said. “And then we feel really good about the guys that were here. I still think the offensive line is a strength for our team.

“He played really well last year in a pass-happy offense, as we are sometimes, in New Orleans. We felt like he could help us."

As they do most years, the Packers drafted an offensive lineman, but it wasn't until the sixth round with South Florida's Kofi Amichia. He played left tackle in college but will transition to guard. The Packers also are high on Murphy, who played only eight snaps on offense last year as a rookie tackle and could use another year to develop.

“We haven't got started on the field but, initially, I look for Kyle to work at the right guard/right tackle as a starting point,” McCarthy said.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson hasn't had great luck with signing veteran free-agent offensive linemen. The most recent, center Jeff Saturday, lost his starting job late in his lone season with the Packers (2012) and then retired. Duke Preston, a tackle, didn't even make the team in 2009, while guard Adrian Klemm struggled in his only season in Green Bay (2005).

Here's a breakdown of Evans' one-year contract: