Preston Smith had a disappointing and mostly unproductive 2020 season. There’s no doubt about it, and both Smith and the Green Bay Packers admitted as much when the two sides negotiated an incentive-laden pay cut for the 2021 season. Restructuring Smith’s deal to the level it was re-worked probably wouldn’t have been an option had he produced at 2019 levels. He didn’t, so both the player and team were open to a big change to his deal in 2021.
Among the 59 edge rushers with at least 278 pass-rushing snaps last season, Smith ranked 54th in pass-rushing productivity at Pro Football Focus.