It was no secret that the Green Bay Packers were going to target cornerbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft. General manager Brian Gutekunst said as much in his press conference during the first round, a night in which the Packers did not have a pick due to trading theirs to the Dallas Cowboys. As fans will recall, Green Bay sent their first round picks in 2026 and 2027 to Dallas as part of the Micah Parsons trade.
And so, with their second round pick, which was their first selection in the NFL Draft, the Packers took cornerback Brandon Cisse out of South Carolina. Green Bay also took cornerback Domani Jackson from Alabama in the sixth round.
As players have reported for various parts of the Packers’ off-season program, Cisse has been a constant presence despite the fact that, up until recently, he had been the team’s only pick that had not signed his rookie contract.
Green Bay Packers sign Brandon Cisse and Brenden Rice
Earlier this week, though, the Packers announced that they have finally reached an agreement on his rookie contract:
#Packers agree to terms with second-round pick Brandon Cisse on four-year, $9.364 million deal, fully guaranteed 2026 to 2028, with $821,574 guaranteed in 2029, per league source. Deal includes $3.311 million signing bonus.
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) May 15, 2026
The hold-up was not on what the total salary would be. Rookie contracts are already pre-determined by slot value. However, the negotiation was how much of it would be guaranteed. As one can see from the post above, Cisse’s first three NFL seasons are all guaranteed, and over $800,000 of his fourth year is guaranteed as well.
Additionally, Green Bay announced on their website that they have also signed wide receiver Brenden Rice, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
Rice was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft and appeared in three games with them before going on injured reserve.
He spent the 2025 season on the practice squads of the Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders, and New England Patriots.
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