Benjamin St-Juste agreed to terms on a two-year, $10 million contract with the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday in a move that has ripple effects in the LA Chargers secondary. St-Juste, who was not a very popular signing last offseason, played an impotrant role as a rotational cornerback in Jesse Minter's defense last season.
The Chargers have been staying away from the top of the free-agent market thus far but this isn't an example of a team overspending on a Chargers' free agent. Los Angeles easily could have matched this offer and brought St-Juste back at a reasonable price. After all, he played like he was worth a two-year, $10 million contract last offseason.
St-Juste is the latest example of someone who was simply maximized by Minter, who is no longer in Los Angeles. In fact, there is a real case to be made that St-Juste is this year's version of Kristian Fulton, which is the last thing that Green Bay Packers fans want to hear.
Benjamin St-Juste could be Kristian Fulton 2.0 for the Chargers
Every player is different and just because one player struggled does not mean another will as well. However, it is impossible to deny that Minter simply made people better when he was their defensive coordinator. Those who left the Chargers on the defensive side of the ball in 2025 were proof of that.
Fulton had a very similar career to St-Juste prior to joining the Chargers. He was a former second-round pick with great athleticism who could never fully harness it. Then he came to the Chargers and thrived in Minter's scheme, even more so than St-Juste did.
This netted him a two-year, $20 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Fulton literally never looked good for the Chiefs, both due to injuries and performance. Perhaps it will turn around in 2026 in a brand-new cornerback room, but it was not pretty in 2025.
Packers fans have to be worried that St-Juste will follow a similar path. That his performance in Green Bay will mirror his play in Washington, not his play in Los Angeles. It would be less concerning if it was a one-off thing but it's not. Minter consistently gets the best of every defensive player he coaches. That is why he is now the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.
St-Juste succeeded for the Chargers in a very specific role as a rotational cornerback. Anything other than that role, in that scheme, and the Packers may be setting themselves up for failure.
Don't be surprised if we revisit this in October as another example of a free agent the Chargers rightfully let walk away.