As we get closer to the 2023 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets still haven’t agreed upon trade compensation for Aaron Rodgers. While new reports appear daily to address potential terms, it’s still all up in the air right now.
What we do know is that the Packers intend to roll with Jordan Love as their starter and that we can only speculate about the draft picks the team actually has.
The start of the Jordan Love era means that the team realistically is not in a championship window. The Packers are starting an unproven quarterback and have multiple roster holes. Unlike the last few Rodgers MVP seasons, this team likely isn’t just one or two players away from a Super Bowl.
Coupled with a draft lacking multiple must-have prospects, it would be wise for Gutekunst and Co. to find opportunities to trade back in the first round and to truly embrace a “best player available” mindset. Gutekunst has proven to be aggressive when he likes a prospect, and there are a few special players out there. But this is the year to let the board fall how it may.
Thanks to a few less-than-stellar rookie classes and a lack of cap space, meaning they had to allow players to walk, Green Bay’s roster needs help in multiple areas. Safety and tight end are particular areas of need. But wide receiver, interior defense line, edge, and even cornerback could use more talent.
Even after reconstructing various player contracts, Green Bay still isn’t in a great spot with the cap. That means the team really needs to use all of its (current) 10 draft picks to build the roster. Bundling some of them to trade up for a single pick likely won’t move the needle isn’t the right direction this year.
The Industrial Draft Complex has declared this a weak draft class overall at the top. This means that there aren’t many surefire, can’t-miss picks like Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Chase Young, or the Bosa brothers. Many positions are fairly deep, including tight end and edge, but that means there isn’t a lot of consensus at the top.
If Green Bay has, say, multiple edge options with similar grades in the first round, trading back and getting one of their guys and some future ammo is the best call. The Packers simply have too many roster holes to spend additional capital on luxury players or to reach for positional need. And their top two needs, safety and tight end, aren’t traditionally best addressed in the first round anyway.
Green Bay shouldn’t reach unless a truly elite target falls to their immediate range. A chance of a player like Jalen Carter falling outside the top 10 is extremely unlikely, but I’d understand trading up for Jaxon Smith-Njigba if he falls into the teens. Otherwise, this team needs to stay focused and let the board fall to them. Trading down and getting more future draft capital may be their best move.
A full year of Love as the starter will determine the future of the Packers. If he’s good, they’ll have a better idea of what he needs to succeed, and they can use future capital to make necessary moves. If Love is bad, the team will have the capital to move up in the 2024 draft and target one of the top quarterbacks.
Although we still don’t know what kind of compensation the Packers will get for Aaron Rodgers, the hope is that it will include 2024 capital. If Green Bay can get future picks from the Jets and find ways to trade back and get even more, they’ll be well-poised for the future.
This is a new era for Packers fans. After nearly 30 years of elite quarterback play, we’re entering an unknown era with a QB who likely can’t carry an entire roster. Fans will need to be patient with the roster-building approach. One star rookie won’t elevate this team to a bonafide Super Bowl contender, and the team doesn’t have much money to add veterans. Green Bay needs to use its draft picks wisely and stockpile capital for next season when the cap will be in a better spot, and they’ll have a better idea of Jordan Love’s ability.
