I love when writers reach out to their readers and ask them to send burning questions about their favorite team. It’s a great way to create content without doing a lot of work. Right up my alley.
In that spirit, here are the 10 questions I would ask myself a month or so into the Green Bay Packers’ offseason.
1. Should the Pack go all-in and trade for Myles Garrett?
Hang on while I step onto my soapbox…YES!
You know and I know it’s never gonna happen; the Packers value first-round picks like I value cheese curds. But a guy can dream. If the Cleveland Browns grant Garrett his wish, they’ll likely expect multiple first-round picks, and with Green Bay sitting at 23, they’d probably prefer to get a much higher pick. You want Jaire Alexander or LVN thrown in? Maybe a couple extra mid-round picks? Done and done.
We all know a move like this goes against everything Gutey was taught and how he operates. But he recently said it’s time to compete for Super Bowls, and adding Garrett to the D-line would be a giant step in that direction. He’s the best defensive player on the planet, is in his prime, and has made it clear he’s ready to compete for championships.
Adding him to Jeff Hafley’s unit makes them an instant top-five defense.
Obviously, we can’t judge draft picks for several years, but would you trade the Pack’s two most recent No. 1s, Lukas Van Ness and Jordan Morgan, for Garrett? Of course you would.
Don’t try to preach that Green Bay can’t trade their top pick this year because they’re hosting the draft. Imagine Garrett standing next to Roger Goodell as he announces Cleveland’s selection at 23. The place would go bonkers.
OK, now back to reality.
2. Josh Jacobs believes the Packers should go out and get a No. 1 receiver. Is he right?
I’ve come around on this one, thanks partly to Christian Watson’s injury. On one hand, it’s great not to have an alpha in the room that the quarterback knows he needs to keep happy. It keeps defenses guessing when you can just go through your progressions and find the open guy.
On the other hand, this team needs a reliable chain-mover and red-zone demon. If the Pack is to contend in ’25, it will be because Jordan Love has taken that next step, and having a legit No. 1 guy he can lean on would go a long way to making that happen. Now, these types of players are not hanging off of trees, and I wouldn’t be excited about giving up a bunch of draft capital to acquire one.
I gotta believe Jacobs had Davante Adams in mind when he made his comments on Radio Row at the Super Bowl. They were teammates in ’23, and Adams has made some cryptic comments and social posts about a potential return to Titletown.
The New York Jets would have to release him because he’d count something like $36 million on the cap on his current deal. We have no idea what the new regime plans to do with Adams, so we’ll have to wait and see. I’m all for a two- or three-year deal if it doesn’t break the bank. Adams’ presence would also elevate the young receivers on the roster just by watching him go about his business.
3. What should Green Bay do with Jaire Alexander?
Sadly, it appears a divorce is inevitable. I say sadly because we all know what a fully healthy, head screwed on right Alexander can do on the football field, and the team has a desperate need for a lockdown corner.
But he’s been a problem in the locker room and a too-frequent guest on the trainer’s table the last couple of years. It’s best for both parties to move on. I don’t imagine he will have much of a trade market, so a release seems inevitable.
4. Which free agents would you make a run at if you were the Packers?
The obvious answer is Tee Higgins, a guy many people thought the Pack would draft in 2020 before they shocked the world and traded up to draft Love. I don’t see this front office paying top dollar for the best receiver on the market, despite the belief by Jacobs and others that the Pack needs a No. 1.
There’s really no other WR in free agency who gets you excited, except maybe Chris Godwin, but he’s coming off a devastating injury. A reunion with MVS does nothing for me.
So, let’s turn to the other side of the ball, where the Pack will certainly look closely at the crop of edge rushers and corners. I would make a run at Khalil Mack, who is nearing the end at 33 but gives off Julius Peppers vibes. He had more pressures than Rashan Gary last season.
Other edge rushers I’d study: Josh Sweat, Haason Reddick, Chase Young, and DeMarcus Lawrence. They’d come at varying price tags, but adding one to the mix seems like a priority. After ignoring cornerback in the draft and with the Alexander situation looming, finding one in March seems likely. D.J. Reed is the best of the bunch, but I’d sniff around Charvarius Ward, Byron Murphy, or Packer favorite Rasul Douglas.
5. Which Packer free agents should be priorities?
There aren’t too many guys on this list that I would bang the table for. I’ll start with Brandon McManus. Despite the missed field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles, he brought stability and excellence to a very shaky position on the roster. Can’t imagine the Pack won’t re-sign him to a multi-year deal.
Beyond that, there’s nobody who would break my heart if they’re not back. Josh Myers would be the most consequential potential free-agent loss. Not because he’s any great shakes, but because it would impact the entire O-line and how the Pack attacks that group in the draft. I’m on board with taking the L for passing on Creed Humphrey and moving on.
There are a lot of key depth pieces on defense that could be on the way out. I would imagine they’ll let Eric Stokes and T.J. Slaton test free agency. I assume they’ll keep a few of their defensive guys who are also good special teams guys: Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, Zayne Anderson, Arron Mosby, and Corey Ballentine would all be cheap to hang on to.
Emanuel Wilson is likely back, with MarShawn Lloyd still an unknown quantity, and Bo Melton will also probably stick around. Despite fading late, punter Daniel Whelan did enough in my mind to earn a second contract.
6. What is the biggest need on the roster right now?
For me, it’s a solid, productive outside cornerback. The potential loss of Alexander, coupled with the failed Stokes pick has the cupboard looking pretty bare. Finding a guy who can match up with the WRs the Pack will face next season won’t be easy, but it’s where I’d look to spend my money first.
Those WRs? Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, D.J. Moore, CeeDee Lamb, Ja’Marr Chase, A.J. Brown, Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Terry McLaurin, Jerry Jeudy…need I go on?
7. Who on the roster are you most excited to watch next season?
There are a few candidates here. The obvious answer is Love, with the hope that he can lead the team to the Super Bowl in his third year as a starter, like his predecessor did. I’m also anxious to see if Brenton Cox is for real and whether MarShawn Lloyd actually exists.
But the correct answer is Edgerrin Cooper, who looks like a star in the making, with the potential to add “super” to that title. Once he got healthy and the Packers took off the training wheels, he got better every week, earning multiple Player of the Week honors. His speed and instinctiveness are rare, and he appears poised to give the Pack the most talented inside linebackers they’ve had since…Nitschke?
8. What’s your early read on the Pack’s first-round pick?
I haven’t done a ton of draft prep yet, but assuming they stay at 23, I’d be surprised if they don’t pick from one of these positions: CB, EDGE, or DT, with an outside shot at WR if they strike out in free agency.
Here are some names I’m keeping an eye on early, all projected to land somewhere around 23: Kenneth Grant, DL, Michigan, Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M, Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall, Shavon Revel, Jr, CB, East Carolina, Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas, Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame, Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon, Matthew Golden, WR, Texas, Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio St., Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio St., Luther Burden, WR, Mizzou, Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss.
We’ll narrow that list down after free agency.
9. Thoughts on Sterling Sharpe getting into the Hall of Fame?
Finally! For those of us old enough to remember the days of the Majik man and the early Favre years, Sharpe puts a wide smile on our faces.
Second only to Jerry Rice during his dominant seven-year stretch, Sharpe was everything you want in a wide receiver. Think T.O. without the off-field baggage. Sadly, his neck injury cut his career short — what he and Favre might have accomplished as the team ascended to the Super Bowl is something we can only dream about.
The Pack found some really nice weapons for Favre in the next few years, of course. Guys like Robert Brooks, Antonio Freeman, Don Beebe, and late season adds like Andre Rison and Desmond Howard, who were Super Bowl heroes. But none of them were anything like Sharpe.
His career, like fellow Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, is one of the great what-ifs. He waited a long time, but finally earned his yellow jacket, and he and brother Shannon beat out the Mannings to be the first brothers elected to the Hall. Mike Holmgren should be joining him, but he fell short.
10. Chiefs vs. Eagles. Who ya got?
Wouldn’t it be nice if they could both lose? Mainly because I don’t want either fanbase to celebrate. The Chiefs are trying to be the first team since Lombardi’s Packers to earn a threepeat, and their fans have had enough good fortune. Eagles fans are the most despicable, unlikeable group of fans in the league, as you all know.
The players on both teams are pretty likable, in my opinion, and you have to respect what each team has accomplished to get to New Orleans. There’s no doubt Philly’s roster is stronger top to bottom. They’re better in the trenches on both sides of the ball, have the league’s Offensive Player of the Year in Saquon Barkley, and match up very well with the Chiefs.
The Eagles reportedly have multiple players dealing with the flu, including Pro Bowl DT Jalen Carter, so that’s something to watch. In a game that figures to go down to the wire, I can’t pick against the team with the better QB, better coach, and more reliable kicker. Not to mention that Patrick Mahomes is 8-0 in the playoffs when favored by less than three points.
Chiefs 26
Eagles 23
