Gone are: General Manager Ted Thompson (although, he will still be a part of the organization), Edgar Bennett (offensive coordinator), Dom Capers (defensive coordinator), Luke Getsy (wide receivers coach, went to Mississippi State), Alex Van Pelt (quarterbacks coach), Mike Trgovac (defensive line coach) and Scott McCurley (inside linebackers coach). Green Bay filled a few of the positions by hiring back Joe Philbin, who was the offensive coordinator from 2007-11, and hiring Gutekunst to replace Thompson. Gutekunst, who was the Director of Player Personnel, has a scouting background, and has been with the organization since 1999. It remains to be seen what will happen with Eliot Wolf, who was passed over for the job. The Packers also are looking at former Giants coach Ben McAdoo to be their quarterbacks coach. When he and Philbin were on the staff together in 2011, they had one of the best offenses in league history and finished 15-1.
On the actual roster, as I mentioned, there are plenty of holes to be filled. Fortunately, the Packers re-signed their two biggest free agents late in the season. On back-to-back days, Green Bay re-signed both wide receiver Davante Adams and center Corey Linsley. The Green and Gold still have a few bigger free agents, but none who I would consider “must-keep.” Morgan Burnett, Ahmad Brooks, Davon House and Jahri Evans are their big free agents. After drafting Josh Jones a year ago, I wonder if Burnett is now expendable. Brooks was solid when in there, but not irreplaceable. Evans was a stop-gap until someone younger comes in. House is a solid No. 4 cornerback and was hurt quite a bit last year. I would not be surprised if he comes back on a cheap deal. He is a decent depth option, but when he has to cover top receivers on other teams, he will be exposed. I think Gutekunst will be a bit more active in free agency this offseason, as the window to win a championship with Aaron Rodgers is slowly closing.
The first order of business this offseason will be to extend the quarterback. As of right now, Rodgers is the eighth highest paid quarterback in the league, behind players like Joe Flacco, Kirk Cousins and the often injured Andrew Luck. Rodgers, whose contract runs out after the 2019 season, deserves to once again be paid like the top quarterback in the NFL and his contract will be worked on this offseason. I expect the star quarterback, who just turned 34 last month, to earn north of $30 million per season.
Of the free agents the Packers have, I imagine House is the most likely to be brought back. He did not play as well as he is capable of this year. I don’t think he is a great corner by any means, but he is would provide depth at a position that lacks it and can fill in as a No. 3 corner or maybe even a No. 2 depending on the matchup if they are hit with injuries like this past year. Bringing in another cornerback would be a wise decision this offseason. Before this year, you had to look out for which players get cut, and think which players could be signed by Green Bay. This year, we don’t know the strategy of Gutekunst since this is his first year as the lead man.
The top cornerback free agent this year is New England’s Malcolm Butler. If he is not re-signed by New England, he will be an intriguing name. Under Thompson, there would be a zero percent chance they go after him. I highly doubt Butler, who turns 28 in March, will sign in Green Bay, but if he does, it would be a great cornerback group with Butler, Kevin King and Damarious Randall. Trumaine Johnson for the Rams was franchised last year and is another good corner. Another possible option is Chicago’s Kyle Fuller, especially if Vic Fangio comes across the border to be the new defensive coordinator. I have a hard time seeing the Packers, even with a new general manager, paying top dollar for a free agent. But it’s fun to think about.
In terms of pass rushers, I wanted him last year, but Connor Barwin would be a nice pickup. He should not cost much and you could plug him on pass rush downs while the first round rookie is getting his feet wet. I would roll with Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, Barwin, Vince Biegel and Reggie Gilbert at outside linebacker, along with a rookie who I think will be drafted in the first round. Chicago free agents Sam Acho and Lamarr Houston are two more the Packers could look at as well.
If Jordy Nelson is let go, the Packers will be in need of a deep threat. One player who could fit is Arizona’s John Brown, but he will probably look for No. 1 wide receiver money, and Green Bay will not give him that. Baltimore’s Mike Wallace could be another guy, but I expect the new Packers general manager to draft a wide receiver instead of signing one in free agency. I could see Green Bay both draft a tight end and sign one in free agency. I already mentioned in my Packers mock draft post about how much I love Penn State’s Mike Gesicki, so an established blocking tight end could be a good position to target in free agency. One option could be Denver’s Virgil Green and another could be Miami’s Anthony Fasano. If they choose to sign a more complete tight end in free agency, they could look at Austin Seferian-Jenkins. The 25-year-old has shown flashes of what made him a second round pick in 2014, but has not shown enough of it. He has not played with the world’s greatest quarterbacks in Tampa Bay and New York, so maybe putting him with Rodgers would be big for him. He has developed into a very run blocker as well. He could be a steal for whatever team signs him.
Fasten your seatbelts, Packers fans, because this has been and will continue to be an interesting offseason. With the organization likely to receive four compensatory selections, Gutekust has a chance to make a splash right away.
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