The ESSENTIAL Football Show 2025 Cap Space: $27.5 million
2026 Cap Space: $10.9 million
2027 Cap Space: $104.6 million
2026 Draft Picks: Own Picks, Rounds 1-7
Packers fans obviously would have hoped for a better end result by the time the playoffs rolled around, but when you consider that Green Bay is now two-for-two making the tournament with Jordan Love at quarterback - despite Love missing multiple games early in the season - I think it’s fair to say the transition into the post-Aaron Rodgers era has gone pretty darn well. There’s another step needed to put it over the top, but given how things have gone for some other organizations in recent transitions away from established franchise quarterbacks, it’s pretty nice to remain in the thick of things without skipping a beat.
Green Bay needs more blue-chip players around Jordan Love, but it’s not as if general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur have never assembled that type of roster before. They didn’t make all the moves, but Gutekunst was running things when Green Bay splurged on Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Adrian Amos, and Billy Turner in free agency, moves that set up the Packers with a roster full of impact players that also featured left tackle David Bakhtiari, left guard Elgton Jenkins, running back Aaron Jones, wide receiver Davante Adams, defensive tackle Kenny Clark, and cornerback Jaire Alexander.
The Packers need some dice rolls to go the right way - a return to health for Alexander coupled with a hit on first-round receiver Matthew Golden would make a huge impact - but if they can find a few more high-impact players, there’s every reason to think that this team could push for an NFC title behind Jordan Love.
Quarterback
Starter: Jordan Love
Backups: Malik Willis, Sean Clifford
Running Back
Starters: Josh Jacobs
Backups: Emanuel Wilson, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks
Wide Receiver
Starters: Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden (1st Rd)
Backups: Dontayvion Wicks, Savion Williams (3rd Rd), Christian Watson (ACL), Malik Heath, Bo Melton, Mecole Hardman
Tight End
Starters: Tucker Kraft
Backups: Luke Musgrave, Ben Sims, John FitzPatrick
Offensive Line
Starters: Rasheed Walker, Aaron Banks, Elgton Jenkins, Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom
Backups: Jordan Morgan, Anthony Belton (2nd Rd), Jacob Monk, Travis Glover, John Williams (7th Rd)
Offense Overview
The pieces didn’t all move in the same direction, but despite some disappointments, there were plenty of success stories for Green Bay’s offense in 2024. Whether it was Tucker Kraft taking the next step as one of the better two-way tight ends in the league, Rasheed Walker building on a strong finish to 2023 to establish himself as a solid left tackle, or Josh Jacobs absolutely killing it as a backfield addition, there were certainly some bright spots for this group.
Other players stagnated, chief among them Jordan Love, who suffered a lower-body injury late in the season opener against Philadelphia that affected him throughout the season. It would have been great to see him raise the bar, but Love has already established a high standard for a relatively inexperienced signal-caller, and there’s no question that he has “plus” traits from a physical standpoint, which gives Love as high a ceiling as anyone in the long run. Whether it’s Jared Goff, Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, or one of the many other examples, it’s clear that the mental side of the progression for quarterbacks can have a learning curve well beyond what we associate with the typical NFL lifespan, and given the incredible progress we were able to see Love make from his first NFL action, when he was completely overwhelmed, to being a disappointment because he wasn’t in the MVP discussion sort of tells you what you need to know.
The offensive line should be steady, assuming contractual issues around Elgton Jenkins’ proposed move to center don’t linger into the season after the veteran stayed away from early offseason workouts. Even then, the Packers should be all right; Zach Tom has established himself a solid starter with plus mobility at right tackle, and Green Bay added depth at the position with second-round pick Anthony Belton, who could also step into a starting spot if the Packers elect not to extend both of their 2022 mid-round picks, as Rasheed Walker and Tom will be due significant raises on their 2025 numbers of roughly $3.5 million; neither seems destined to become an All-Pro, but Dan Moore’s annual average of $20 million would seem like a reasonable starting point for Walker, and Tom might be able to command a bit more, even if he’s not at the top of the market.
The interior is similarly deep, with free-agent addition Aaron Banks joining Jenkins, Sean Rhyan, and 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan, who split time with Rhyan at guard before a shoulder injury ended his season. Banks isn’t exactly a top-shelf addition - he brings plenty of physicality, but has had some issues keeping linemen in front of him in pass pro - but he’s a capable starter who will add competition, which should result in a quality starting three.
Matthew Golden looms as the offense’s X-Factor; whether he takes over as the number one, or lights a fire under a receiving room that was wildly inconsistent last season, there’s reason to hope an injection of talent on the outside could take this team to the next level. Jayden Reed brings juice in the slot, but hasn’t been able to translate that success to a role on the outside, and Romeo Doubs is more well-rounded than explosive.
Between the Josh Jacobs-led run game and Tucker Kraft’s presence as a do-it-all weapon, Green Bay has the pieces to attack the short-to-intermediate areas, but to take this offense to the next level, they need more on the outside. If Golden gives them that, the Pack could give the Lions a run for their money as top offense in the division.
Defensive Tackle
Starters: Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt
Backups: Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden, Warren Brinson (6th Rd)
Edge
Starters: Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness
Backups: Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox, Arron Mosby, Barryn Sorrell (4th Rd), Collin Oliver (5th Rd)
Linebackers
Starters: Edgerrin Cooper, Quay Walker
Backups: Ty’Ron Hopper, Isaiah McDuffie, Isaiah Simmons
Safety
Starters: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams
Backups: Javon Bullard, Zayne Anderson
Slot
Starter: Nate Hobbs
Backups: Kalen King
Outside CB
Starters: Jaire Alexander, Keisean Nixon
Backups: Carrington Valentine, Micah Robinson (7th Rd)
Defense Overview
While the fantasy focus of many fans may have put more focus on the offensive disappointments, it was the defense, and specifically the defensive line, that was the more significant letdown in 2024.
As mentioned earlier, defensive tackle Kenny Clark once loomed as a definitive impact player, but those moments were few and far between for Clark last season. The same is true of edge rushers Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness; Green Bay needs significantly more production from these players given their cap numbers and draft pedigrees.
It was also somewhat perplexing to see this development, as it appeared the Packers might have an ideal mix of high-end talent and depth heading into last season. Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, and Colby Wooden probably played closer to expectations last season, though Wyatt certainly hasn’t hit his ceiling, but Brooks and Wooden’s contributions as rotational players stood out less when the big guys weren’t doing their part. The Packers swapped out defensive line coaches, but that’s about all they’re banking on, as the only addition to this group was fourth-round pick Barryn Sorrell.
There’s more reason for excitement behind them; linebacker Edgerrin Cooper is coming off a terrific rookie season that saw him make strides from being an explosive athlete making plays to a complete linebacker reading out plays and triggering to meet runs. It’s a welcome development next to Quay Walker, who brings freaky traits to the position, but hasn’t developed the type of awareness that would allow him to use those physical tools to maximum effect.
In the back end, safety Xavier McKinney was a huge hit as a free-agent addition, making plays at every level of the field in a First Team All-Pro season, and the rookie duo of Evan Williams and Javon Bullard were hits as well, giving the Packers the flexibility to play out of a “big nickel” look as needed. Assuming they figure out the situation on the outside, whether through a return to health for Jaire Alexander or development from an unknown player, they should also be able to get free-agent addition Nate Hobbs lined up in the slot, where he flashed as a playmaker early in his time with the Raiders.
The biggest concern here is that a lack of options at outside cornerback could force Hobbs to fill an outside corner position across from Keisean Nixon or Carrington Valentine, both of whom were just all right last year. If Alexander is able to return to form, the Packers should be able to protect the other outside cornerback, but if both spots feature questionable talents, and the defensive line doesn’t get things going, the Packers could have difficulty building on last year’s efforts under defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Overall Outlook
The Packers don’t look like a favorite coming into 2025, but they’re right on the brink, and they’ve got a really talented quarterback who will turn 27 this season. That doesn’t mean Green Bay should sit on their hands, but it’s also reasonable to expect that they are going to be right in the thick of things for the next five years, and it doesn’t make sense to get out over their skis for any single year.
It’s an interesting thing, because fan bases love when teams go for a big swing, but the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles, who were arguably the most talented roster we’ve seen in decades, didn’t do it by going all-in for 2024. They did it by continuing to follow a formula that emphasizes adding players via any and all avenues, consistently keeping themselves in the game with swings in the draft and on lower-cost veterans, and in 2024, everything came together, from former draft picks developing to reclamation projects turning into All-Pros to draft picks hitting out of the gate.
Who knows exactly what the cards hold for the Packers in 2025, but whatever frustration might have built up around this team during their lackluster finish to 2024, there’s an awful lot of good to take away from where Green Bay sits on their development arc, and as long as they keep themselves in the batter’s box, the odds are they’re going to pop one out of the park on the roster talent side sooner or later.