The Green Bay Packers made a franchise-altering trade last offseason by sending future Hall of Famer and four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets. The move, of course, was made so that Jordan Love could take over as the starting quarterback. While it was the biggest decision of last offseason, it was far from the only one of its kind.
While Green Bay did not trade away any other veterans, the did allow many to leave via free agency. Wide receivers Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard signed with the Jets in order to continue playing with Rodgers, not that the Packers wanted to re-sign them anyway. Tight ends Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis both signed with the Chicago Bears, again, not that Green Bay would have brought them back anyway.
These players were all replaced with players selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, with Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks playing wide receiver and Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft playing tight end.
Of course, franchise all-time leading scorer Mason Crosby was also not re-signed and replaced with Anders Carlson.
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The Packers were the youngest offense in the NFL last season, and they got even younger after their Week One victory over the Chicago Bears. Left tackle David Bakhtiari was lost for the season with a knee injury and running back Aaron Jones missed several games due to a hamstring injury.
Rasheed Walker played left tackle in Bakhtiari’s absence and AJ Dillon became the team’s starting running back. Additionally, the Packers’ offense centered around Love and his young group of pass catchers named above, along with second-year wide receivers Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson.
For the first half of the season, Love and his offense struggled to find consistency. Through seven games, the team was 2-5 and seemingly far away from being what could be considered a contender.
But they turned it around. Over their last 10 games, Green Bay went 7-3 and clinched a wild card spot in the NFL Playoffs. Love ended up with the best statistical first season for a starting quarterback in franchise history and Reed broke Sterling Sharpe’s franchise record for receptions by a rookie.
By all accounts, the Packers’ offense is an up-and-coming force that should not be underestimated as they are primed to take the next step in 2024.
That is, except for by one account.
NFL Analyst Slams the Green Bay Packers for Not Giving Jordan Love Enough Support
Unlike many NFL franchises, the Packers do not rely heavily on free agency to add playmakers to their roster. They are more known for drafting, developing, and then re-signing their own players. Granted, they do occasionally make some splashes in free agency, such as this offseason when they signed safety Xavier McKinney and running back Josh Jacobs.
The practice of not adding big names in free agency came under fire often during Rodgers’ tenure. Many believed that a big-name free agent, especially on offense, could have put the Packers over the hump and into the Super Bowl.
Now, the same criticism is being thrown their way with Love under center. Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report writes:
“The Packers aren’t messing with what doesn’t appear to be broken, because Love was incredible down the stretch in his first year as a starter. However, that was only an eight-game sample size. He was not very impressive during the first half of last season, and the rest of the league will now be far more ready for him. To become a true contender, Green Bay probably needed to do more this offseason.”
This is the kind of criticism that can only be refuted by production on the field. The Packers believe that if their young offensive players take the leap that they are expected to, signing a free agent wide receiver or tight end would not have been necessary.
It should be noted that McKinney and Jacobs were considered the top free agents at their respected positions. Safety was an area of dire need, and the Packers made sure they got the best one available.
Offensively, it is hard to decide which of their top four receivers would have to give up playing time had they brought in a free agent at that position. Any of the four are capable of putting up big numbers on any given Sunday.
Indeed, it is very difficult to determine exactly what more they could have done.
