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The Green Bay Packers Have A Difficult Offseason Ahead Of Them

By Jacob Schyvinck

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) leaves the field after a 13-10 loss against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL divisional round football playoff game Saturday January 22, 2022, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-WisconsinApc Packvs49ers 0122221161djp
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) leaves the field after a 13-10 loss against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL divisional round football playoff game Saturday January 22, 2022, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-WisconsinApc Packvs49ers 0122221161djp /
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The Green Bay Packers will enter perhaps the most interesting and wild offseason of the storied franchise.

After the disappointment that was the NFC Championship loss to the Buccaneers, things came to a head when quarterback Aaron Rodgers was reportedly disgruntled in the Green Bay Packers organization, which happened to come out on draft day. After a summer of “will he, won’t he”, Rodgers returned, determined to have a “last dance” run.

A hiccup in week one didn’t deter Rodgers, Matt LaFleur, and the Packers as a whole. They rallied to win 13 of their next 16 and finish with the top seed in the NFC. With another shot to reach a Super Bowl with two wins at Lambeau, hope built up once again.

It all came to an end quicker than expected, after an upstart 49ers team shocked the Packers in a 13-10 win. The offense grew lethargic after a first quarter fumble by Marcedes Lewis, and they never regained their rhythm. It wasn’t a great game from Rodgers after the defense played their hearts out, but all-time special teams gaffes cost them as well.

Now, after three 13-win seasons, we enter the most treacherous road of an offseason in the Packers history. The Packers are deep in salary cap trouble. They will have to shed a ton of contracts in the offseason, most notably the ones from their spending spree in the late winter of 2019.

Both Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith could be out at edge rusher (the former already made an Instagram post that felt like a goodbye). Adrian Amos carries an $11 million cap number in 2022. Randall Cobb carries too high of a number to warrant keeping him on. Will David Bakhtiari be healthy for 2022 and beyond?

There’s a ton of pending free agents as well, most notably Davante Adams. Is it possible for him to return? Should they opt to bring back Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Getting deals done with restricted free agents Yosh Nijman and Allen Lazard make sense, but a lot of work needs to get done first. Two saviors this season on defense, Rasul Douglas and De’Vondre Campbell, are also set to hit the market.

Two elite players have pending extensions after the 2022 season as well. It’s hard to imagine the Packers let Jaire Alexander or Elgton Jenkins walk. Alexander is a top five corner in football when healthy, and Jenkins is a rare offensive lineman with unique versatility.

Then there’s 12, long time QB1, the best quarterback in Green Bay Packers history. It could be his final game in the green and gold. Maybe they find a way to run it back, but Rodgers would need to take a massive pay cut to make it happen. Moving him for picks is the best option, but there’s also a chance he walks away.

No matter how things shake out, this will be a very different Packers team in 2022 than it has been the last few seasons. Brian Gutekunst, Russ Ball, and Matt LaFleur are in a position that isn’t envied much right now, and we’ll see how things go leading up to free agency and the draft. Buckle up, a wild ride will commence.

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