The Green Bay Packers took a step forward in 2023 with their retooling process. Even though the team was better in 2024 as well, though, the results down the stretch were not as good, leaving a sour taste for how the development plan went.

The big challenge for general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur now is to move the Packers from good to great, a big hurdle based on how the NFL is constructed to prioritize parity.

Through the offseason, Green Bay has to answer some questions about its future, and those will define how the 2025 will go—alongside the performance of their best players.

10 questions about the Packers offseason

1) Are the Packers happy with their receiving core?

The Packers won’t have Christian Watson before Week 12. That leaves the core with Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, and Bo Melton (presuming the Packers will give him the ERFA tender). Is that enough?

The management group have preached they don’t need a WR1, but are these players enough to elevate the offense?

“At the current moment, we have some injured guys we're gonna have to work through. I think those guys did a good job, I thought there was a period of time in the middle of the season where we were a very explosive football team,” Brian Gutekunst said after the season. “All those guys grew individually in different ways. It was interesting. As we went through the season, guys took on different roles, nobody established their own role, so to speak. We'll kind of see how that develops through the offseason and into the next season. But I thought they did some really nice things with Jordan.”

Click here to accept Marketing cookies and load this content

Free agency is a difficult place to find wide receivers, because the cost is so high, but it’s also hard to find immediate high-level contributors in later rounds of the draft. Therefore, Gutekunst will need to balance all these factors.

2) Will Jaire Alexander return?

At the current $17.5 million salary, the answer is probably no. The Packers can afford it, as Gutekunst said in his press conference, but likely they won’t want it based on how many games the cornerback has missed over the last four seasons.

“I know it's been really frustrating for not only him as a player, but us as a club," Gutekunst said. "When you have a player that has done what he's done for us in the past, and then not being able to get him on the field consistently, that's tough. It's tough on the player, it's tough on the organization."

If Jaire isn’t willing to take a paycut, a trade or release is realistic. And if it happens, a follow-up question will be how the Packers will replace him, especially because Eric Stokes is a free agent.

“When we moved Keisean (Nixon) to the outside, and he consistently played there, I thought he played really, really well. Not only in coverage, but as a tackler as well in the run game. When CV (Carrington Valentine) went out there, both of those guys were playing in the outside consistently, we just got more stable, with Bull (Javon Bullard) inside and those guys outside. So that stability really helped down the stretch,” Gutekunst pointed out. “We need numbers right now, because we do have some free agents coming up, so we're gonna need numbers and kind of see where that room goes. Obviously Ja will impact that as well. We'll just see how that goes.”

3) What is the priority to add a big defensive piece?

As aforementioned, cornerback is a huge need. But edge defender is, too, because the Packers didn’t have as much production as they wanted from the defensive ends. Rashan Gary is obviously the big part of the puzzle, but Green Bay will need more out of Lukas Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare—and that’s why they fired DL coach Jason Rebrovich.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Green Bay Packers (@packers)

4) Will the Packers keep their free agency modus operandi?

The Packers have been pretty “go big or go home” in free agency with Gutekunst. But with Jeff Hafley having so much success in Year 1, it could make sense to add more volume and scheme fits, even if the talent isn’t that high like it was for Xavier McKinney.

5) How active will Brian Gutekunst be?

The Packers have a lot of cap space and strong draft capital. Will it be enough for the GM to add external pieces? In free agency, possibly. In the trade market, it’s way less likely.

“When you trade a high pick for a veteran player, you're trading a young, really good contract for a player who's proven, but probably expensive,” Gutekunst added. “So you're giving up a pick and salary cap space. You gotta weigh that. If it's the right player, if you feel he can be a dynamic player that can change your football team, you gotta consider that, because there's not many of those guys out there. But you also have to understand what you're giving up.”

6) What's the plan for the interior of the offensive line?

Center Josh Myers is a free agent, and the Packers finished the season with rookie Jordan Morgan on the injured reserve and Jacob Monk as the only backup interior linemen on the roster. When needed, the staff decided to play tackles Kadeem Telfort and Travis Glover at guard instead of Monk, though.

If Myers leaves, the Packers will probably move Elgton Jenkins or Sean Rhyan to center, putting Morgan as a starting guard. However, the lack of depth will still have to be a consideration.

7) Will the Packers consider trading Malik Willis?

The Packers paid a seventh-round pick to the Tennessee Titans to acquire Willis, and he was much more than they could have hoped as Jordan Love’s backup in 2024. Now, the question is if a team could want to give up draft capital for him, and how much would be enough to convince the Packers. It’s hard to find a middle ground there, so the most likely outcome is that Willis will stay in Green Bay for one more season.

8) Will someone get an early extension?

Several Packers players are now eligible for extension, including the 2022 draft class. With Christian Watson injured, the realistic candidates for an early extension are Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker, and Romeo Doubs. Tackles are more scarce than receivers, so Tom and Walker would be high on the priority list.

Without many free agents to re-sign, giving extensions to these players becomes easier.

At the same time, the Packers have to make decisions on the fifth-year options for Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt. They are under contract for 2025, so this option would be for 2026—and it would guarantee them a lot of money.

9) Who will be the specialists?

Long snapper Matthew Orzech is still under contract for a third season in Green Bay, and punter Daniel Whelan is an exclusive-rights free agent, making it easy to keep him.

The big question is the kicker. Brandon McManus had a solid first season, despite a playoff mistake, and the Packers want him back.

“We had a good conversation before he left, and you guys know how he solidified that journey we were going on,” Gutekunst mentioned. “Obviously, he's a veteran guy. His ability to adjust, the weather we had. Our specialist group with Matt (Orzech) and Daniel (Whelan), if we're able to get Brandon back, certainly would feel very, very good about that group.”

10) What will be the coaching staff changes?

The Packers know quarterbacks coach Tom Clements retired, and they fired defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich. Jeff Hafley and Adam Stenavich interviewed for HC positions, but it seems like they will stick around.

Matt LaFleur has to answer if there will be more changes and who the replacements for Clements and Rebrovich are. But it’ll certainly be a less drastic offseason for the staff than it was last year.

Packers face key decision on Malik Willis with his trade value drawing interest and potential opportunities for Green Bay

Team acquired him in August for a seventh-round pick