The Green Bay Packers have their process. General manager Brian Gutekunst has already mentioned he isn’t a big believer in windows, and while he’s been willing to be more aggressive in the twilight years of Aaron Rodgers’ tenure, the sustainable approach tends to be his ideal model.

But this offseason has been different in Green Bay. Instead of signing their traditional young players to second contracts, Gutekunst has been active to get older players on the roster — including a 33-year-old Javon Hargrave, who’s playing under his fifth NFL contract.

Let’s evaluate what the Packers have done so far.

Trading Rashan Gary

Getting a 2027 fourth-round pick for a player the Packers would most likely release was a sensational deal for them. It’s even weirder when you realize that Gary took a paycut for the Dallas Cowboys — usually in cases like this, the player prefers to get released and choose his next destination as a free agent.

Grade: A+

Trading for Zaire Franklin

The Packers moved a useful but unspectacular rotational defensive lineman in Colby Wooden to get a projected starter in Zaire Franklin, and that created the flexibility to move on from Quay Walker. That makes sense. But paying $7 million for a 29-year-old linebacker who didn’t perform at a high-level last season, especially in coverage, brings inherent risk.

Grade: C

Signing CB Benjamin St-Juste

St-Juste won’t be a star player, but he was exactly what the Packers needed. A playable boundary corner, coming off a strong career-year season for the Los Angeles Chargers. Yes, he was a part-time player. But he can be that in Green Bay too — and his special teams contributions are undeniable. The contract is excellent.

Grade: B+

Signing WR/KR Skyy Moore

Moore is a bust based on pre-draft expectations, but the Packers aren’t signing him for what he was perceived to be when the Kansas City Chiefs took him in the second round in 2022. They are signing him because of what he did last season for the San Francisco 49ers, and that’s a top kick and punt returner, and a viable backup wide receiver. His contract (one-year, up to $2.5 million) shows that value.

Grade: B

Signing DT Javon Hargrave

Defensive tackle was a huge need for the Packers, and getting a player who can still affect the quarterback from the interior despite his age is significant. Hargrave hasn’t been a great run defender for years, but he’s still better than what the Packers had in this area as well — especially after trading Colby Wooden. It’s a two-year, $23 million contract, but only the first year is guaranteed, so there isn’t much risk.

Grade: B-

Re-signings/extensions

The Packers are bringing back Sean Rhyan, Darian Kinnard, Brenton Cox, Chris Brooks, Nick Niemann, Kristian Welch, Bo Melton, Jonathan Ford, Josh Whyle, Donovan Jennings, Kamal Hadden.

The big one is Rhyan, with a three-year, $33 million extension. The Packers probably overpaid him, especially considering that Cade Mays got an $8 million yearly average from the Detroit Lions. Green Bay was probably willing to do that because of familiarity and to avoid affecting the compensatory pick formula.

Kinnard, Brooks, and Cox are solid, low-cost backup options, and the other pieces are basically veteran minimum players who offer roster depth.

Grade: B-

Cuts

The Packers released center Elgton Jenkins and cornerback Nate Hobbs, and both signed deals elsewhere for much less than they would make in Green Bay, a strong indication that Gutekunst pulled the correct triggers. Jenkins’ release was inevitable with his $20 million salary — and they weren’t able to trade him because of that. Hobbs could have been kept at $9 million for 2026, but the sequence of injuries throughout his career was always a big issue that the Packers overlooked last offseason — and paid for it.

Green Bay just doesn’t get an A here because of a release it didn’t make. Guard Aaron Banks will make $18.1 million in 2026. It’s understandable why the Packers will keep him — they want to avoid even more offensive line turnover, and Banks is a young, viable starter. But that contract is still hard to comprehend.

Grade: B

Departures in free agency

The Packers lost Malik Willis, Kingsley Enagbare, Quay Walker, Romeo Doubs, Rasheed Walker, and Zayne Anderson in free agency. Emanuel Wilson (RFA) and Lecitus Smith (ERFA) didn’t get tendered and won’t stay in Green Bay either.

All of these top departures were to be expected, and the Packers didn’t have a need or the money to alter those expectations. They would probably want to keep players like Doubs and Enagbare, but their salaries are too high based on what their roles in Green Bay would be moving forward. The only bad aspect of free agency for the Packers is that Rasheed Walker only signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Carolina Panthers, and his depressed market affected the Packers’ compensatory pick projection — instead of a third- or fourth-, Green Bay should now get a sixth-rounder.

Grade: B

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