How the Packers answered their biggest offseason questions through key decisions in free agency and the NFL Draft
Back in January, right after the Green Bay Packers lost in the playoffs to the Philadelphia Eagles, we wrote an article about the 10 biggest offseason questions the team would have to answer over the following few months.For the most part, the 2025 roster is built. Sure, it's still possible to add a piece here […]
Back in January, right after the Green Bay Packers lost in the playoffs to the Philadelphia Eagles, we wrote an article about the 10 biggest offseason questions the team would have to answer over the following few months.
For the most part, the 2025 roster is built. Sure, it's still possible to add a piece here and there, but the bones of the group are in place. So let's go back to those 10 questions, and see how the Packers attacked them.
1) Are the Packers happy with their receiving core?
The answer was no. At least, not for the long term, and that's why they drafted two wide receivers in the first three rounds for the first time ever—and used a first-round pick to get one for the first time since 2002. The additions of Matthew Golden and Savion Williams don't mean the older receivers won't get playing time or opportunities, but that means the Packers will be okay moving on from some of them next offseason—Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Mecole Hardman are free agents, while Malik Heath and Bo Melton are slated to be restricted free agents.
It's impossible to keep everyone, and now the Packers are in a much better position to make their choices based on production.
2) Will Jaire Alexander return?
The answer is still no for this one as well. There were moments in the offseason where a trade was the most expected outcome, moments in which it felt like the Packers would end up bringing Alexander back.
Ultimately, though, Alexander wanted more guarantees than what Green Bay had to offer, and the Packers weren't satisfied with the combination of multiple recent injuries and high salary. When general manager Brian Gutekunst decides to move on from a player, it's hard for him to get back.
Now, the big questions are around how good the Packers cornerback room will be without Alexander, and how impactful he will be for the Baltimore Ravens after signing a one-year deal there.
3) What is the priority to add a big defensive piece?
This is a curious one, because the most expensive defensive addition was a cornerback in Nate Hobbs, but it doesn't feel as much like the Packers are philosophically prioritizing the defensive backs. So, it's absolutely possible to say that the most impactful addition could be defensive line coach/run game coordinator DeMarcus Covington.
Green Bay believes that Covington over Jason Rebrovich will give it the ability to truly develop the defensive front, something the Packers failed to accomplish over the past few years. The investment and the talent are presumably there with Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, and Devonte Wyatt, so if the Packers can take more out of them, it will be more impactful than any player addition they made in 2025.
4) Will the Packers keep their free agency modus operandi?
They did, for the most part. The Packers have been all or nothing to add external players, targeting specific players and paying them whatever it takes to add them—and this is probably how they ended up paying $17 million a year to left guard Aaron Banks. Nate Hobbs is more of an exception, a mid-level free agent signing, and that's because they truly needed bodies at cornerback.
The additions of Mecole Hardman, Kristian Welch, and Isaiah Simmons close to the veteran minimum are also a process they've frequently used.
More importantly, the way the Packers structure contracts hasn't changed. It's a big signing bonus, and nothing guaranteed beyond that.
5) How active will Brian Gutekunst be?
He was fairly active, but not more than he had been in previous offseasons. So the "ramp up the sense of urgency" sentence during his after-season press conference wasn't exactly applicable to himself. Gutekunst added two big pieces in free agency and finally drafted a wide receiver in the first round, but the Packers did what they do.
"We're really process-driven around here, being in this thing every single year," he said in the same press conference of the sense or urgency phrase. "You try not to look too far down the road, more than two or three years out, but I'm not a big believer in windows."
That part of the presser didn't make many headlines, though.
6) What's the plan for the interior of the offensive line?
This was a big focus of the offseason for the Packers. They signed Aaron Banks to a big contract to play left guard and moved Elgton Jenkins to center, allowing Josh Myers to walk. The team also drafted Anthony Belton in the second round and John Williams in the seventh, and both have tackle/guard flexibility. Last year's first-round pick Jordan Morgan is in the mix as well.
The Packers will give Morgan and Belton chances to succeed at left tackle, but they will also fight for the right guard starting spot with Sean Rhyan, who's entering the final year of his rookie deal.
7) Will the Packers consider trading Malik Willis?
Easy no. It's unclear if the Packers have received any type of trade interest in Willis, but they obviously want to keep their backup quarterback around. The big proof is that the team hasn't added a competition for the QB2 job, just signing UDFA Taylor Elgersma to compete with Sean Clifford for a practice squad spot.
The plan is to keep Willis in 2025, the final year of his rookie season, and reassess the backup situation next offseason if the former third-rounder goes elsewhere.
8) Will someone get an early extension?
Not so far. That might very well still happen, especially with right tackle Zach Tom. Now that the initial waves of free agency and the draft are gone, the front office can have a bigger-picture perspective about the roster situation, opening the window to find smart ways to secure good young players for the long term. Devonte Wyatt had his fifth-year option picked up, so he's under contract through 2026 now. But Tom and Quay Walker are realistic extension targets.
9) Who will be the specialists?
The same ones. The Packers were able to extend kicker Brandon McManus on a three-year contract, which was the big question mark of the offseason. Punter Daniel Whelan signed his exclusive-rights free agent tender, and long snapper Matthew Orzech is entering the final season of the three-year deal he signed back in 2023. Green Bay didn't add competition to the roster at these positions, and the only backup is kicker Alex Hale, who doesn't count towards the 90-man roster limit as a part of the International Pathway Program.
10) What will be the coaching staff changes?
After big modifications to the staff in 2024 with the firing of Joe Barry and hiring of Jeff Hafley, the changes were significantly less impactful—and numerous—this offseason. The big one, as aforementioned, is the decision to replace Jason Rebrovich with DeMarcus Covington as the defensive line coach.
Covington will also be the run game coordinator, a title that was held by Anthony Campanile last year. The former linebackers coach went to the Jacksonville Jaguars as the defensive coordinator, and the Packers promoted defensive assistant Sean Duggan to LBs coach.
On offense, quarterbacks coach Tom Clements retired, so the Packers promoted offensive assistant Sean Mannion. Former assistant quarterbacks coach Connor Lewis was promoted to pass game specialist/game management, and Luke Getsy was hired on a full-time basis as a senior assistant.
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