There isn’t a worse part of the year to be a Green Bay Packers fan than periods of intense roster movement. Do you know that meme of Squidward being alone, watching SpongeBob and Patrick having fun? That’s how it sometimes feels for Packers fans seeing everyone make big signings while the Packers trust their process.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. First, because free agency and the trade deadline are risky and usually bring tough results, but also because general manager Brian Gutekunst has tried to be more active lately.

But the truth is that the Packers won’t be the highest spenders in March — especially now, with a tight cap situation. So next month might be boring for fans, and the reality may not reflect pre-free agency expectations and rumors.

To keep your mind in the correct place, we’ll do some boring, but real predictions for what’s about to happen.

The Packers won’t sign big-ticket guys now

Right now, Green Bay has negative $3.377 million in effective cap space projected for the new league year, and that’s with 66 signed players. The team still has to take care of its own free agents (if the plan is to keep someone) and potentially extend some long-term pieces like Tucker Kraft and Devonte Wyatt.

With so many high-priced players already on the roster (Jordan Love, Micah Parsons, Zach Tom, Xavier McKinney, Aaron Banks, Josh Jacobs), it’s hard to have room for many additions even if the Packers cut players like Rashan Gary and Elgton Jenkins.

The Packers made four big free agent signings over the past two years, plus the Parsons trade, so now it’s probably the time to sit expensive free agency and be happy with some compensatory picks for 2027.

Gutekunst doesn’t like mid-level signings

The additions of Aaron Banks and Nate Hobbs last year were big outliers for the Packers in terms of process — and they might get back to normal after they went so badly. Usually, the team isn’t active in free agency because top players don’t hit the market. When they do, the Packers are willing to pay big money.

But in terms of philosophy, Green Bay isn’t high on signing mid-level players — and in this sense, you could even argue that Hobbs was actually the only exception and forced due to an extreme need, because Banks was actually the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in free agency, which means the Packers thought he was a top player at his position.

For the most part, the Packers pay top players (whether it’s via extension or free agency), or give young players the opportunity to grow and offer depth. If it gets closer to the regular season without an answer, the front office might look to add some veteran minimum options.

Process over scheme fit

The Packers don’t believe in windows and scheme fits to add pieces to the roster. They have a process, and they follow that. That idea the Packers will sign some players who’ve performed well under a new coach in the past (like Jonathan Gannon this year, for instance) is nice to think about, but that’s simply not how they operate.

The Packers will add a player if he fits the franchise mold — preferably young and entering his second NFL contract, fairly athletic, with a proven track record of solid play. Older players or short-term fixes won’t catch Gutekunst’s attention for the most part.

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