Packer Central

ESPN Breaks NFL Down Into 11 Tiers; Where Are Packers?

The Green Bay Packers reached the playoffs each of the last two years. Here’s how they can become “elite,” according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler.

Bill Huber

This will be a key offseason for the Packers, who finished 11-6 in 2024.
This will be a key offseason for the Packers, who finished 11-6 in 2024. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Despite their disappointing end to the 2024 season, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler remains a believer in the Green Bay Packers.

Fowler took the NFL’s 32 teams and broke them down into 11 tiers, ranging from “Still major contenders” – a two-team list consisting of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and the Super Bowl runner-up Kansas City Chiefs – to “Yep, still rebuilding.”

Three teams are in the second tier of “On the cusp,” a list that includes the Detroit Lions, who won the NFC North and were the No. 1 seed in the NFC until they were tackled by injuries.

The Packers are in the third tier, one of two teams listed under “Need a postseason breakthrough.”

Based on that, the Packers are one of the top seven teams in the NFL headed into free agency in March and the draft in April. To move to the top tier and a chance to grab the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LX, the draft-and-develop Packers should “comb the trade or free agency market for bigger swings,” Fowler urged.

After going 11-6 in 2024 but losing all six games against the Eagles, Lions and Vikings, “This is a good but not great team that can vault into the elite with a few more players.” 

Fowler pinpointed two positions. One is defensive end to upgrade an inconsistent pass rush.

“Why not call the Raiders on Maxx Crosby? He would change the complexion of the team's defense,” Fowler said.

Crosby has remained loyal to the Raiders throughout his six seasons in the NFL. However, he’s reached the playoffs only once – in 2021, when Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia was the team’s interim coach and Packers running back Josh Jacobs had an All-Pro season.

The Raiders went 4-13 in 2024 – in last place in the AFC West by a whopping six games – and are rebuilding under new coach Pete Carroll. It will be interesting to see if the Raiders’ new leadership regime chooses to build around Crosby or build by trading Crosby.

The other position is receiver. Jacobs made waves during a few interviews at the Super Bowl by saying the Packers should add a veteran to a young group of receivers.

“Obviously, we’ve got a really young group of receivers,” Jacobs said. “All can be really, really, really special, but I think personally we need the guy that’s proven to be a No. 1 already.”

Jacobs’ “public questioning” should “probably (be) a cue to at least look into it,” Fowler said.

Working to Green Bay’s advantage is its youth and finances.

The Packers fielded the youngest team in this year’s playoffs. In fact, it was the second-youngest playoff team since 1970; the 2023 edition of the Packers was the youngest.

“I know we’re young from a number perspective but, obviously, these guys have played a lot of football and playoff football,” Gutekunst said at the end of the season. “So, we’re young from a number perspective but, from an experience perspective, I don’t think we’re young at all. And I think that’s an excuse that we just won’t have any use for.”

Plus, after accounting for this year’s draft class, the Packers are projected to be $39 million under the cap, according to OverTheCap.com.

On the other hand, the Packers don’t have an excess of draft capital, as was the case the past three years after trading Davante Adams in 2022 and Aaron Rodgers in 2023. The Packers have one draft pick in each round, leading off with the 23rd overall selection.

It will be up to Gutekunst, who has a strong record when he does dive into free agency but a lackluster track record with his first-round picks, to make the moves necessary to vault the Packers back into contention for the Super Bowl.

“These opportunities don’t come [every year],” Gutekunst said. “We’ve got a bunch of good guys in that locker room, we’ve got a bunch of talented guys in that locker room, and I think it’s time we started competing for championships, right? I think they’re ready.”

Click here for the full story, including a look at what’s next for the Lions, Vikings and Bears.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.