Rodgers Is Only the Starting Point for Packers’ Offseason

How the Green Bay Packers will handle free agency will depend on the resolution of this year's Aaron Rodgers drama.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Feb 15, 2023 11:44 AM EST

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers isn’t the only big decision hovering over the Green Bay Packers, but he’s obviously the enormous domino that will determine how everything else falls this offseason.

If Rodgers returns, a core of some of his favorite veteran offensive players likely would return with him. That list includes pricy veterans David Bakhtiari and Aaron Jones, along with free agents Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis and Mason Crosby.

“We know every single year there’s about a handful of teams that have a legit chance, and the four left are all four that I would’ve said before the season have a chance to win it,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show before the conference championship games.

“I would’ve put us and some other teams in there. It didn’t come to fruition, but you want to win. Every team’s going to say they want to win, but it’s the type of team you’re putting together. I don’t need all my guys to be there for that. I’m not standing on the table for these seven guys [who] need to be a part of that to come back, it’s just the feel of the team.”

If Rodgers retires or is traded, general manager Brian Gutekunst might opt to go younger and cheaper at some positions to get off the annual salary cap merry-go-round of contract restructures to create enough cap space to build a roster. He might be forced to – at times, anyway – because of the dead-money charge Rodgers would leave behind.

Here’s a look at their 14 unrestricted free agents.

Receivers: Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb

Are Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs ready to be the face of the receiver corps? Perhaps, but there’s something to be said about having a veteran to show the way. You know Rodgers would want Cobb back, and the veteran remains a viable slot threat on third downs. You know coach Matt LaFleur would want Lazard back to catch passes and do the dirty work.

Tight ends: Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis

The tight end class in this year’s draft is unusually strong. The Packers could go younger and cheaper here. However, can a draft pick fill both roles – Tonyan as a receiver and Lewis as a blocker? Of Lewis, Rodgers said, “That’s a guy I want to finish my career with. If I’m playing, I want that guy next to me.” Would Lewis consider returning to Green Bay without Rodgers?

Defensive line: Dean Lowry, Jarran Reed

Rodgers’ return to Green Bay won’t be predicated on the return of his longtime teammate, Lowry. But, combined, Lowry and Reed played about 1,200 snaps in 2022 and there’s no depth behind what would be the new starting trio of Kenny Clark, TJ Slaton and Devonte Wyatt. The No. 4, Jonathan Ford, didn’t play a single snap as a rookie.

Inside linebacker: Eric Wilson

Wilson went to London with the Saints as a member of their practice squad, then went right back with the Packers. He needed only nine games to grab a share of the team lead with 13 tackles on special teams.

Outside linebacker: Justin Hollins

With 2.5 sacks, Hollins proved to be a useful backup as a midseason waiver claim. He was infinitely more productive than 2020 seventh-round pick Jonathan Garvin, who didn’t even have a solo tackle.

Cornerbacks: Keisean Nixon, Corey Ballentine

Regardless of the quarterback, an argument could be made that Nixon is the most important free agent on the team. The first-team All-Pro kick returner was instant offense for a team that failed to produce consistently on offense. With his big-play return skills, he brought swagger to a special teams unit that had lacked it for years upon years. Plus, he can play effectively in the slot in a pinch.

Safeties: Adrian Amos, Rudy Ford, Dallin Leavitt

Amos wasn’t quite as good in 2022 as he was during his first three seasons in Green Bay but he’s steady and reliable at a position where players who aren’t steady or reliable give up touchdowns. If the Packers wind up going young with Love, they could go young here, too, though a safety corps headed by Darnell Savage and a draft pick could be dicey. Ford wouldn’t be a bad Plan B as the starter.

Kicker: Mason Crosby

Crosby’s case is really interesting. His declining leg strength is an obvious issue, but the challenge of kicking at Lambeau Field is not overrated. In January home games against Minnesota and Detroit, their kickers went 3-of-5 on field goals while Crosby was 5-of-6 (his lone miss being a 53-yarder that hit the crossbar).

If Rodgers returns, it would be with the goal of making another run at the Super Bowl. It’s hard to imagine Gutekunst going with a kicker who’s never experienced Lambeau in winter. If it's time to write a new chapter at quarterback, it probably will be time to write a new chapter at kicker, too.