In Age-Old Question, Will Packers Be Dethroned? Answer Is Yes

GREEN BAY, Wis. – This offseason, the Green Bay Packers did something practically unprecedented over the past couple decades.

They intentionally got older.

General manager Brian Gutekunst signed or traded for 37-year-old quarterback Tyrod Taylor, 33-year-old defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, 31-year-old tight end Jonnu Smith and 30-year-old linebacker Zaire Franklin.

Based on the rosters that emerged from the carnage of Sunday’s roster cutdown, the Packers remain young, but they are no longer the youngest team in the NFL.

According to Jimmy Kempski’s annual review of Cutdown Day rosters for The Philly Voice, the Packers were the youngest team in the league at this point in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Even with the influx of rugged vets, the Packers are the sixth-youngest team for this season.

“Kind of the way it worked out,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said on Tuesday. “It was never about getting older. I do think where our team is right now, having some experience isn’t a bad thing at all.

“I think, obviously, we have a number of players who have had two, three years of experience and kind of coming into that prime of their careers, and I think you want to make sure you have enough guys that can supplement those guys as we move forward.”

The Miami Dolphins – built by former Packers exec Jon-Eric Sullivan – are the youngest team in the league by a considerable margin at 25.0 years old. The Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs are next at 25.7. The Packers’ average player is 25.9.

Focusing on the NFC North, the Packers are the youngest, followed by the Lions (eighth; 26.0), Vikings (12th; 26.1) and Bears (18th; 26.4.)

The Pittsburgh Steelers, led by Aaron Rodgers, who is the oldest player in the league at age 42 (he’ll turn 43 in December), are the oldest at 27.1.

Last year, the Packers had two players aged 30-plus: kicker Brandon McManus (34) and long snapper Matt Orzech (30). This year, the Packers have five players who are 30-plus – the aforementioned veteran newcomers and Orzech.

“Well, there’s no substitute for experience,” Franklin said. “I’ve been in a lot of situations in this league. X (Xavier McKinney) has been in a lot of situations in this league. Micah (Parsons). And this team has grown.

“They’re not the young team that they were a year, two years ago, and the Green Bay Packers is ready to take that next step. We ready to be that dominant team to take over the league. Just build off everything that they had building last year and let’s go ahead and be that dominant team. It’s 0-0. Let’s be the best at practice. Let’s be the best at getting better.”

That AARP contingent was balanced out by only six rookies making the initial roster.

“I can tell you this: We got a great group of guys,” coach Matt LaFleur said before Wednesday’s practice. “I do think that some of the guys that have come in that are veterans have a very good process that some of the younger guys can learn from. So, I think that definitely helps.”

The new veteran contingent has fit in well with what LaFleur saw as a strong locker room beforehand.

“Guys lead in different ways, and I can tell you we do have a lot of leaders in that locker room,” he said. “Some are a little bit more vocal than others, but I think the guys have done a good job of trying to take ownership of their team because I’m a big believer in player-led teams are going to be more effective than coach-led teams.”

Bill Speros of Bookies.com also did a roster analysis. The Packers also were the sixth-youngest team. The average Packers player at the time was 26 years and 109 days old. They were four days older (on average) than the fifth-youngest team, the Patriots.

Who is the youngest? The oldest? | Bookies.com

By years of experience, Taylor has the most with 16, followed by Hargrave with 11, Smith with 10, Franklin with nine and Keisean Nixon with eight.

“Just hungry and competitive, always wanting more,” Hargrave said of the key to remaining effective. “Taking care of my body and just playing a lot of ball and know what’s about to come and things I’ve seen in the league.”

On the other end of the spectrum, the Packers have nine players who are 23 or younger. Cornerback Brandon Cisse is the team’s youngest player at age 21. Fellow rookies Dani Dennis-Sutton and Chris McClellan are 22.

Third-year player Javon Bullard is only 23. So is new running back Kaleb Johnson.

The official numbers from the league will come out before Week 2 and be based on the Week 1 rosters. From those official numbers, the Packers are the three-time reigning champions for being the youngest team in the league.

The roster analyses do not include Josh Jacobs, who is on the exempt list as the league sorts through allegations from a Memorial Day Weekend incident. He is 28 years, 204 days old.

Young or old doesn’t mean bad or good.

Using the Bookies.com analysis, the Dolphins are the youngest team, followed by the Browns, Chiefs, Jaguars, Patriots and Packers. Using the Super Bowl odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, the Chiefs and Patriots are among the 10 teams with the shortest championship odds while the Dolphins have the longest odds and the Browns have the third longest.

The Falcons are the oldest team, followed by the Rams, Steelers, Broncos, 49ers and Commanders. The Rams, who are heavy favorites to win the Lombardi, and the 49ers are among the 10 teams with the shortest odds while the Commanders and Steelers are in the bottom half.

Only one player didn't practice today (Warren Brinson). Here's the story and some video from today, the final practice before Vikings Week begins next week. ⬇️https://t.co/0F2CiYgWQC
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 2, 2026

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