In NFL Offseason Record Card, At Least Packers Didn’t Get ‘F’

The beauty – or the stupidity – in offseason report cards is that two people can look at the same facts and come up with completely different results.

At NFL.com, Matt Okada graded every team’s offseason. He gave the Green Bay Packers a D-minus. Only the Jaguars were deemed to have had a worse offseason.

ESPN’s Seth Walder, on the other hand, gave the Packers a B-plus. Only three teams had better grades.

Let’s Start With the Negative

Okada’s description of Green Bay’s offseason was “not great.”

The noteworthy transactions were trading Rashan Gary to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick, losing Romeo Doubs to the Patriots in free agency and handing contract extensions to receivers Christian Watson and Jayden Reed.

Okada didn’t like any of those moves.

“The Packers lost a good bit more than they gained this offseason,” he wrote. “Notable departures included Doubs, Gary (in a trade with Dallas that only netted a 2027 fourth-round pick), OL Elgton Jenkins (released), OT Rasheed Walker, LB Quay Walker and WR Dontayvion Wicks (traded).

“Their most notable free-agent addition was probably 33-year-old DT Javon Hargrave. They extended Watson (for too much money, in my opinion) and Reed (for OK money, if he can stay healthy). Yeah, not great.”

On paper and from an outside perspective, that seems like a logical conclusion. To be sure, more talent left the roster than arrived. Upon closer inspection, though, some of the arguments don’t hold much water.

Financially, the Packers had to make decisions between Doubs and Watson as well as Wicks and Reed. Watson and Reed are the superior players in those comparisons because they are much more explosive. They also perfectly fit the team-first mindset the team is trying to build.

Gary’s disappearing act was a sight to behold last season. He had an NFL-leading 7.5 sacks through seven games but didn’t get another sack the rest of the year. When the Packers needed Gary to step up following Micah Parsons’ injury, Gary stepped further into the background. His career calling card had been his motor but that went cold at times.

The offensive line isn’t as strong following the departures of Jenkins and Rasheed Walker; the Packers might wind up with a better starting five but the depth is perilous.

It’s also risky business for the defense to be banking on Hargrave and the 30-year-old Franklin, though Hargrave should be more impactful than Colby Wooden and there shouldn’t be much (if any) dropoff between Franklin and Quay Walker.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Zaire Franklin (44) and cornerback Benjamin St-Juste (21) are shown at minicamp. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In the NFC North, the Bears got a B-minus, the Vikings got a C-plus and the Lions got a C.

The Bears’ big offseason additions mostly were an attempt to offset their key offseason losses. Safety Kevin Byard, cornerback Nahshon Wright, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and nickel Chauncey Gardner-Johnson combined for 18 of the team’s 23 interceptions but will be playing elsewhere this season.

“Dedicating such a big chunk of their resources to that end limited their ability to improve the roster elsewhere,” Okada wrote.

Detroit’s offseason was thrown for a loss with the arrest and release of cornerback Terrion Arnold.

“The good news? No team in the NFC North earned better than a B- in my book,” Okada wrote. “The bad news? Even if the Lions’ C keeps them in division contention, their Super Bowl window seems to be closing.”

Minnesota’s offseason was “largely unimpressive,” Okada said, aside from signing Kyler Murray to presumably replace J.J. McCarthy.

“If Kevin O’Connell turns back the clock for the two-time Pro Bowler, that move alone would earn the team a stronger grade if I were to revisit this exercise at a later date,” he wrote.

Now, the Positive Report Card

While Okada didn’t like the contracts handed to Watson and Reed, Walder was a fan as part of a long analysis. He pointed to the yards-per-pass-route numbers from ESPN Stats & Information. Some of that is reflected in passer rating when targeted.

After missing the end of the 2024 season with a torn ACL, Watson’s 10-game season in 2025 resulted in a 17-game projection of more than 1,000 yards. According to Stathead, his passer rating when targeted of 122.6 ranked third among the 78 receivers who were targeted at least 50 times.

Watson’s $23 million average in the extension, which ranks just outside the top 20 at the position, “is a bet that he can stay on the field and turn his per-route numbers into a season-long set of impressive figures,” Walder said. “I like that thought process.”

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed catches a pass in the end zone at minicamp. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Reed missed most of last season following a broken collarbone. In his three-year career, 122 receivers were targeted at least 75 times. Reed rewarded his quarterbacks with a league-high 126.8 passer rating. Ten receivers were targeted on zero or one pass that resulted in an interception. Reed scored 15 touchdowns; no other receiver had more than eight.

Where Walder dinged the Packers was trading Wicks, which left the Packers short of proven depth at receiver, and not re-signing Rasheed Walker given how inexpensive he wound up being in free agency.

“I believe Wicks – who has shown an above-average ability to get open throughout his career – might have more production in him than he has shown to date,” Walder wrote. “Granted, Matthew Golden and Savion Williams are still around, but we have yet to see either player make a big impact.”

The Bears also got a B-plus from Walder. Pointing to the aforementioned losses in the secondary, Walder wrote:

“The Bears' defense generated a ton of turnovers last season, but those takeaways helped disguise the fact that it was one of the worst defenses in the league on non-turnover plays. Turnovers are high leverage but fluky, and the Bears did well in not assuming they could repeat that feat.”

The Lions got a B and the Vikings got a B-minus.

“Adding Murray doesn't necessarily solve the Vikings' long-term quarterback questions, but it gives them something to work with in the short term ... and potentially longer,” Walder wrote.

Right in the Middle

At StickToTheModel.com, the Packers were given a B and wound up right in the middle at No. 16. Trading for Franklin (and his contract) was an overpay; signing Benjamin St-Juste in free agency was a bargain.

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