Ring-Chasing Defensive Linemen Could Push Packers to Super Bowl

The Green Bay Packers need reinforcements on the defensive line. These thirtysomethings could help.

Buffalo Bills defensive end Joey Bosa (97) pressures Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was adamant about a couple of things in his season-ending news conference.

First of all, he does not view the age of 30 as some point of no return for players. Secondly, he does not think the age of his team – it was the youngest in the league for a third consecutive – had anything to do with its struggles in closing out games.

“I wouldn’t say that’s a line of demarcation at all. I think obviously we went through a period of time where we were kind of growing with these young guys, and I would expect these guys to kind of turn into those guys,” Gutekunst said.

To Gutekunst, older players can delay younger players’ progress.

“Sometimes, particularly where we have been in the past few years, if you have a lot of those guys you’re talking about, these other guys don’t get to play and progress, right?” he said. “And they have now. We’ve been young in number for a couple of years, but not in experience.

“Any time you have an opportunity to add a player that can help you, regardless of their age – very few years are we adding guys for one year. We’re usually looking for a more long-term solution. Certainly, if you’re up there in age, that may not be the case, but we’ve done that in the past. We’ll do it again.”

If we’re taking Gutekunst at his word that age is not a factor in trying to find players to help make them a championship team, could the Packers be on the hunt for some players chasing a championship?

Perhaps it was best said by former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce in his speech during the parade after they won Super Bowl LII.

Hungry dogs run faster.

Here are some players who could be hungry to chase a championship with the Packers, with a clear theme emerging.

Edge Khalil Mack

Before the Micah Parsons trade, there was the near miss on the Khalil Mack trade from the 2018 season. Gutekunst was reportedly in on trying to acquire Mack before losing him to the Chicago Bears at the last minute. Mack was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2018, and the Bears won the division before losing on the infamous double-doink in the postseason against the Eagles.

Mack has since bounced from the Bears to the Chargers in hopes of finding that elusive championship ring that has evaded him in what could be a Hall of Fame career.

Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack (52) sacks Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) for a safety. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Packers need help at edge with Rashan Gary being a no-show for the second half of the season and Kingsley Enagbare set for free agency.

Mack has been a workhorse in his career. He is coming off a season of just 5.5 sacks in 12 games but had been a Pro Bowler the previous three seasons. Of 110 edge rushers with at least 150 pass-rushing snaps, he was a solid 34th in pass-rush win rate, ahead of Gary (56th) and Enagbare (75th), according to Pro Football Focus, but behind Van Ness (28th).

Mack, who will turn 35 in about a week, played for $18 million last season but could see a potential career renaissance as a rotational pass rusher.

The Packers could preserve Mack for a long season by having him sit behind Parsons and Lukas Van Ness on early downs before unleashing him in obvious passing situations.

The only question will be his market. If he’s playing for $18 million again in 2026, it feels unlikely the Packers would get involved. If chasing a championship is worth giving up a few million dollars, however, this could be a good fit.

Edge Haason Reddick

Speaking of edge rushers chasing a championship, how about someone who had the best season of his career under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon?

The 2022 Eagles defense had an elite pass rush that powered them to Super Bowl LVII, and the man who led that team in sacks was Reddick. Reddick had 16 sacks during the regular season and 3.5 sacks in the postseason that year as the Eagles fell just short of a championship.

Reddick added 11 sacks for the Eagles in 2023 as an encore but had only 3.5 sacks the last two seasons with the Jets in 2024 and the Buccaneers in 2025. Perhaps reuniting with Gannon and a team that expects to make the postseason would unlock Reddick’s pass rush ability.

Reddick would have to agree to be a rotational player as he’s a poor run defender, but the Packers could forgo some run defense for pass rush juice in the back half of their pass rushing room.

Moreover, Reddick, who will turn 32 early in the season, should not be that expensive. His projected contract value is $5.7 million, according to OverTheCap.com. That could be in the price range where the Packers are willing to take a risk.

Edge Joey Bosa

If you’re sensing a theme here, you’re keeping up. Joey Bosa went to Buffalo last season to chase a championship with Josh Allen after being released by the Chargers. It did not work out as the Bills were bounced in the divisional round.

Bosa had 47 pressures and five sacks for the Bills, finishing 22nd in pass-rush win rate. Bosa’s issue in his career has rarely been production, but rather a struggle to stay healthy. He’s missed 43 games in his career due to various ailments, but has not missed more than three games over the last two years.

Perhaps a lighter workload could keep Bosa on the field and make him a productive player.

Bosa, who will turn 31 before training camp, also has the reputation as a high-motor player, which would fit well with Micah Parsons, who challenged his teammates to race him to the quarterback. Bosa is not the player he used to be – he hasn’t had a 10-sack season since 2021 – but would be a welcome addition as a rotational rusher.

Defensive Tackle Calais Campbell

Moving away from outside pass rushers, let’s move to the defensive line. Would Brian Gutekunst truly add one of the oldest players in football?

Who knows, but what we do know is that age is just a number for Calais Campbell, who continues to hold off Father Time to remain an impact player.

In his return to Arizona, the team that drafted him in 2008, the 39-year-old piled up 6.5 sacks and 33 pressures.

Campbell played for Jonathan Gannon last season, and only played for $5.5 million. If he were in that price range again, the Packers might take a shot on a “living legend” player who remains a three-down defender. They could use some reinforcements on their interior defensive line, which was gutted by injuries and inconsistency by the end of the season.

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