Packer Central

Signing with Packers Was ‘Dream Come True’ for Wisconsin-Born Lineman

Rookie Green Bay Packers offensive lineman J.J. Lippe, who started 47 games at Northern Illinois, is a native of Milwaukee who played at Whitefish Bay High School.
Bill Huber|
Northern Illinois lineman J.J. Lippe signed with the Packers.
Northern Illinois lineman J.J. Lippe signed with the Packers. | Photo courtesy Northern Illinois Athletics

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GREEN BAY, Wis. – J.J. Lippe wasn’t drafted, but his dream came true when he signed with the Green Bay Packers.

Lippe is a native of Milwaukee who played every position on the offensive line at Northern Illinois.

“It’s definitely a dream come true,” he told Packers On SI. “Growing up as a Packer fan and everything and watching Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, it’s something that’s a lifelong dream of mine, so I’m very happy to be here.”

Lippe started 47 games at Northern Illinois. As a part-time starter in 2022, he played at least 41 snaps at all five positions. In 2023 and 2024, he started 25 games at left guard and one game at right tackle.

Despite having almost 3,000 snaps of experience, including a superb performance in the Huskies’ upset win over Notre Dame in 2024, and incredible intelligence as a semifinalist for the William Campbell Trophy – aka the Academic Heisman – Lippe went undrafted.

“It was a very long day,” he said, “but definitely when I got the call about Green Bay, I was like, ‘Man, that’s crazy.’ It was surreal for a couple minutes there and then I had to get myself down from Cloud Nine and just kind of be ready to roll and come out here.”

Why “here” – why Green Bay – among other opportunities after the draft?

“I think it was just the best opportunity for me offensive line-wise,” he said. “Being from Wisconsin, we’re known for offensive line play. So, having that as a background, I thought it was the best thing for me as a player. I thought this was the best fit.”

Lippe, who signed the standard three-year contract for an undrafted free agent but was given a $10,000 signing bonus, spent the Saturday of the draft with his fiancée and their two dogs.

“I definitely cried a little bit,” he said after agreeing to join the Packers.

Lippe was thankful for his parents and everyone else who helped him along the way.

“Oh, man, they’re so excited,” he said. “My whole family, they’re all Packer fans. So, they’re like, ‘Man, he’s a Packer now.’ So, my phone’s been blowing up. My fiancée, she’s from California, so she’s not even a Packer fan, but I’ve taken her to a couple of games already. So, she’s already loving it and everything. She’s just proud of me for being here, and so are my parents.”

At the rookie camp a couple weeks ago, Lippe wasn’t just a fan. He was a player. What was his reaction when he walked into Lambeau Field for the first time?

“It’s probably the best place to play at,” he said. “Facilities are amazing, coaching staff is amazing. It’s amazing to be here, to be honest with you.”

The Packers drafted two offensive linemen and added another Wisconsin high school player, Tyler Cooper of Minnesota, in undrafted free agency. They also signed three-year NFL starter Aaron Banks in free agency; Lippe said he’s trained with Banks in Denver.

After spending six years at Northern Illinois, including earning first-team all-conference in 2024, Lippe said he felt “a lot of pride” in making it to the NFL.

“Getting to this point, it’s a very difficult journey,” he said. “Obviously, you don’t stop here. You want to keep going. But, yeah, just the college two-a-days, the high school – I think it was three-a-days when I was playing – just looking back on my football career, it’s a blessing, for sure. And it’s crazy to be here at this moment now, but you got to be professional about it and get ready to go.”

Now that Lippe has made it to the NFL. The next step is to stay in the NFL. His position coach at NIU, Luke Meadows, has sent 24 linemen to the NFL, so Lippe knows what it takes on and off the field. That means being on time, staying healthy – “your best ability is availability,” he said – and staying in the playbook.

“You definitely got to be professional about it, for sure,” Lippe said. “Obviously, growing up as a Packer fan, you know, coming into the building every day, now you’re one of them. So, definitely just try to do everything you can to your best ability. That’s pretty much all you can do.”

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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.