The week following the end of the season is always the worst, especially when there are divisional rivals who are still playing. This is the reality for the Green Bay Packers, who were knocked out of the NFL Playoffs by the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday.
Over the past week, we have heard many things from players and coaches alike that have raised concerns. Keisean Nixon, an All-Pro kick returner, stated he would be telling coaches he would no longer return kicks and instead strive to CB1, a position he would struggle to get in Canada. Tucker Kraft said he felt “what was brewing” for the Packers, in terms of losing in an embarrassing fashion. He also said the team needs to “wake up.” Head coach Matt LaFleur criticized Jordan Love’s mechanics once again and said the franchise quarterback needs to become a leader.
Needless to say, the dysfunction inside the Green Bay Packers building seems to be high, and the fallback of “being the youngest team in the NFL” suddenly feels like the issue instead of a point of optimism.
Today, following all of the previous events that have taken place, Green Bay Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst raised more red flags.
Brian Gutekunst: ‘It’s Time We Start Competing For Championships’
Meeting with the media on Thursday, Green Bay Packers GM made the announcement that “it’s time we start competing for championships.” Working in a city also coined as “Titletown,” this message may do more harm than good.
Gutekunst stating that now is the time for the Packers to start trying to compete suggests that the past four seasons, including the end of Aaron Rodgers’ tenure, were a waste of time. Or, as mentioned many times on Lombardi Sweep, the organization has been “treading water.”
Fans and media members have criticized these comments and have pointed to the recent lack of urgency and poor decision-making, linking these with a mindset of not trying to win.
Packers’ 2025 Cap Space
If we were to give Brian Gutekunst the benefit of the doubt, these comments could be used as a sense of optimism heading into the 2025 NFL Free Agency. As things currently sit, per Spotrac, the Green Bay Packers have the 13th-most cap space, with $53.18M to spend.
This means the Packers could re-sign some valuable free agents while also targeting multiple proven veterans in free agency. However, this typically is not something the Packers do, as the philosophy inside the building is to draft and develop, pay the best players when their contract is up once, and then give them a low-ball offer on their way out of the door.
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