The Green Bay Packers’ quest to reach Super Bowl LIX

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) — When the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in Super Bowl 58, it marked the close of the 2023 NFL season. This means it’s the start of the Green Bay Packers’ quest to bring the title back to Titletown next season.

This year, the Packers were ahead of schedule. With a first-year starting quarterback and the youngest team in the NFL, Green Bay finished the regular season 9-8 and advanced to the NFC Divisional Round. Despite ultimately losing to the 49ers, Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst believed his team was championship-bound.

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“Five minutes to go in that game, I think we were squarely thinking that’s where we were headed,” said Gutekunst in his post-season press conference.

To make a trip to New Orleans and Super Bowl 59 a reality, the Packers have an offseason puzzle they must assemble.

Cap Space

According to OvertheCap.com, the Packers’ team is $2,857,64 over the 2024 projected league salary cap. Despite entering this offseason in better shape financially than last year (post-Aaron Rodgers trade), Green Bay needs to sure up some money before signing its upcoming draft picks and participating in free agency.

One way for the Packers to save nearly $21 million in salary-cap money is by releasing veteran left tackle David Bakhtiari. Despite his unquestionable talent and All-Pro history with the Green and Gold, Bakhtiari has been crippled by knee injuries. Since tearing his ACL on December 31, 2020, the left tackle has had five knee surgeries and played just 13 games in three seasons.

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Bakhtiari is the largest cap hit on the team, at $40 million. If the Packers released the left tackle before June 1st, the team would save $20.935 million, with a dead-money charge of $19.083 million.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur spoke about his veteran lineman’s status without revealing a specific timeline.

“(Bakhtiari) had a big-time injury, so we’ll evaluate that, get more information, talk to Dave, and some of those decisions will be made in the near future,” said LaFleur on January 29.

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“He’s going through a very major surgery trying to get back to be able to play,” Gutekunst said about Bakhtiari’s recovery. “We’re monitoring that, and I know he’s working his tail off. Once we get down the road and see where he’s at health-wise, we will make those decisions.”

Another money-saving option is restructuring running back Aaron Jones’ contract.

Jones was described by multiple teammates and GM Gutekunst as the “heartbeat” of the Packers team. The running back is turning 30 in December, and despite missing multiple games this season with hamstring and knee injuries, Jones finished with one of the hottest stretches of his career.

Jones’ final five games of the 2023-24 Packers season:

• @Carolina: 21 carries, 127 yards, six yards per carry

• @Minnesota: 20 carries, 120 yards, six yards per carry

• vs. Chicago: 22 carries, 111 yards, five yards per carry

• @Dallas: 21 carries, 118 yards, three touchdowns

• @San Francisco: 18 carries, 108 yards, six yards per carry

Jones took a $5 million pay cut before the 2023 season. He said the decision came in part because he wanted “to help the team, get as many guys in here. If that means freeing up a little money, I will.”

Jones is set to make $17.6 million in 2024, with most of the funds as dead cap money ($12.355 million). Green Bay would only save around $4.7 million in cap space if they cut or trade Jones before June 1, according to OverTheCap.com. By restructuring Jones’ contract, the Packers can keep the veteran running back without breaking the bank.

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“I think for us, it’s finding a way to keep him out there and keep him healthy. Not only on the field but, and you guys know this, you guys have been around here. He’s such an influential leader in our locker room. He’s just really the heartbeat of our team. That’s certainly the anticipation that he’ll be back,” said Gutekunst of Jones.

Free Agency

The Packers have 12 unrestricted free agents:

• CB Corey Ballentine

• TE Tyler Davis

• TE Josiah Deguara

• RB AJ Dillon

• S Rudy Ford

• OT Yosh Nijman

• CB/KR Keisean Nixon

• S Jonathan Owens

• G Jon Runyan Jr.

• S Darnell Savage Jr.

• ILB Kristian Welch

• ILB Eric Wilson

The NFL 2024 league year begins on March 13, and free agency officially kicks off at 3 p.m. CT. Despite the Packers player’s love for the team, not all of the UFAs will be wearing Green and Gold next season.

Given Keisean Nixon’s versatility as a nickel cornerback and return specialist, he looks to be the most valuable of Green Bay’s free agents. Nixon was named a second-straight first-team All-Pro kick returner and averaged 26.1 yards per return.

Nixon is one of five free agents in the Packers’ secondary, plus Corey Ballentine, Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens, and Rudy Ford.

The position group should be a top priority for Green Bay, especially after the team hired Jeff Hafley as the new defensive coordinator. Hafley’s coaching background was primarily with defensive back position groups.

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He served as DB coach at the University of Albany, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and Ohio State.

More salary-cap flexibility this season compared to last allows the Packers to pursue veteran free agents this off-season.

“We’re getting to a little bit better spot than we have been in the past,” said Gutekunst. “It’s never perfect, but I do feel whatever opportunities are out there to improve our team in free agency, we’ll be able to do that. So I feel good about that.”

NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich. from April 25-27. The Packers have five draft picks in the top 100. Green Bay holds the 41 pick in the second round thanks to the Aaron Rodgers trade to the New York Jets. This pick would have been a first-rounder had Rodgers played 65% of snaps this season. However, the former Packers quarterback tore his Achilles in Week 1, so the pick is a second-rounder.

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Green Bay also holds the 91 pick in the third round. When the Packers traded Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills midway through the season, Green Bay exchanged a fifth-round pick for Buffalo’s third.

The NFL will announce compensatory picks for the late rounds of the draft in the coming weeks. The Packers are projected to have 11 total draft picks in 2024.

Extend Jordan Love

On May 3, 2023, Packers quarterback Jordan Love signed a one-year contract extension. The deal gave Green Bay a season to see if number 10 would be the “one” in year one as a starter. It paid off. Love finished the regular season with the seventh most passing yards (4,159 yards), the ninth-highest quarterback rating of 96.1 (amongst quarterbacks who played at least ten games), and 32 touchdowns to 11 interceptions.

From Week 11 through his first playoff win over the Cowboys, Love threw 21 touchdowns to just one interception. Because of the extension last May, the Packers can’t sign a long-term extension until May 3, 2024. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said, “I think we will go down that road” when asked about an extension this offseason, adding, “We are really excited to build around him.”

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The top-earning quarterback right now is Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, with a $55 million average salary. Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts are the other quarterbacks averaging in the $50 million range per season. After one season at the helm, Green Bay’s Love could be close to them, if not joining, after inking an extension.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur ended the 2023 season with a message to his team: “You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse. You’re never staying the same.”

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By saving cash to get under the cap, using some of that money to bring in talented players from free agency and the NFL draft, and extending Jordan Love, the Green and Gold can set themselves up to be legitimate contenders in 2024. With New Orleans and Super Bowl 59 not too far out of reach.

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