The Packers Do Not Need to Rebuild
Associated Press
Green Bay, Wisconsin (PSF) - Long time Packers left tackle and future hall of famer David Bakhtiari appeared on Barstool’s “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast this week and said something that might ruffle some feathers if you are a fan of the organization.
Regarding both the current and future state of the Packers, Bakhtiari said that “this looks like a rebuild” and that “The Packers are rebuilding whether you think so or not,”.
As the days continue to go by without the Packers trading Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, the trade is inevitable and bound to happen. Bakhtiari, who is Rodgers’ closest teammate even said that the quarterback will be a Jet and that “I think that has probably been put to rest,”.
Rodgers is going to be a Jet. It’s happening folks.
This sets up the Packers for a world without Rodgers, a place they have not been in since they drafted him in 2005, nearly two decades ago.
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Although this might scare every Packers fan, and understandably so, life post and without Rodgers may not be as bad as you may initially think.
For starters, while the Packers are a publicly held nonprofit corporation, they have it right up top when it comes to their President Mark Murphy and General Manager Brian Gutekunst.
During their time together, and Gutekunst’s 23 seasons with the organization, they have helped lead the organization to 16 playoff appearances, 12 division titles, six appearances in the NFC Championship Game and a Super Bowl title in 2011.
The Packers are one of, if not the most historic and successful franchise in NFL history. That will not change, even without Rodgers.
From a coaching perspective, Head Coach Matt LaFleur has been with the organization since 2019. In his first three seasons leading the Packers, he has led Green Bay to a trio of 13-win seasons, three NFC North crowns, and two appearances in the NFC Championship Game.
The Packers have the right Head Coach too, so that position does not need to be worried about either.
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This now brings up football’s biggest position after ownership, front office, and coaching: Quarterback.
To that I say the book and jury are still out on Jordan Love, who the Packers drafted in 2020 to be the heir apparent to Rodgers.
In his three years of backing up Rodgers, Love has only appeared in 10 games and only has started in one of them. Very small sample size to say the least.
While Love has not been deemed as “the guy” or not yet, there are still reasons for hope and optimism regarding the former Aggie and 26th overall pick.
Up front with Bakhtiari leading the way, the Packers rank as the third best offensive line unit in the league according to PFF and eighth best per Pro Football Network.
In the backfield, Green Bay has the best two headed monster in the league in Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, as the team and offensive identity as a whole is already run first and orientated with the goal of running the ball down your throat and then working play action off of it.
On the outside, Love has two young and emerging star wide receivers in Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs who are both still on their rookie deals and only entering year two of their careers. The duo will only get better with age and more time spent with Love.
While the Packers did end up losing tight end Robert Tonyan to their division rival Chicago Bears this offseason, look for them to add another weapon on the outside early in the draft to keep supporting Love with enough pieces around him.
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One thing that has been overlooked during Love’s short career thus far has been the commitment and confidence from Gutekunst and LaFleur.
The duo was confident enough to draft Love in the first round of the 2020 draft, even with Rodgers coming off of an MVP season. And so far, they have been willing to stick with him for three years, just like how the organization did with Rodgers before he ultimately took over for Brett Favre.
Not only this, but also the fact that this is LaFleur’s offense which Love already knows and has spent the last three years mastering while sitting behind and learning from one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
From a division perspective, the NFC North has never been as wide open as it currently is ever since Rodgers became a member of the Packers. While the Minnesota Vikings finished 13-4, they will not go 11-0 in one score games this season. Although the Detroit Lions look like the fun and hot pick to win the division, Green Bay still owns them. This leaves the Chicago Bears who while have made a few nice and splash free agent signings in addition to acquiring D.J. Moore in a trade with the Carolina Panthers for the number one overall pick, are only in year two of their respective rebuild.
Add this to the 10 picks that the Packers have in the draft and the $24 million they roughly currently have in cap space which ranks 10th in the league, and all of a sudden the future may be very well bright for the cheesehead faithful.
As the infamous Rodgers quote goes: R-E-L-A-X.
