Packers 2022 Discussion Thread

[adambr2]

Sounds like Rodgers will likely be staying another year for last dance 2.0. We'll have to see how they are going to swing keeping both him and Davante.

 

Super stoked for another upcoming 13-4 season with some sort of spectacular breakdown leading to a disappointing early playoff exit.

[PeaveyFury]

Butkus predictably promoted to O line coach.

[OldHeidelberg]

Sounds like Rodgers will likely be staying another year for last dance 2.0. We'll have to see how they are going to swing keeping both him and Davante.

 

Super stoked for another upcoming 13-4 season with some sort of spectacular breakdown leading to a disappointing early playoff exit.

 

Yeah I think it is time to move on but I did last offseason as well. I also said it just felt like we were never going to break through with him again and here we are in the same place. If the team wants him back as bad as they say it says a lot about what they think of Love. I don't see how Rodgers stays just one year though, I guess they could push some money into a voidable year or something but if I am the Packers I want a commitment to finish his career there or I would trade him.

[LouisEly]

If the team wants him back as bad as they say it says a lot about what they think of Love.

All it says about Love is that right now he isn't as good as Rodgers, and right now that's about nobody.

 

I have no evidence to support this, but I believe that when they drafted Love the plan was for him to sit for three years and learn just like Rodgers did and ride a 3-year window with Rodgers. 2022 will be year three. What happens after 2022 will tell more about what they think of Love.

[adambr2]

Drafting a QB in the 1st round with the intention of him sitting for 3 years is kind of nuts in this day and age. Sure it worked fine in 2005 but now you're losing out on the major benefit of having a starting QB on a cheap rookie contract. Not only that but you have to decide on the 5th year option after year 3. If they never start you literally have to make a decision on an expensive 5th year option without ever even the guy play.

 

I think they drafted Love because Rodgers was pretty meh in 2017-2019 and he looked a lot more like an old QB on the downside of his career than someone who was going to be an MVP the next two seasons.

 

I also think what happened with Rodgers is giving people unrealistic expectations for what we might expect from a QB getting 3 years in the system before starting.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Yeah I don't know, I lean with those thinking the Packers are likely unimpressed with Love. I'm all about the guy getting his fair shot somewhere, but at the very least they don't seem to have the confidence they had in Rodgers all those years ago.

 

I think they drafted Love thinking he'd start this coming season, and not thinking Rodgers was going to sniff an MVP again.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I think they can still have plenty of confidence in Love eventually being the guy, but also really want to keep around the quarterback who has won the last 2 league MVP awards for the next year or two if he wants to finish his career in Green Bay. If that winds up costing the Packers a chance at seeing whether Love could be a quality starting QB for them, I honestly could care less if during that 4-5 year stretch the Packers were routinely among the top Super Bowl contenders. The next longterm QB option will be available to pick whenever Rodgers is done if Love isn't around.

 

Completely agree that Love was drafted in large part based on what Rodgers looked like in 2018-2019. Rodgers regained MVP form, and when you have the best player in the league the Packers aren't at fault for trying to ride that wave as far as it takes them - even if it means staying on the ride a little too long. Hell, I don't even consider it a wasted 1st round pick if that resulted in rededicating and motivating Rodgers to become MVP-caliber again the past two seasons.

 

After the 2nd year of Rodgers as a Packer, he gave zero indication he'd eventually be the heir apparent to Favre and that was viewed as a wasted 1st round pick, too.

[ThisIsMyCrew]

Packers sign Kevin King to a 1 year league min contract. Oddly enough saving them $1.2 mil if they would have let him walk.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Packers sign Kevin King to a 1 year league min contract. Oddly enough saving them $1.2 mil if they would have let him walk.

 

This hasn't happened. Pretty sure Ken Ingalls is simply speculating on what cost-savings moves they could make.

[MrTPlush]

Yeah I don't know, I lean with those thinking the Packers are likely unimpressed with Love. I'm all about the guy getting his fair shot somewhere, but at the very least they don't seem to have the confidence they had in Rodgers all those years ago.

 

I think they drafted Love thinking he'd start this coming season, and not thinking Rodgers was going to sniff an MVP again.

 

Yah, this situation kind of ended up a shocker. Obviously they didn't think Rodgers was going to win consecutive MVPs (which is honestly incredibly hard to do at any age) and they probably had high hopes for Love. While maybe Love still has a shot to be something, I don't think the Packers have huge confidence in that. Maybe optimism, but I don't think they are bubbling at the seams want to go bet in Vegas over it.

 

Though, to be fair, any situation where the Packers get a boatload of picks for Rodgers because he shockingly turned back the clock is hardly a loss. Love could be a total flop and at least Rodgers brought them back a boatload of picks. I suppose worst case would have been drafting love, Rodgers then regressing big time, and then Love being a total pile of crud.

[GAME05]

If Rodgers and Adams came back I don't see how the Packers don't end up having to do a soft rebuild, regardless. It would have to mean lots of players cut to get under the cap.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

If Rodgers and Adams came back I don't see how the Packers don't end up having to do a soft rebuild, regardless. It would have to mean lots of players cut to get under the cap.

 

Not really "lots", but several contributors would either have to be jettisoned, or renegotiate/drop their salaries. The only surefire guys who are probably gone are Cobb, Lewis and Crosby, and probably one of the Smiths.

 

What it would do, though, is make it difficult to re-sign many of the veteran free agents this team is going to have, including Campbell, Douglas, Valdez-Scantling, Tonyan, St. Brown, and Lazard.

[OldHeidelberg]

Rodgers and Adams both had pretty big cap numbers this season and they cleared 25-30 million in space without doing anything with either of them when many thought they had to. We will have to let some vets go as indicated above and will have to make some tough choices with the FA's but they can push some of the bigger cap years for Adams and Rodgers into future caps that are expected to grow rapidly like they did before COVID. We lose players we don't want to let go most seasons, a little more turnover than usual this offseason I would think but more of a reload than a rebuild. Keep your core 5 or so players in place and you can get by with some young guys and cheaper vets.

 

I don't think the Packers went all in recently or anything, they have always been pretty steady spending wise the Covid year just blew the plans up. Any good team with an elite QB is usually working close to the cap.

[PinaMadness]

I don't see how the Packers can field as good a team next season even with Rodgers and Adams returning. There's just too much salary to cut.

[homer]

I don't see how the Packers can field as good a team next season even with Rodgers and Adams returning. There's just too much salary to cut.

 

They'd have to hope for:

 

- Tonyan returning to form

- D Bahk and Elgton returning to form

- Alexander returning to form

- improvement from recent draftees (essentially everyone from rounds 1 - 5 last year and Deguara from 2020).

- Some help from the 2022 draft

[sveumrules]

I mean they could probably "rebuild" around AR12/DA17 and still win the NFCN.

 

Nine wins is all it would have taken this year.

[nate82]

I mean they could probably "rebuild" around AR12/DA17 and still win the NFCN.

 

Nine wins is all it would have taken this year.

 

The NFCN is an absolute joke of a division. Even without Rodgers and Adams the Packers should still finish in first in the division with Jones at RB. The Bears defense is old though still very good but the offense is still yet to be determined and has been one the worst in the league for the past couple of years. The Vikings also have a good defense but getting old. The Vikings offense is better than the Bears but that is not saying much. The Lions are the Lions and I don't think they will break 5-wins next year.

 

So you have three teams in the NFC North that look to be about 5-7 win teams.

[ThisIsMyCrew]

Packers sign Kevin King to a 1 year league min contract. Oddly enough saving them $1.2 mil if they would have let him walk.

 

This hasn't happened. Pretty sure Ken Ingalls is simply speculating on what cost-savings moves they could make.

 

Good catch! Somehow I read it as fact…rookie move.

[tmwiese55]

Yes they might decline a bit but if they can maneuver Rodger and Adams numbers and put a good 10-12 win team out there you have a chance. TB is likely falling off big time. Rams have a ton of cap issues too. The NFC might finally be opening up to being the weaker side now with Buf/KC/Cin with their young QBs likely strong in the AFC. For much of this frustrating stretch for GB it's been the opposite, Pats and one team to compete with them in the AFC while the NFC would have 5is good high level teams that are even-ish and all tough games. Who knows, maybe GB will actually benefit from not playing in cold if they're not a top seed.

 

It's funny the way sports are sometimes a lesser team like that will find a way to win when the really loaded team this year didn't. Or think how NE won what 6 SBs but their best team actually didn't win one.

[OldHeidelberg]

Look at last years oline compared to what we had this year. 3 of our 5 all pros from last season missed virtually the entire season with injuries. There was plenty of pants pissing about the cap situation last offseason and most of us expected a regression from the previous season. The result? 13 wins and a number 1 seed just like the year before.

 

Years ago I think mcGinn or more likely one of his scout contacts said after the first 10-12 players NFL rosters are pretty much the same. Rodgers, Adams, Bak(hopefully), Jaire, Gary, Jones, Dillon, Clark are pretty good starts. We made strides with the young oline this season, Starks looks like he can be a player. Jenkins could be back opening day. They can bring some of the FA's back on deals that would be cap friendly for 22, I trust Gutes to figure out which ones should be a priority. Nothing is ever that dismal when you start with Rodgers.

 

And all this coming from a guy who would rather cash in Rodgers and Adams and start over as I am sick of postseason disappointment and not convinced next January will be any different.

[MrTPlush]

Meh, they would still easily be a Super Bowl contender if both returned. Runaway #1 team in the NFC...no. Probably the #3/#4 seed...but we are currently watching the #4 seeds trot out to LA to play for the trophy. Rodgers can lead a decent postseason team the distance...heck some would argue that might even be a better chance because they wouldn't play at home in the playoffs.

[homer]

If Rodgers wants one more Super Bowl I think he'd have a much easier time of getting there in the NFC than the AFC next year particularly if Brady retires.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Look at their schedule for next season - 3 rebuilding NFC North teams probably good for 5 or 6 wins, NFC East probably 3 auto wins, AFC East probably 3 auto wins, and then the other 1st place teams who will either be decimated (Tampa Bay), retooling (Tennessee), or both (Rams) due to cap issues/retirements/etc in 2022....If Rodgers and Adams are back on even a diminished roster, assuming their Oline is reasonably healthy you can almost pencil another 12+ win season by default. Plus, the NFC looks ripe for the picking with the Rams likely taking a big step back, the 49ers breaking in a new QB, the NFC south being a trainwreck, and the NFC East being muddled led by an overrated Cowboy Squad once again.

[GAME05]

All of a sudden I wondered what happened to Devin Funchess. Looks like he only made the 49ers practice squad and lasted all of two weeks before being cut.

 

If the Packers go with Love next season I don't know how they'd be able to go without also picking up a pretty decent WR. It's a little hard to see Lazard or Amari Rodgers as a #1 option.

[LouisEly]

Look at their schedule for next season - 3 rebuilding NFC North teams probably good for 5 or 6 wins, NFC East probably 3 auto wins, AFC East probably 3 auto wins, and then the other 1st place teams who will either be decimated (Tampa Bay), retooling (Tennessee), or both (Rams) due to cap issues/retirements/etc in 2022....If Rodgers and Adams are back on even a diminished roster, assuming their Oline is reasonably healthy you can almost pencil another 12+ win season by default. Plus, the NFC looks ripe for the picking with the Rams likely taking a big step back, the 49ers breaking in a new QB, the NFC south being a trainwreck, and the NFC East being muddled led by an overrated Cowboy Squad once again.

Exactly. They may lose a few, but if they can get Bakh and Jenkins back at even 90% they'll be just as good. Hell, if they had a healthy Bakh and Jenkins this year they're still playing.