Packers 2024 Off-Season Thread

[BrewerFan]

Salary cap set at ~255M. That's 13M over projections. 

Assuming they do go ahead and cut Bakh, Campbell, that'd put them at ~35M under the cap before signing their draft class.

That puts them in a pretty good position to get through this off-season, be able to sign a marquee FA if they choose to go that route, but they don't have to add void years and more dead cap for the future. 

Should have a pretty clean payroll for 2025. Just Kenny Clark's ~14M void year...and that's assuming he's not extended.

And then 2025 is the year the league as a whole is done with the Covid losses and the salary cap just goes back to normal. Not exactly what that means, how much of that is baked in, but the Packers have navigated the transition from Rodgers to Love as perfectly as you could, both on the field and from a salary cap standpoint. 

Hopefully, they can work out a deal with Love sooner that later as I think his number just keeps going up with other QBs signing extensions or guys like Wilson and Cousins, older QBs sign on the FA market.

Either way, Cap purgatory for the Packers looks to be over after just one year of having to bite the bullet!

 

[LouisEly]

Noticed that Packers.com has Wooden listed at 273 lbs.  I'm thinking that Wooden becomes primarily a DE in the new system and the top backup at DE to Gary/Van Ness.  That I think makes it easier to move on from Preston Smith and leaves a potential depth chart of:

LDE: Gary, Wooden
NT/1i: Clark, Slaton
DT/3i: Wyatt, Brooks
RDE: Van Ness, Cox/Odumegwu/Day 3 draft pick

While moving on from Smith doesn't have much of a cap savings, I think the Packers are looking at it from a cash flow standpoint and whether they want to lay out $12M cash for a backup or if that cash is better spent on a signing bonus for a Love/Clark extension and replacing Smith with a day 3 draft pick if they don't think Cox or Odumegwu are ready/good fit.

Cambpell is a little different in that they don't have the depth there now to replace him.  He has a smaller roster bonus than Smith at $2.9M, making it less of a risk to keep him on 3/15 and see if they can get an ILB on day 1 or 2 of the draft before cutting him.  If they do get an ILB they think can start, they can release him post 6/1 if they need cap room for 2024.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Not saying it's the right move to make, but if there were ever an offseason to add a quality veteran RB who still has some tread left on the tires to this roster instead of finding talent in the draft, this would be the year.  Sounding like a ton of quality RBs are going to be free agents, as almost all of them aren't going to be tagged.

[Joseph Zarr]

On 2/25/2024 at 2:01 PM, LouisEly said:

Noticed that Packers.com has Wooden listed at 273 lbs.  I'm thinking that Wooden becomes primarily a DE in the new system and the top backup at DE to Gary/Van Ness.  That I think makes it easier to move on from Preston Smith and leaves a potential depth chart of:

LDE: Gary, Wooden
NT/1i: Clark, Slaton
DT/3i: Wyatt, Brooks
RDE: Van Ness, Cox/Odumegwu/Day 3 draft pick

While moving on from Smith doesn't have much of a cap savings, I think the Packers are looking at it from a cash flow standpoint and whether they want to lay out $12M cash for a backup or if that cash is better spent on a signing bonus for a Love/Clark extension and replacing Smith with a day 3 draft pick if they don't think Cox or Odumegwu are ready/good fit.

Cambpell is a little different in that they don't have the depth there now to replace him.  He has a smaller roster bonus than Smith at $2.9M, making it less of a risk to keep him on 3/15 and see if they can get an ILB on day 1 or 2 of the draft before cutting him.  If they do get an ILB they think can start, they can release him post 6/1 if they need cap room for 2024.

Trenches always need investments. I still see needing another BIG body to throw in the mix with Clark and Wyatt as essential. IF one of those two goes down they currently have nobody on the actual roster who can fill that run stuffing need inside with a 4-3 alignment. Perhaps, Jonathan Ford is viewed more positively or took bigger steps in 2023? Either way, I see it as a pretty big need. All this being said, I see Kristian Boyd as possibly this year's Karl Brooks. A guy who may be overlooked because of small school competition, but he was being absolutely raved about at the Shrine Bowl. 

 

[Joseph Zarr]

Gutey's first Combine Presser:

 

[BrewerFan]

3 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Trenches always need investments. I still see needing another BIG body to throw in the mix with Clark and Wyatt as essential. IF one of those two goes down they currently have nobody on the actual roster who can fill that run stuffing need inside with a 4-3 alignment.

I mean...we still have Slaton. Constantly trying to upgrade the DL is a good idea...I'd never argue that. I don't think it's a need at this point. 

[Joseph Zarr]

1 minute ago, BrewerFan said:

I mean...we still have Slaton. Constantly trying to upgrade the DL is a good idea...I'd never argue that. I don't think it's a need at this point. 

I meant Clarke and Slaton. LOL. Early morning coffee post. If any one of those two gets injured what would the Packers actually have? That's my only point. Neither Wyatt; Brooks; or Wooden can pretend to stop the run inside. Hence the Jonathan Ford remarks. It may not be a 'need' but Big Bodies always seem to be coveted <insert Ted Thompson remarks of 'The good Lord only made so many of them...' here>

[BrewerFan]

25 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

I meant Clarke and Slaton. LOL. Early morning coffee post. If any one of those two gets injured what would the Packers actually have? That's my only point. Neither Wyatt; Brooks; or Wooden can pretend to stop the run inside. Hence the Jonathan Ford remarks. It may not be a 'need' but Big Bodies always seem to be coveted <insert Ted Thompson remarks of 'The good Lord only made so many of them...' here>

That makes sense. Wyatt isn't really a great run stuffer...though I'd hope he'd be better in a 1 gap system where he's more free to just get upfield and try and blow plays up. The same for Brooks. 

Gabe Hall from Baylor is a guy we could pick up in the later rounds. In the earlier rounds, I think it has to be a stud that drops and DL studs usually don't drop. Sweat, McKinney at some point in rd 2, and then obviously Newton and Murphy could potentially be in play in the 1st, but I doubt they'll make it to the Packers pick.
 

Both are versatile players. 

[LouisEly]

2 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

I meant Clarke and Slaton. LOL. Early morning coffee post. If any one of those two gets injured what would the Packers actually have?

You could say that about any position.  They only have 53 roster spots, so they have to draw the line at some point before it shorts another position and then what happens if they have injuries at that position?

I wouldn't be opposed to a 6th/7th round pick as a potential 53rd man/try to sneak onto the practice squad guy, but I don't think you can keep saying "what if" about injuries/free agents after the season/etc. with only 53 roster spots.  At some point the depth has to become the practice squad.

[LouisEly]

I don't think I'd bet on drafting a LT early:

 

[nate82]

14 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

I don't think I'd bet on drafting a LT early:

 

If they draft a lineman early it will be an interior lineman and I don’t think they do that unless it is a late 2nd at the earliest.

[BrewerFan]

6 hours ago, LouisEly said:

You could say that about any position.  They only have 53 roster spots, so they have to draw the line at some point before it shorts another position and then what happens if they have injuries at that position?

I wouldn't be opposed to a 6th/7th round pick as a potential 53rd man/try to sneak onto the practice squad guy, but I don't think you can keep saying "what if" about injuries/free agents after the season/etc. with only 53 roster spots.  At some point the depth has to become the practice squad.

It is...but DT, Edge, there are a few positions you should always look to upgrade.

Obviously, you need to look at the depth. For instance, I don't think it makes sense taking a WRer unless you really think there is an appreciable difference between them, Melton, Heath and the guys they'd be battling for that 6th spot.

The same is true for the DL...but again, where DL is different is just that it's more important than other positions and, IMO, harder to find real impact players. I don't know how they feel about their depth, if they're going to use Wooden as an Edge/DT, they may still want to add a player. That's why the players I threw out were on both ends of the spectrum. Either the premiere IDL like Byron Murphy or Jer'Zhan Newton in rd 1 or McKinney/Sweat on Day2. A guy like Gabe Hall, he's likely a day 3 pick(also just an example) and with Slaton and Clark due to be FAs in 2025...unless we extend either, it's not a bad idea to try and improve the depth.

6 hours ago, LouisEly said:

I don't think I'd bet on drafting a LT early:

I'd take his comments with a grain of salt. 

What's he supposed to say realistically? No? They've also spoken highly of Myers and Rhyan(Myers in particular). 

Also the question..."CAN he be LT1?" Yes, we saw that he can. We also saw that Jonathan Owens could be FS1. That doesn't mean it's not a position you don't try to upgrade(I know it's not the same, but I'm making the point). 

 

 

[HarveysWBs]

So I didn’t know about the NFLPA report cards for teams until just now, but I find the results slightly surprising. While the Packers are highly regarded overall (ranking 3rd in composite score), I was not expecting players’ opinions of Matt LaFleur to have been as low as they are. I’ve often heard him described as more of a “player’s coach,” but despite a B+ overall grade, he rates 26th overall (out of the 32 head coaches last year) in terms of willingness “to listen to the locker room.”

I’m not going to make a big deal out of what seems like a pretty informal survey—the rating for head coaches apparently boils down to two questions, which seems miles away from being statistically significant, among other limitations—but that part still surprised me. Good to see all the facility investments paying off in terms of player satisfaction, at any rate.

It makes for a short, but interesting read.

[Sixtolezcano]

22 hours ago, LouisEly said:

I don't think I'd bet on drafting a LT early:

 

I wouldn’t bet against it either. There is so much much more time to find his BPA and OT is the deepest and best in the past10 years.

[BrewerFan]

1 hour ago, Sixtolezcano said:

I wouldn’t bet against it either. There is so much much more time to find his BPA and OT is the deepest and best in the past10 years.

Gutekunst also immediately talks about how they're always looking for competition and to improve there.

On top of that, most good tackle prospects can play Guard. Tyler Smith is likely going to become the Cowboys LT. So if you draft a guy early and Walker wins the job...great. There's a good chance that player will be able to also play RG.

[BrewerFan]

2 hours ago, HarveysWBs said:

So I didn’t know about the NFLPA report cards for teams until just now, but I find the results slightly surprising. While the Packers are highly regarded overall (ranking 3rd in composite score), I was not expecting players’ opinions of Matt LaFleur to have been as low as they are. I’ve often heard him described as more of a “player’s coach,” but despite a B+ overall grade, he rates 26th overall (out of the 32 head coaches last year) in terms of willingness “to listen to the locker room.”

I’m not going to make a big deal out of what seems like a pretty informal survey—the rating for head coaches apparently boils down to two questions, which seems miles away from being statistically significant, among other limitations—but that part still surprised me. Good to see all the facility investments paying off in terms of player satisfaction, at any rate.

It makes for a short, but interesting read.

It does. It seems like a great way to listen to your players. Add that daycare for next year. I mean...how much could it cost relative to the Packers spending? Some of these are such obscure questions, it's hard to know what to make of them. 

He's "moderately willing to listen to the locker room?" I wonder if that gets better as it feels like it was just the defensive players last year. 

Thanks for posting though. Interesting to see what the players think about the organization.

Quote

• 92% of players feel head coach Matt LaFleur is efficient with their time (15th overall) 
• The players feel that Matt LaFleur is moderately willing to listen to the locker room (26th overall)

 

[LouisEly]

1 hour ago, BrewerFan said:

He's "moderately willing to listen to the locker room?" I wonder if that gets better as it feels like it was just the defensive players last year. 

I think that's partly a function of having a really young team.  I used to manage a really young team - 1st/2nd/3rd job out of undergrad - and that was their initial complaint.  But really young/inexperienced people often don't understand the big picture and why things need to be done a certain way.  It's often better to brush them off then to tell them that their ideas are crap.

[LouisEly]

On 2/25/2024 at 4:01 PM, LouisEly said:

Noticed that Packers.com has Wooden listed at 273 lbs.  I'm thinking that Wooden becomes primarily a DE in the new system and the top backup at DE to Gary/Van Ness.  That I think makes it easier to move on from Preston Smith

And lo and behold, Preston Smith takes a pay cut, roughly equal to what his cap savings would have been if they cut him.

I think that makes it even less likely that they draft a DL as that's another roster spot that's practically guaranteed.

[BrewerFan]

18 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

I think that's partly a function of having a really young team.  I used to manage a really young team - 1st/2nd/3rd job out of undergrad - and that was their initial complaint.  But really young/inexperienced people often don't understand the big picture and why things need to be done a certain way.  It's often better to brush them off then to tell them that their ideas are crap.

I was kinda going back and forth on it being the young guys or if it was more the older guys like Cambell, Jaire and I don't know when they did this or if they'd have talked to guys like Lazard or whoever was here last year.

Yours makes sense though. I've had a lot of people who are...just out of College and want to overhaul everything. 

16 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

And lo and behold, Preston Smith takes a pay cut, roughly equal to what his cap savings would have been if they cut him.

I think that makes it even less likely that they draft a DL as that's another roster spot that's practically guaranteed.

I don't think they were going to cut him if he didn't take the 2M cut. Wooden can and probably will play some edge. He has the versatility (so does Brooks for that matter). But he's better inside and Smith is still getting ~11.5 in new money this year from the Packers.

I think it'll be more interesting to see what Campbell does. But if they draft a DL, I really don't think it depends on any one of these players, especially an edge...unless you're grouping them all together now, and in that case, I'd argue it's very likely they add at least one more edge in the draft or via FA. It's too important of a position to make a decision going into the draft that you're not going to draft a certain spot because you have the #s there. 

But when you say DL, I'm assuming you mean DT, IDL.  It's too hard to get good players. I don't see them passing on one because you have Colby Wooden or TJ Slaton if Bryon Murphy is available in the 2nd Rd. 

[homer]

 

[LouisEly]

Is optical tracking just going to measure for first downs?  If so, not really a big deal, because it's still going to be up to the officials where to spot the ball which is the main issue and what cost the Packers a couple of times last year.

[nate82]

22 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

Is optical tracking just going to measure for first downs?  If so, not really a big deal, because it's still going to be up to the officials where to spot the ball which is the main issue and what cost the Packers a couple of times last year.

I think you would need some kind of tracker in the ball to take it away from the officials and even then there are plays that would be up to the officials to spot the ball.  Would help with touchdowns and field goals kind of like the lamp for a goal in hockey.  I am actually surprised the NFL hasn't adopted something like this for TD's, FG's and extra points.  Actually I would like to have the kick and 2-pt tries eliminated.

[homer]

3 minutes ago, nate82 said:

I think you would need some kind of tracker in the ball to take it away from the officials and even then there are plays that would be up to the officials to spot the ball.  Would help with touchdowns and field goals kind of like the lamp for a goal in hockey.  I am actually surprised the NFL hasn't adopted something like this for TD's, FG's and extra points.  Actually I would like to have the kick and 2-pt tries eliminated.

They do have trackers in the ball but I think it's used more to determine speed, how far the ball traveled, etc. But doesn't seem that big a leap to use it for spotting the ball.

A tracking system is installed in every NFL venue which is composed of:

• 20–30 ultra-wide band receivers
• 2–3 radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags installed into the players’ shoulder pads
• RFID tags on officials, pylons, sticks, chains, and in the ball

https://operations.nfl.com/gameday/technology/nfl-next-gen-stats/#:~:text=A tracking system is installed,chains%2C and in the ball

[CheezWizHed]

4 hours ago, homer said:

They do have trackers in the ball but I think it's used more to determine speed, how far the ball traveled, etc. But doesn't seem that big a leap to use it for spotting the ball.

A tracking system is installed in every NFL venue which is composed of:

• 20–30 ultra-wide band receivers
• 2–3 radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags installed into the players’ shoulder pads
• RFID tags on officials, pylons, sticks, chains, and in the ball

https://operations.nfl.com/gameday/technology/nfl-next-gen-stats/#:~:text=A tracking system is installed,chains%2C and in the ball

Sweet!  We can finally find out who the fastest refs are!

[adambr2]

On 2/26/2024 at 3:28 PM, Fear The Chorizo said:

Not saying it's the right move to make, but if there were ever an offseason to add a quality veteran RB who still has some tread left on the tires to this roster instead of finding talent in the draft, this would be the year.  Sounding like a ton of quality RBs are going to be free agents, as almost all of them aren't going to be tagged.

Couldn't you argue that RB is always a great FA investment?

Maybe I'm overthinking this. But...FA running backs = cheap. (Relative to other positions).

So if you invest in running backs in free agency, that keeps your picks free for positions that tend to be a little more pricey in FA...WRs, pass edge rushers, offensive line....which leaves you in a better position to take advantage of rookie contracts.