The Green Bay Packers have been one of the NFL’s most winningest franchises since the day Brett Favre stepped foot on the premises in 1992. Thanks in large part to having a franchise quarterback at the helm the Packers are perennial playoff contenders. They have won two Super Bowls and been to a handful of NFC Championship games. And they have done it by drafting and developing, a.k.a., The Packers’ Way.
For a long-suffering fan base prior to 1992, any kind of winning was welcome. Just having an above .500 record was cause for jubilation. But now, being 15 years since the Packers last Super Bowl win, in my opinion, the shine has worn off. Just having a winning season is not a successful season to me. Packers’ general manager Brian Gutekunst said in his post-season press conference that it’s time the Packers start competing for championships. If only his actions matched his words.
The Packers’ Way has always revolved around draft and develop. Use the NFL Draft to fill your roster with young players on rookie contracts. Hopefully you get a few you can sign to second contracts but rarely will there be a third. This way, if you draft well, it can keep you competitive every year as long as you have a QB. But as is becoming abundantly clear in today’s NFL, you have to go all in to get a ring. The Packers simply refuse to do that.
Even when the Packers have money to spend, they will only make one or two moves that make a splash in the headlines but don’t get the Packers over the hump. Last offseason the Packers signed two veterans in free agency but still had the youngest team in the league for the second straight year. You are simply not going to win a Super Bowl with the youngest team in the league. The Packers should follow the Los Angeles Rams game plan for going all-in.
While the Chiefs go after their third straight Super Bowl, Packers fans are stuck on their sofas instead of being in New Orleans. They will have to settle for picking their fantasy teams, playing NFL-themed games, and dabbling in some betting after looking at the latest Super Bowl odds, but there will be a renewed sense of optimism soon with free agency right around the corner.
The risk is minimal these days
The Rams went all-in in 2021 and won a Super Bowl. They gave up draft picks in blockbuster trades, signed free agent after free agent and it paid off. Yeah, they went 5-12 the next year but who cares? They were back in the playoffs in 2023 and again this year. It’s not hard to turn things around in this league if you know what you are doing. If Gutey went all-in and the Packers won a Super Bowl I’m more than confident he could rebuild them again.
The bottom line is sacrifices have to be made if you want to win a Super Bowl. Anybody can be good and make the playoffs every year. But as the Packers showed last year, they were no threat to go anywhere in the playoffs. Packers’ running back Josh Jacobs made waves today by saying what I have been saying for most of the year, the Packers need a true, proven number one receiver. While he apparently rattled the nerves of Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks, it is the absolute truth. If Gutey doesn’t trade for or sign a free agent to address that position the Packers won’t be going anywhere next year, either.
And that would be a shame, as they will likely lose defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to a head coaching job after the season. The Packers finally have a defense, but now they don’t have an offense. It’s bizarro world in Green Bay. But it doesn’t have to be. The Packers two biggest needs are receiver and edge rusher. There are players out there that can help them get over the hump. It’s time to quit worrying about the future so much and start trying to win a damn Super Bowl again.
I’m not going to hold my breath. Like the “we need to be in the middle of the pack” excuse for raising ticket prices every year, it’s usually the same old song and dance every offseason. The same canned answers to every question. And of course the customary “we’ll be in every conversation” adage. The Packers have won a lot of games over the last 32 years, but only two that count.