The Green Bay Packers had an average to above-average season in 2024. Their 11-6 regular-season record and playoff participation were better than those of a few franchises. However, for a team of that stature, the Packers demand more.
The team needs heroic individuals to perform and take the Packers back to the apex of the NFL. Of course, it might take multiple seasons to build an entire team worthy of Super Bowl contention. However, some of the Packers players might be able to win individual accolades in the upcoming campaign.
Xavier McKinney could excel as a safety.
Defensive players seldom get the praise or fanfare the attacking and playmaking personnel get. The Green Bay Packers, however, had a lot to thank Xavier McKinney for. The safety player made an excellent debut season with the Packers, intercepting multiple opposition plays and getting physical with anyone trying to impede the Packers’ red zone.
If he keeps up his excellent form for the defensive teams and the rest of the roster swells in quality, then McKinney could be in line for the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award for 2025 or at least be nominated for this recognition.
Assistant coach of the Year could gift Sean Mannion.
The Green Bay Packers were exceptionally good at making plays in 2024, outscoring many of their divisional and conference rivals. How did this occur? Jordan Love had a hand in this, but he can be even better. Sean Mannion joined the franchise in 2024 as the offensive assistant, and it’s no coincidence that the attack flourished in the same season.
Seeing his success, the franchise hierarchy elevated his role within the team, making him the quarterback coach. If he can produce even better results from Jordan Love by working closer with him and the quarterback contingent, Mannion will undoubtedly receive some praise from the coaching awards.
New Wide Receiver could go straight to hero status
The broad receiver role is one of the positions that the Green Bay Packers need to assess drastically. Having a reliable WR will allow Jordan Love to throw more touchdowns and improve the attack to a new level.
Jalen Royals is one name that is rumored to join the Green Bay Packers, possibly as their second pick of the 2025 draft, but you have to think at least one wideout will be taken. With nobody currently looking like an overwhelming contender, perhaps a Rookie of the Year award will be the most likely if you look at the Packers’ odds again in the pre-season.
That’s not to say Christian Watson won’t be a part of the franchise’s future. He cultivated a lot of great plays for Green Bay but had his season curtailed early by an ACL injury. The team wasn’t nearly as good without him. The unfortunate development since his initial recovery is that he could miss the start of the upcoming season, which is why a new wide receiver might help the team, at least in the interim.
MarShawn Lloyd could make a significant impact in his ‘second’ year
It was a rookie year like no other. He played…in just one game of the Green Bay Packers 2024 season. This was due to various injuries and him needing to have his appendix removed as well. As such, he was unable to compete.
Matt LaFleur would say toward the end of the 2024 season that he and the coaching team initially had big plans for MarShawn Lloyd’s campaign. While the success of the 2024 campaign would never have hinged on the participation of a rookie, if LaFleur had been able to play him, the running back could have made a difference.
Lloyd is no stranger to success. He had a very successful college career with both the South Carolina Gamecocks and then the USC Trojans; if he can show some of that quality with the Packers, he could become a massive part of the franchise’s success.
Can Luke Getsy take the Packer’s offense to the next level?
What role hasn’t Luke Getsy done with the Green Bay Packers, now in his third stint with the franchise – the coaching stalwart is highly well-traveled in American football, having worked with the Chicago Bears, the Las Vegas Raiders and Mississippi State.
He rejoined the Packers in 2024 on a part-time basis but has since accepted a full-time contract as the senior offensive assistant. Given his experience in the game and the team’s pre-existing skills, he could be the missing component to make a legendary attacking team. If he helps them advance in the playoffs, Getsy could win a coaching award.