The Green Bay Packers entered the NFC Divisional Round as the first seed in the conference. They were able to rest their players for a week and show up healthy to the Divisional Round at Lambeau Field. However, the Packers were bested by the San Francisco 49ers in a horrendous performance for the team.
The state of the Packers is unknown, and there is a lot of uncertainty within the organization. According to the best Louisiana betting apps like DraftKings, the team is listed at +1500 to win the Super Bowl in 2023. This number will fluctuate based on what the team does in the offseason.
The Packers have lost their offensive coordinator and passing game coordinator, and they may lose Aaron Rodgers as well. Things are not good in Green Bay, and it seems like a rebuild is about to begin. Nothing is certain at this point, but the best years could be behind the franchise.
Let’s take a look at the future of the Green Bay Packers.
The Green Bay Packers lost to the 49ers on January 22nd. It was a game where their special teams were atrocious and were most responsible for the loss. However, the Packers only scored one offensive touchdown in a season where they had the best unit in the NFL.
This was a pitiful performance and a game the Packers should have won. When the time expired, it became clear the Packers were in trouble moving forward. Aaron Rodgers came out and said he did not want to be part of a rebuild.
Rodgers wants to spend his final good years with the shot of a championship. Tom Brady going to Tampa Bay and winning a Super Bowl and Matthew Stafford playing in the big game will also deter Rodgers from staying in Wisconsin.
Rodgers is under contract with the team through the 2023 season, but he could hit free agency because of a buy-out on the team’s part before the upcoming season. Rodgers is set to have a cap hit of $46 million in 2022 and $33 million in 2023.
The Packers are already $38 million over the cap limit for the upcoming season, so letting Rodgers go is a quick way to salvage some space. They could trade him and set themselves up well for the future. This is a likely scenario considering Rodgers does not seem like he wants to end his career as a Packer.
Additionally, the Packers are losing so many weapons. Rodgers will be likely unable to win the Super Bowl with the team he will potentially have next season. The team is scheduled to lose every receiver on their team except for rookie Amari Rodgers.
Davante Adams will be one of the hottest receivers on the open market following the season. The Packers may also lose tight end Robert Tonyan, cornerback Rasul Douglas, and All-Pro inside linebacker De’vondre Campbell.
The situation will only get worse before the 2023 season. The team is going to lose Za’Darius and Preston Smith. However, these two may get cut in the offseason to free cap space because their combined number is $48 million for the upcoming season.
If Green Bay tries to make one more run, they could franchise tag Adams. This would require the team to pay him $20 million based on the top five receiver salaries in the NFL.
Following the divisional loss, Rodgers spoke to the media and made it clear this may have been the last dance for the squad.
He said, “This thing is definitely going to look different moving forward in Green Bay. I don’t want to be part of a rebuild if I’m going to keep playing. So a lot of decisions in the next couple of months.”
Matt LaFleur has been very successful as the head coach of the Packers. He is a combined 39-10 in the past three seasons and won at least 13 games every season. He took over a 6-9-1 football team after Mike McCarthy was fired.
The 2022 team look for the Packers is going to be different, but it does not mean it’s time for a rebuild. Green Bay has ways of building a competitive team for one more season, but it looks like this is not a priority for the team moving forward.
