As the dust is finally starting to settle on the Packers 2022 season, much speculation has already begun for the year ahead. There are many questions that will be answered in the coming months until the draft in April. One that’s already become clear is that there will be no changes at defensive coordinator. Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst both expressed confidence in Joe Barry, with Gutekunst saying “I believe in the people in this building and I’m excited for 2023.” But Green Bay should be careful trying to simply “run it back” next season.

With the coaching staff apparently pretty stable, that leaves the roster itself. They have 16 free agents of their own, and with limited salary cap resources – there are hard decisions to be made. Aaron Rodgers has already spoke his piece about his “glue guys” – Marcedes Lewis, Allen Lazard, Robert Tonyan, and David Bakhtiari. Then you can add one of his closest friends Randall Cobb to the list. Bakhtiari’s return to form likely ensures he returns. But other than that – the Packers should not just look to appease their QB and bring all of these veterans back for another go.

One only has to watch the teams competing for their conference championships this weekend to realize the importance of not settling for the status quo. The Chiefs have retooled their offense for Patrick Mahomes over the last two years – trading for Orlando Brown, multiple WR to replace Tyreek Hill, and signing OL Joe Thuney.

The Eagles traded for a legitimate WR1 in AJ Brown, after spending another first round pick at the position in Devonta Smith. They also traded for Robert Quinn midseason to shore up their pass rush. Then you add the Bengals overhaul to their offensive line coming off a Super Bowl appearance, and the 49ers adding Christian McCaffrey to an already loaded skill group – and you can see why these teams are vying for a Super Bowl berth.

The Packers front office tends to over-value their own guys, but that internal progression just hasn’t been there in recent years. And the structuring of all their recent contract extensions has added pressure to nail every draft, because they don’t have to luxury to add many outside guys. This is why players like Quay Walker, Romeo Doubs, and Christian Watson are thrust into prominent roles from day 1. And in the case of Watson that pays off, but that isn’t always the case.

The big chess piece yet to be maneuvered is Aaron Rodgers. He made sure to mention Tuesday on his weekly Pat McAfee appearance that he’s yet to decide whether he’s going to play in 2023, but all signs are pointing to it. But what seems different this offseason is more open acknowledgement of a possible trade. Financially this would be tough for Green Bay, as he would count more against the cap in dead money if traded ($40.31 mil) than if he stayed a Packer ($31.6 mil).

If the Packers are confident in Jordan Love and willing to turn the keys over to him though, it might be best to just rip that bandaid off. The compensation for Rodgers isn’t going to get any higher, and his dead cap numbers only get worse each year. With a healthy offseason it’s possible he can return close to MVP form in 2023. But the worst thing for Green Bay might be convincing themselves that’s the case, and trying to run it back again with the same cast of characters.

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Jared is a rogue Packers fan from a Steelers family and an overall football junkie, including playing 4 years at Ithaca College. You can follow him on twitter at @JPrugar.

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