It wasn’t too long ago that the youngest team in the NFL was taking the league by storm. Despite starting slow, the Packers finished the 2023 season by winning six of their last eight regular-season games and made the playoffs. As the seventh seed and youngest team, the Packers dominated a strong Dallas Cowboys team before losing in the Divisional round. Fans were riding the high.
Jordan Love was lights out. Over his last eight games, he threw for 2,150 yards, 18 touchdowns, and only 1 interception. Good enough for a 112.7 passer rating. His wide receivers were taking turns being the guy. Reed, Wicks, Doubs, Watson, and even Bo Melton had weeks of 90 or more receiving yards. Aside from Aaron Jones and Elgton Jenkins, almost every offensive contributor was still on their rookie contract. Seeing this offense blossom so quickly made it easy to assume their potential was limitless. It was hard not to be excited about this young team quickly becoming NFC contenders. The window for contention was wide open.
Roster Uncertainty Looms
Fast forward to now; it’s 2025, and that once wide-open window is getting a little foggy. All of those rookie contracts? They are nearing their expiration date. The long-tenured veteran leaders could become salary cap casualties. No, it’s not time to sound the alarm yet, but there will be questions to answer. The Packers are still incredibly young and are loaded with talent and depth. That said, many of those key contributors from the past few seasons are about to get much more expensive. There is turnover coming for both the coaching staff and the roster.
Much of the roster is intact for 2025, which is great. The Packers lost very few key contributors and were able to replace others. The draft is coming to continue bolstering positional needs and adding depth. But after 2025, things start to look a lot less certain. On offense, the Packers will still have Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Tucker Kraft under contract, but that’s about it. There’s a bit more certainty on defense, but there may need to be some salary cap gymnastics done. Can the Packers stay contenders for 2026 and beyond?
Offensive Question Marks
Backup quarterback Malik Willis is set to become an unrestricted free agent and may look to find a job where he can start. Packers fans saw the value of having a strong backup just last season, as the Packers were able to win the two games Malik Willis started. Wide receivers Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, and Mecole Hardman will also be unrestricted free agents, leaving a lot of unknowns amongst their pass catchers. Last, and maybe most importantly, offensive linemen Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker, and Sean Rhyan all will be unrestricted free agents, too. Seems highly unlikely the Packers will be able to pay them all.
The Packers are fortunate to have depth at several positions, but many of the key depth pieces aren’t locked up long-term. Runningbacks Emmanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks, pass catchers Malik Heath and Bo Melton, and tight end Ben Sims are all set to become restricted free agents. Could all of these players be replaced? Yes. But those aren’t tiny holes to fill.
The Packers will have to be smart with how they approach their salary cap, knowing the guys with expiring contracts will become more expensive. In 2026, Elgton Jenkins and Aaron Banks are both slated for salary cap numbers of over $24,000,000. That’s an absurd amount of money for two interior offensive linemen. The Packers likely will have to restructure or extend these deals to allow them to secure contracts with other key contributors, but the alternative option is that a player like Elgton Jenkins becomes a cap casualty. If that happens, the Packers would be looking at question marks at potentially four spots on their offensive line.
Stability on Defense and Special Teams? Not So Fast
The outlook of the rest of the roster is not quite as fuzzy, but there are still questions that lie ahead. Many around the organization expect Jaire Alexander gone, maybe as soon as this month. Edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare and safety Zayne Anderson will both become free agents after 2025. In addition, the Packers will need to decide on the fifth-year options for Devonte Wyatt and Quay Walker. That’s as many as five key contributors potentially not on the team in 2026.
While the Packers did extend Brandon McManus, the rest of his special team’s counterparts could change in a year. Matt Orzech will become an unrestricted free agent, and Daniel Whelan will become a restricted free agent. It’s fair to assume that if both perform well in 2025, Brian Gutekunst won’t let them go anywhere, but that isn’t a sure thing. The last thing the Packers need is more shakiness amongst their special teams..
Changes Off The Field
While the roster is always ever-changing, coaching staffs are the same way. Just this past off-season, coordinators Jeff Hafley and Adam Stenovich both interviewed for promotions on other teams. If they perform well again, it’s easy to see Jeff Hafley earning a head coaching opportunity and Adam Stenovich looking for a play-calling opportunity.
The Packers saw several assistants leave as well. Quarterback guru Tom Clements retired and Anthony Campanile earned a promotion. The Packers had to move on from others. If some of these key assistant coaches leave, there will be many question marks ahead, and it will put the development of the young and up-and-coming players in question.
The Window is Still Open, But It’s Getting a Little Foggy
The sky is not falling for the Packers’ future. They have a young, deep roster that will allow them to compete with the best teams in the NFL for years to come. But there is a lot of uncertainty ahead. The Packers will not be able to pay every single contributor. They will have new players come, and other players will go. The same can be said for the coaching staff. This uncertainty just further emphasizes the importance of acting with urgency this off-season. The window of contention will not close after 2025, but assuming it is wide open for the foreseeable future is wishful thinking.
Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. The only constant is change. Brian Gutekunst is good at his job and will continue to try and form the best roster possible. He does have to consider there’s a world where he may be replacing half of his offense after the season. Matt LaFleur may need to fill several positions on his coaching staff. That reality just means the Packers need to do all they can to win now.
