Brian Gutekunst

2025 NFL Draft Rumors: Saints, Packers, Falcons, Revel

March 27th, 2025 at 10:13pm CST by Ely Allen

The Saints continue to stay busy having visits with 2025 NFL Draft prospects, according to multiple reports from Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.

Last night, the team hosted several Georgia players for dinner, including a top defensive end prospect in Mykel Williams as well as wide receiver Arian Smith. They also reportedly had dinner this week with Pittsburgh tight end Gavin Bartholomew, a likely Day 3 prospect whose name has not been making the rounds this early in the process. Lastly, the team was in Knoxville today reportedly meeting with some Tennessee players, including running back Dylan Sampson and defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott.

Underhill adds that the team has been doing a ton of work during the pre-draft process on running backs. Even though lead back Alvin Kamara had a career-high 950 rushing yards in 2024, combined with 543 receiving yards, the sheer depth of this year’s class of running back prospects nearly ensures that quality backs will be available into the fourth or fifth round. Dane Brugler of The Athletic has eight running backs listed in his top 100 prospects list, so it makes sense that New Orleans is doing its homework on the position.

Here are a few other rumors concerning possibilities in the 2025 NFL Draft:

The Packers currently have eight picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, but if general manager Brian Gutekunst has anything to say about it, they could be angling for more. According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, when asked about not having many picks this year, Gutekunst added the addendum “yet” to the end of the statement, indicating that he would have some interest in acquiring more picks via trade. Green Bay currently sits at No. 23 overall in the first round. It’s been posited that many teams from pick No. 20 on are looking to trade back out of the first round due to a lack of elite, top-end talent in this year’s class, as opposed to the tremendous depth the class seems to provide. Unfortunately, due to that same issue, there are going to be few, if any, takers willing to give up precious draft capital to move up into the first round.
One trend we seem to be seeing shows the Falcons as likely candidates to go defense in the first round of the draft. Josh Kendall of The Athletic selected safety Nick Emmanwori in the site’s beat writer mock draft, and the other players he says he considered with the pick, safety Malaki Starks, linebackers Jalon Walker and Jihaad Campbell, cornerback Will Johnson, and edges Mike Green and Shemar Stewart, all reside on the defensive side of the ball. Kendall bases this belief that the team will go defense off of new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich wanting to build a new, uniquely hybrid defense.
Lastly, Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network reported today that the Cowboys will be hosting East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel for a top-30 visit next week. We know that Revel is attempting to make a comeback from a torn ACL that ended his final collegiate season after only three games and that he is projected to be back in time for training camp. What makes this an interesting visit is that, according to Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS, Revel’s ACL repair surgery was performed by Cowboys team doctor Dan Cooper, likely giving the franchise a uniquely exclusive insight on his prognosis and recovery.

Brian Gutekunst Addresses Packers’ Free Agent Outlook

February 23rd, 2025 at 2:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

Last offseason, the Packers were active on the free agent market. Big-ticket deals for running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney helped lead the team to a record of 11-6 and a playoff berth in 2024.

Given the number of core players Green Bay has attached to a rookie contract at the moment, the team currently sits in the top half of the league in terms of spending power with nearly $50MM in available funds. A portion of that figure will of course be needed for retaining in-house free agents and signing the Packers’ incoming draft class, but room for a notable move exists. As things stand, though, one should not be expected.

“I view every offseason that we have to attack it aggressively,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said (via Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal). “Every year there’s not going to be a Josh Jacobs or a Xavier McKinney out there to go get… If it’s right for us, then we’re going to attack it. If they’re not there, it’s not there.”

During Gutekunst’s tenure, the Packers have generally not been known for taking large swings in free agency. Especially after the team made a combined $35.5MM commitment in terms of guaranteed money to McKinney and Jacobs in 2024, it would come as little surprise if Green Bay had a quieter March this time around. Few pending free agents of note are on track to depart, although kicker Brandon McManus represents a priority as the new league year approaches.

Of course, Gutekunst and the Packers will need to look ahead on the extension front while mapping out their spending plans for the near future. Wilde notes 2022 first-rounders Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt could be in line to have their fifth-year options picked up based on how Gutekunst spoke after the season about the Georgia products. A call on both options will need to be made by May 1, but keeping one or both in the fold for 2026 could be followed by a long-term pact being worked out.

Elsewhere on the roster, starting offensive tackles Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom are currently on track for free agency next offseason. Committing to one or both (along with other members of the 2022 draft class) will be key for the Packers, and as a result saving funds for future deals would be a sensible move at a number of positions. As Gutekunst and the Packers look to take a step forward in the highly competitive NFC North next year, a splashy signing or two may not be in the cards.

Departure Likely For Packers CB Jaire Alexander; Team Hopes To Re-Sign K Brandon McManus

February 18th, 2025 at 9:49am CST by Adam La Rose

As the Packers map out their offseason, they have a number of important decisions to make. Among the most notable of those is a call on Jaire Alexander.

Green Bay made Alexander the league’s highest-paid cornerback when he inked a four-year, $84MM extension in the spring of 2022. While his $21MM AAV has since been surpassed on two occasions, expectations have remained high as a result of the pact. Alexander has delivered strong play when on the field since signing his second contract, but the frequency with which he has been sidelined (along with perceived tension with the team) has led to speculation about a release.

“There’s frustration, I think, on both sides, from the fact he can’t get out there,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said when speaking about Alexander’s situation (via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette). “That’s tough. I feel for him because he wants to be out there, he wants to play. But no disconnect.”

While it is certainly possible at this point that the Packers could elect to keep the former first-rounder in place for 2025, a parting of ways would not come as a surprise. Indeed, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky writes there are “strong indications” Alexander will not be back, adding multiple sources from within the organization are frustrated with his injury-driven absences. After making 16 appearances in 2022, the Packers’ top cover man has been limited to seven games in each of the past two years.

Alexander is set to carry cap hits of $24.96MM and $27.38MM in 2025 and ’26, the final two years of his pact. A release before June 1 would not create a net savings for the team, but a post-June 1 designation would yield just over $17MM in cap space along with a dead money charge of $7.88MM. Those funds could be put towards a less expensive replacement at the CB spot as the Packers also seek out upgrades along the defensive front through free agency and the draft this spring.

In addition to making a decision on Alexander, Green Bay will look to find stability at the kicking spot. The Anders Carlson selection in 2023 did not go as planned, and the Packers spent last offseason cycling though several options at the position. Brandon McManus proved to be a worthwhile midseason addition, though, connecting on 20 of his 21 field goal attempts and each of his 30 extra point kicks. Despite one miss in the wild-card round of the playoffs, McManus is a priority for the Packers with respect to a new deal.

“If we were able to get Brandon back, I think certainly that would make me feel very, very, very good about that [specialist] group,” Gutekunst said (via Demovsky) when asked about retaining McManus.

The Packers currently sit mid-pack in terms of projected cap space, and a modest deal is no doubt all that will be required to keep McManus in place. Green Bay could free up additional funds by moving on from Alexander, and his situation will remain one to watch closely as cost-cutting season unfolds around the league.

Packers Rumors: Alexander, Walker, Wyatt, McManus, Nixon

February 2nd, 2025 at 11:05am CST by Rory Parks

At his season-ending press conference last month, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst left the door open for CB Jaire Alexander to return to the team in 2025.

“[W]e’re at the beginning stages of just kind of gathering information as a whole before we start looking at next year and how we’re going to lay this thing out,” Gutekunst said of Alexander’s status. “But we could (pay him). I mean, obviously, when he’s healthy and he’s ready to play, he’s a pretty good player” (via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic (subscription required)).

Clearly, that is far from a commitment to bringing Alexander back in 2025, and Schneidman believes the two-time Pro Bowler has already played his last snap for Green Bay. Alexander is technically under club control through 2026, but his $16.15MM salary and ~$25MM cap number for 2025 could prove unpalatable for Gutekunst & Co., who could create $6.84MM of cap space by cutting or trading the Louisville product before June 1 (a post-June 1 maneuver would clear over $17MM of room this year).

As Gutekunst noted, Alexander has plenty of value when healthy. Unfortunately, that has not been the case in recent history. The market-topping four-year, $84MM contract Gutekunst authorized for Alexander in May 2022 led to promising early returns, as Alexander played 16 games that season, intercepted a career-high five passes, and yielded a career-best 63.7 QB rating as part of a Pro Bowl effort. But Alexander played in just seven games in both of the last two seasons, with his 2024 campaign cut short by a PCL tear.

After the December 2023 coin-toss fiasco led to a one-game suspension and trade/release rumors last offseason, the Packers elected to keep their talented but injury-prone defender in the fold. This year, however, he may have a new employer.

As Schneidman notes, Gutekunst sounded much more positive when discussing the Green Bay futures of 2022 first-rounders Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt. The team must decide whether to exercise the fifth-year options on both players by May 1, an option that would keep them under club control through 2026.

“We’re super fired (up) about both those guys’ seasons this year,” Gutekunst said. “Quay continued to make a leap and another guy who had struggled through injuries at the end of the year, but he was really impactful for us this year. Continues to be a great leader for us. Certainly think we would love to have him around here for longer than just a couple years. He’s that kind of guy. And D-Wy was probably our most consistent pass rusher from the inside this year. Both of them dealt with some injuries and was really proud of how they attacked those and played through some things this year, but I think both those guys had their best years as pros so far.”

At the start of the 2024 season, it sounded as if Walker would not have his option picked up. And in terms of the advanced metrics, his performance last year was fairly underwhelming, as his 57.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus positioned him as the 63rd-best linebacker out of 84 qualified players (which is roughly in line with his first two pro seasons). Given that he does not play a premium position, and given that his fifth-year option is worth a fully-guaranteed $16.06MM, it would not surprise if the option were declined. On the other hand, Gutekunst’s comments made it seem as if he values Walker more highly than the analytics do.

Wyatt’s fifth-year option would check in just north of $13MM, but after totaling 10.5 sacks over the 2023-23 seasons, he has established himself as a viable pass-rushing presence from the interior of the defensive line, even if his run defense could still use some improvement. Of course, getting after the quarterback is the name of the game in today’s NFL, and having an interior defender who can consistently put pressure on opposing passers is a luxury.

Gutekunst also made it plain that he would like to re-sign kicker Brandon McManus (via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). McManus, who recently faced sexual assault allegations stemming from his time as a member of the Jaguars, signed with the Packers in October and resolved the civil suit filed by his accusers (it is unclear if the suit was dismissed or if the parties reached a settlement). On the field, the 33-year-old specialist was terrific for Green Bay, nailing 20 of 21 field goal attempts and all 30 PATs last season.

Thanks in part to Alexander’s injury-related absences, Keisean Nixon has seen plenty of action at cornerback over the past two seasons. Although he has not necessarily thrived in that role, he wants to focus on his defense as opposed to his kick return duties moving forward.

Nixon, who will turn 28 in June, earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 2022 and 2023 for his efforts as a return man, but he ran back just 18 kickoffs in 2024, compared to 35 in 2022 and 30 in 2023. The recent rule changes relating to kickoffs played a major role in that development.

“I’m kind of over it,” Nixon said of his third phase work (as relayed by Schneidman in a separate subscribers-only piece). “I don’t really want to do it no more. There’s going to be talks with the coaching staff and stuff like that, but I think it’s over with for me.”

Nixon is under contract through 2026 and is due just $1.17MM in base pay this year.

Packers GM Shoots Down David Bakhtiari Trade Rumors

August 18th, 2023 at 9:25pm CST by Ely Allen

The rumors haven’t been rampant, but the source of the rumor is enough to catch the media’s eye. Regardless, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst decided to definitively clarify that the team has no intentions of trading away veteran offensive tackle David Bakhtiari, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.

As far as we can trace, any hint of this rumor originates from Bakhtiari’s former teammate Aaron Rodgers. The polarizing quarterback is with the Jets now and has brought along several of his former Green Bay teammates. As Armando Salguero of OutKick explored some potential solutions to the Jets’ deteriorating depth at tackle, he looked to the New York passer’s suggestion.

When Rodgers finally found himself in a Jets uniform, he reportedly gave up $35MM in salary to accommodate additions to the roster around him. This leeway reportedly helped the Jets to bring in a player like running back Dalvin Cook after already having acquired the likes of Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman, and Randall Cobb. Salguero reports that Rodgers has “privately mentioned Bakhtiari” as the team’s potential solution at tackle. The report claims that Rodgers has floated the idea to Bakhtiari himself, even.

Despite the rumor being fairly baseless, Gutekunst still apparently felt the need to address it, shutting down the notion in the process. True, the team would save $2.25MM in cap space for this year, but the Packers would also eat $19.08MM in dead money and be required to find a replacement at left tackle for only the second time in the past ten years.

Unless New York comes ready to part with one of their top draft picks in the next year or so, it seems highly unlikely that there will be any traction on this rumor. Gutekunst’s stance is currently that Bakhtiari is not for sale. Rodgers has received quite a bit from his wish-list this offseason, but this is seeming like a step too far.

The NFL’s Longest-Tenured GMs

July 6th, 2023 at 9:25am CST by Sam Robinson

The latest NFL general manager hiring cycle only produced two changes, but each took over for an executive who appeared in good standing at this point last year.

Steve Keim had held his Cardinals GM post since January 2013, and the Cardinals gave both he and Kliff Kingsbury extensions — deals that ran through 2027 — in March of last year. Arizona has since rebooted, moving on from both Keim and Kingsbury. Keim took a leave of absence late last season, and the Cardinals replaced him with ex-Titans exec Monti Ossenfort.

As the Cardinals poached one of the Titans’ top front office lieutenants, Tennessee went with an NFC West staffer to replace Jon Robinson. The move to add 49ers FO bastion Ran Carthon also came less than a year after the Titans reached extension agreements with both Robinson and HC Mike Vrabel. But controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk canned Robinson — in place as GM since January 2016 — before last season ended. Adams Strunk cited player unavailability and roster quality among the reasons she chose to move on despite having extended Robinson through the 2027 draft months earlier. The Titans are now pairing Vrabel and Carthon.

The Bills reached an extension agreement with GM Brandon Beane two weeks ago. Hired shortly after the team gave Sean McDermott the HC keys, Beane has helped the Bills to five playoff berths in six seasons. Beane’s deal keeps him signed through 2027. Chargers GM Tom Telesco has hit the 10-year mark leading that front office, while this year also marks the 10th offseason of Buccaneers honcho Jason Licht‘s tenure running the NFC South team. Although Jim Irsay fired Frank Reich and later admitted he reluctantly extended his former HC in 2021, the increasingly active Colts owner has expressed confidence in Chris Ballard.

Here is how the NFL’s GM landscape looks going into the 2023 season:

Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys): April 18, 1989^[1]
Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals): August 5, 1991^[2]
Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000^[3]
Mickey Loomis (New Orleans Saints): May 14, 2002
John Schneider (Seattle Seahawks): January 19, 2010; signed extension in 2021
Howie Roseman (Philadelphia Eagles): January 29, 2010; signed extension in 2022
Les Snead (Los Angeles Rams): February 10, 2012; signed extension in 2022
Tom Telesco (Los Angeles Chargers): January 9, 2013; signed extension in 2018
Jason Licht (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 21, 2014; signed extension in 2021
Chris Grier (Miami Dolphins): January 4, 2016^[4]
John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers): January 29, 2017; signed extension in 2020
Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts): January 30, 2017; signed extension in 2021
Brandon Beane (Buffalo Bills): May 9, 2017; signed extension in 2023
Brett Veach (Kansas City Chiefs): July 11, 2017; signed extension in 2020
Brian Gutekunst (Green Bay Packers): January 7, 2018; agreed to extension in 2022
Eric DeCosta (Baltimore Ravens): January 7, 2019
Joe Douglas (New York Jets): June 7, 2019
Andrew Berry (Cleveland Browns): January 27, 2020
Nick Caserio (Houston Texans): January 5, 2021
George Paton (Denver Broncos): January 13, 2021
Scott Fitterer (Carolina Panthers): January 14, 2021
Brad Holmes (Detroit Lions): January 14, 2021
Terry Fontenot (Atlanta Falcons): January 19, 2021
Trent Baalke (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 21, 2021
Martin Mayhew (Washington Commanders): January 22, 2021
Joe Schoen (New York Giants): January 21, 2022
Ryan Poles (Chicago Bears): January 25, 2022
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Minnesota Vikings): January 26, 2022
Dave Ziegler (Las Vegas Raiders): January 30, 2022
Omar Khan (Pittsburgh Steelers): May 24, 2022
Monti Ossenfort (Arizona Cardinals): January 16, 2023
Ran Carthon (Tennessee Titans): January 17, 2023

Footnotes:

Jones has been the Cowboys’ de facto general manager since former GM Tex Schramm resigned in April 1989.
Brown has been the Bengals’ de facto GM since taking over as the team’s owner in August 1991.
Belichick has been the Patriots’ de facto GM since shortly after being hired as the team’s head coach in January 2000.
Although Grier was hired in 2016, he became the Dolphins’ top football exec on Dec. 31, 2018

Aaron Rodgers Addresses Packers Exit

May 31st, 2023 at 10:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Aaron Rodgers‘ Green Bay departure would have been far messier had it occurred in 2021, when he requested to be moved. But the divorce, coming after a prolonged trade negotiation, has still produced a stream of headlines. The new Jets quarterback attempted to set the record straight regarding a few key 2020s Packers plotlines.

Shortly after the Packers traded up for Jordan Love in 2020, Rodgers said he no longer knew finishing his career in Green Bay was realistic. Before the 2021 trade request, Rodgers earned his third MVP honor despite the Packers using their first-round pick on a backup quarterback. While the Love choice did not directly impede Green Bay in 2020, the team suffered another narrow NFC championship defeat — at home against Tampa Bay — as its first-round pick did not contribute. That loss began an annual run of Rodgers-driven offseason uncertainty in Green Bay.

“Did I wanna, years down the line, go, ‘Well, what if we had just taken somebody who could impact our team because we had just gone to the NFC championship?’ Yeah, of course,” Rodgers said (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman; subscription required) of the Packers’ decision to draft Love. “I don’t think any other competitor would say anything different.

“… We didn’t win the Super Bowl. [The Packers] had their guy in waiting. I knew that [the team going with Love] was always a possibility, that they would wanna go, ‘You know what? We tried hard. We tried to win a championship. We had a good team, but now it might be time to go with Jordan, move some contract stuff around and do that.'”

The organization made that decision two years after Rodgers requested a trade. The Packers could have obtained more for Rodgers in 2021, given his age and MVP form, but they rebuffed trade overtures during that offseason. Rodgers’ agent is believed to have made a blunt request to Packers president Mark Murphy at that time: trade Rodgers or fire GM Brian Gutekunst. The Rodgers-Gutekunst feud simmered throughout the ’21 offseason, and this ultimatum surfaced that summer. Wednesday’s report lends more support to the Rodgers-or-Gutekunst rumors. The 18-year veteran told Schneidman communication between he and Green Bay management improved once he returned to the team, but it still pales in comparison to the talks he has held with Jets management in the weeks since he arrived.

Although Rodgers re-signed with the Packers — on a three-year, $150.8MM deal the Jets are now in the process of restructuring — in March 2022, team brass has revealed dissatisfaction with the future Hall of Famer’s commitment level last year. The Packers viewed Rodgers skipping OTAs last year as detrimental to Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs‘ rookie-year development, Albert Breer of SI.com notes, and Schneidman adds the team was dissatisfied with Rodgers’ day-to-day commitment throughout last season. The four-time MVP, who has been at Jets OTAs this offseason, disputed the notion his 2022 absence hindered the Packers.

“When I’m in, I’m all in, and you wanna ride with offseason workouts?” Rodgers said. “I won MVP without doing offseason workouts. Like, was my commitment any less then? I’d say not at all. The way that I come back to work, not just physically in good shape but mentally refreshed, is the best thing for me to have the season I wanted to have during those in Green Bay. I think that’s just a cop-out written to try and find something to disparage me about that, honestly, when you know what offseason workouts are really about, it’s completely ridiculous.”

The key difference between Rodgers’ 2021 OTAs absence and his 2022 no-show: receiving talent. Green Bay dealt Davante Adams to Las Vegas and let Marquez Valdes-Scantling leave for Kansas City in free agency last March. Adams has said the Packers’ final offer surpassed the Raiders’ deal (five years, $140MM) and that he wanted to leave Green Bay. But the sides also went through failed negotiations during the 2021 offseason. Adams sought to be the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver during the summer ’21 talks; Rodgers said the Packers’ initial offer was nowhere close, indicating it checked in below $20MM per year.

Adams broke off talks with the Packers ahead of last season and played out the $14.5MM-per-year extension he had signed in 2017. Although the Packers upped their offer before franchise-tagging him in 2022, Rodgers wonders if the team’s early hesitancy affected the All-Pro wideout’s desire to stay.

“They offered him less money than Christian Kirk and [Adams] is going, ‘Are you serious right now? I’m the best receiver in the league, and you’re gonna offer me less than Christian Kirk?’” Rodgers said of the Pack’s offer compared to Kirk’s $18MM-AAV Jaguars deal. “With all due respect, he’s not on Davante’s level.

“I’m sure that the team will say that’s just the business of negotiation — it’s like, yeah, but you’re also sending a message to that guy, and a lot of times it can stick with guys and make them a little sour on things. … That goes back to the first offer that they made, and I don’t think [the Packers] had the foresight — obviously didn’t have the foresight.”

Rodgers’ numbers suffered without Adams and Valdes-Scantling, with Doubs and Watson — the latter’s late-season surge notwithstanding — not measuring up to the veterans’ contributions. Gutekunst deferred to Rodgers’ MVP awards when asked in January if the veteran starter or Love gave the Packers a better chance to win. Three-plus months later, Rodgers became a Jet. Gutekunst did not believe he could sit Love for a fourth season, per ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky and Rich Cimini; the sixth-year GM had said many times this offseason the fourth-year backup was ready to play.

Gutekunst and Rodgers did not meet this offseason; scheduling conflicts have been cited. The Packers have also accused Rodgers of rebuffing efforts to meet, per ESPN.com. Rodgers said he reached out to Packers management regarding a meeting with the front office and Matt LaFleur before he trekked to the darkness retreat, but after he referenced the Pack’s lack of communication, a desire to play for the Jets — rather than retire — emerged post-darkness. As Brett Favre did 15 years ago, Rodgers will now attempt to prove the Packers wrong.

“Did Brian text me more than I texted him? Yeah, but did I ghost him? No,” Rodgers said, via Schneidman. “I texted him back. There was back-and-forths that we had and so this is the story you wanna go with? You’re gonna stand on this hill of austerity and say that arguably in the conversation of the best player in your franchise history, you’re gonna say I couldn’t get a hold of him and that’s why we had to move on?

“Like, come on, man. Just tell the truth; you wanted to move on. You didn’t like the fact that we didn’t communicate all the time. Like, listen, I talk to the people that I like.”

Packers Sought Russell Wilson-Type Haul For Aaron Rodgers; Jets Debated Stronger Derek Carr Push

May 8th, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Aaron Rodgers has begun attending Jets offseason workouts, but it took an extensive process for the Packers to move him off their roster. The teams had different goals when they begun negotiations.

The Packers initially sought a trade package comparable to the haul the Seahawks received for Russell Wilson or the Lions picked up for Matthew Stafford, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports. But with Rodgers moving out of the picture in Green Bay, the Jets were never expected to pay what it would have likely cost the Broncos (or another suitor) to pry Rodgers from the Packers in 2021 or ’22. Still, the lag time between the first Rodgers-related discussion between Packers GM Brian Gutekunst and Jets counterpart Joe Douglas — in January, when the latter represented the only interested party among those Gutekunst contacted — led to some uncertainty.

Just before Derek Carr committed to the Saints, Jets brass debated if they should make a stronger push for the longtime Raiders quarterback, Costello adds. The Jets hosted Carr in February and met with him again at the Combine. Though, Gang Green viewed the 10th-year veteran as its Rodgers backup plan throughout the process. With the Jets not knowing until March 12 Rodgers was even planning to play in 2023, they saw their top backup plan vanish when Carr signed with the Saints on March 6.

Shortly after the Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett as OC — a move widely rumored to be a Rodgers-related decision — Robert Saleh instructed his staff to study Jimmy Garoppolo and Ryan Tannehill, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. The former 49ers starter surfaced as a Jets option, while the longtime Titans first-stringer has been involved in trade rumors this year. But the Jets waited out Rodgers and received confirmation, via the four-time MVP’s agent contacting Douglas, his client was onboard with the Jets.

The Packers could have obtained more in a trade for Rodgers had they unloaded him in 2021 or ’22, but Jordan Love had not progressed to the point the team was ready to roll with the former No. 26 overall pick. Gutekunst sought to tell Rodgers the Packers planned to field a younger roster this season and make moves to help their salary cap, per Breer, with this meaning Rodgers favorites Randall Cobb, Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis would not be back. (Cobb is now a Jet, with Lewis potentially on the team’s radar.) Of course, Gutekunst and Rodgers never got around to a meeting regarding his future. The parties had multiple January meetings in California scheduled, Breer adds; neither came to fruition. Gutekunst dealt with Rodgers’ agent during the trade talks.

As for the trade price, one of the Jets’ counterproposals — during the sides’ off-and-on talks — involved a 2025 Packers second-round pick coming back in the event Rodgers did not return in 2024. The March Rodgers-Jets summit did not involve discussion about how much longer Rodgers would play, though that later became an understandable component of the Jets’ trade push. Instead of the Jets receiving a 2025 second from the Packers — in the event Rodgers retires after this season — the teams agreed on the deal that included the 2024 first-rounder being a conditional pick and not a locked-in 1, Breer adds. That said, Rodgers has only failed to play 65% of his team’s offensive snaps twice in his 15-year starter run. It represents a fairly safe bet the Jets will send the Packers their 2024 first-rounder in this swap.

Rather than the 65% figure, the Jets wanted to tie the 2024 draft choice to team placement, per Breer. But the Packers did this in the Brett Favre trade 15 years ago; the Green Bay icon’s biceps injury ended up leading the Jets out of the playoff race and reducing the Pack’s compensation to a 2009 third-rounder. With Packers president Mark Murphy involved in both negotiations, the Packers did not relent on a refusal to tie the pick to the Jets’ 2023 record.

Douglas was a bit leery about a potential post-draft suitor emerging as an alternative for Rodgers, Breer adds. The Jets had lost Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins in a two-team race last year. The All-Pro wideout was nearly a Jet, but when the Dolphins entered the fray, Miami became Hill’s preferred destination. This helped provide the impetus for the Jets to complete the deal by the draft, even as no other teams were closely connected to Rodgers this offseason.

The 2023 pick-swap component also did not enter the negotiations until late. That turned out to matter, with many believing the Jets were prepared to draft tackle Broderick Jones in Round 1. The Steelers moved up three spots, from No. 17 to No. 14, to prevent that from happening. New York selected edge rusher Will McDonald with its Green Bay-obtained No. 15 pick. The Packers chose Iowa pass rusher Lukas Van Ness at 13.

Packers Undecided On QB Jordan Love’s Fifth-Year Option

May 1st, 2023 at 10:54am CST by Adam La Rose

Three of the four quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2020 draft have, to no surprise, had their fifth-year options picked up. The Packers are the only team yet to make their decision on that front, despite the fast-approaching deadline to do so.

Jordan Love is officially in place as Green Bay’s QB1, with the Aaron Rodgers trade having been finalized last week. His fifth-year option would cost $20.27MM next season if the team were to exercise it, a move which would represent at least a short-term commitment. Since the team has already made one by trading Rodgers, it would come as little surprise if they picked up Love’s option. A firm decision has yet to be made, however.

“Yeah, I’ve got to figure that out by Tuesday, I guess,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said on the subject of Love’s option. “We’re kind of still working through that. We’ve been so focused on the draft. We’ve had some preliminary conversations, but we’ll get to that before Tuesday. It’s a lot of money for a guy who hasn’t played. But at the same time, obviously, we’re moving forward with him. So, we’ll figure that out by Tuesday” (h/t Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk).

Indeed, plenty of questions remain with respect to Love’s preparedness for an NFL starting job despite being three years removed from his rookie campaign. The 24-year-old has made 10 appearances, and only one start, during his time in Green Bay. The team has been consistent in their praise for the Utah State product, though, and a strong 2023 campaign could establish his worth as a legitimate starter.

If that were to happen, a price tag slightly over $20MM would be a relative bargain, considering the heights the QB market has reached in recent years. On the other hand, declining the option to turn this coming season into a make-or-break year for Love would make it easier to move on from him if he were to fail to progress in the way the team expects him to.

The Packers added a fifth-round quarterback during the draft, but also two tight ends and three receivers to give Love a plethora of new pass catchers for his first season at the helm. Before he begins that new phase of his career, though, more clarity will have emerged with respect to his financial future.

Packers Open To Re-Signing K Mason Crosby, S Adrian Amos

April 30th, 2023 at 9:30am CST by Rory Parks

The Packers selected a kicker, Auburn’s Anders Carlson, in the sixth round of this year’s draft. That has led to plenty of justified speculation that Mason Crosby‘s tenure in Green Bay has come to an end, though GM Brian Gutekunst indicated that is not necessarily the case.

Gutekunst told reporters, including Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that he has not ruled out a new contract for Crosby — who is presently a free agent — and that he just “really liked” Carlson (Twitter link). Still, it would seem that only injury to, or underperformance from, Carlson and reserve/futures signee Parker White would open the door to a Crosby return, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com suggests.

Carlson, the younger brother of Raiders K Daniel Carlson, is the first kicker Green Bay has drafted since Crosby himself was selected in the sixth round of the 2007 draft. Crosby has operated as the club’s kicker ever since, though he has never received Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors. In 2022, his 86.2% field goal conversion rate was the fourth-highest mark of his career, but it was a middle-of-the-pack showing overall. He also made just one of four attempts from 50+ yards.

Anders Carlson, meanwhile, does not have a particularly notable college resume. Over five seasons with the Tigers, he made just 71.8% of his attempts, which included a 68.4% success rate across his last two collegiate years. He also sustained a torn ACL in November 2021, so he is not necessarily a surefire bet to make the Packers’ roster.

Gutekunst also said that he remains open to a reunion with safety Adrian Amos and that he has stayed in contact with Amos’ camp (Twitter link via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic). We heard last week that Darnell Savage would get the opportunity to reclaim his starting safety job, and even if he is successful in that regard, there is room for another backend defender to compete with the likes of Tarvarius Moore and Anthony Johnson Jr., who was added in the seventh round of the draft yesterday.

Amos garnered interest from the Ravens this offseason, but his free agency stay has otherwise been a quiet one. While he set a career-high with 102 tackles in 2022, he earned a poor 53.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which has generally been high on his work throughout the course of his career.

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