Green Bay Packers

Green Bay carries $37.6M in dead money with next year's cap room tightening to just $11.2M, so every dollar spent this offseason must be deliberate.

22 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Seven starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Green Bay forfeited its first-rounder to Dallas this cycle and also lost a sixth-rounder to Philadelphia, leaving a modest six-pick class headlined by a second-round selection, though the three-year stockpile of 20 picks provides longer-term optimism.

• Acquired: Round 4 from Cowboys, this draft
• Traded away: Round 1 to Cowboys, this draft
• Traded away: Round 6 to Eagles, this draft

The roster's top strength is its elite pass-rush headlined by the 98-overall Parsons, while its weakest spot is an offensive line where both the left tackle and center slots rank among the worst starting units in the league.

• Chigh

  Sean Rhyan starts at center but ranks 28th among starting centers in the league, making an upgrade at the position a top-priority move in free agency or a future draft.

• CBhigh

  Keisean Nixon starts outside but the unit ranks 28th leaguewide at the position, and with Nixon entering the back half of his career, adding a high-upside corner is urgent.

• LThigh

  Jordan Morgan holds the left tackle job but ranks 31st among starters at the position, making left tackle the single biggest hole on the offensive line.

• DTmedium

  Javon Hargrave starts alongside Devonte Wyatt but Hargrave is entering the twilight of his career, so the group needs a younger complement to stay competitive at the position.

• MIKEmedium

  Zaire Franklin starts at MIKE but ranks 25th leaguewide at the position, and with Edgerrin Cooper currently slotted at WILL, improving the middle linebacker depth is a real need.

• LGlow

  Laken Tomlinson starts at left guard and the unit ranks 20th among starters but second in depth, so this is a low-priority need mainly due to concerns about Tomlinson's age at the position.

• 69Tyrod TaylorQBTyrod Taylor sits third on the depth chart behind Love and a kicker, and cutting him frees $1.3M against only $1.1M in dead money, making the move nearly cap-neutral with no competitive cost.Frees $1.3M · $1.1M dead
• 63Jonathan FordDTJonathan Ford is a 63-overall backup defensive tackle buried on the depth chart, and releasing him frees $1.3M while leaving only $100K in dead money, a clean way to open a roster spot.Frees $1.3M · $100.0K dead
• 72Karl BrooksDTKarl Brooks is a 72-overall DT behind Hargrave, Wyatt, and McClellan on the depth chart, and cutting him recovers $3.7M against just $50K in dead money, providing the most meaningful cap relief of any cut candidate on the roster.Frees $3.7M · $50.0K dead
• 64Kristian WelchWILLKristian Welch is a 64-overall backup WILL who sits behind Edgerrin Cooper and Ty'Ron Hopper on the depth chart, and releasing him frees $800K with zero dead money attached.Frees $800.0K · $0 dead

Green Bay hands you a team with a compelling foundation: Micah Parsons is a game-wrecking edge rusher, Xavier McKinney is a versatile playmaker in the secondary, and Jordan Love gives the franchise a young-enough quarterback with real upside at 27. Tucker Kraft and the wide receiver group featuring Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, and Jayden Reed give Love capable weapons. The problems are structural. The offensive line is a serious liability, with left tackle ranking 31st in the league among starters and center ranking 28th, and correcting those spots while carrying $37.6M in dead money and only $29.9M in current cap room will require careful maneuvering. The cornerback group, led by Keisean Nixon, is also near the bottom of the league and needs an infusion of talent. Josh Jacobs is a quality lead back but is entering the latter stage of his career, and the same is true of Kevin Zeitler at right guard and Laken Tomlinson at left guard. Javon Hargrave is a productive interior lineman but is also in the final chapter of his career, so the defensive line's long-term ceiling depends on Devonte Wyatt and youngsters like Chris McClellan developing quickly. Edgerrin Cooper and Matthew Golden are the most exciting developmental pieces, both Star-trait players in their early twenties who can anchor the defense and offense respectively through the second half of this decade. This is a team capable of competing in the near term if the offensive line is addressed, but it requires smart, patient roster management to become a true contender.

The Packers were founded in 1919 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, by Earl "Curly" Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun, sponsored initially by the Indian Packing Company (the source of the "Packers" name). They joined the American Professional Football Association, the forerunner of the NFL, in 1921, making them one of pro football's oldest continuously operating franchises and the last of the small-town teams of the early NFL. Under Lambeau, who coached through 1949, the Packers became an early dynasty, winning three straight NFL titles (1929-31). After lean years, Vince Lombardi arrived in 1959 and built the most iconic dynasty in league history: five NFL Championships in seven years (1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967), including victories in the first two Super Bowls and the legendary 1967 "Ice Bowl," the coldest game in NFL history. After a long drought, GM Ron Wolf, coach Mike Holmgren, the trade for Brett Favre, and the 1993 signing of Reggie White revived the team, culminating in a Super Bowl XXXI championship. The Aaron Rodgers era (starter 2008-2022) delivered Super Bowl XLV and four MVP awards. Today the team is in the Jordan Love era, who has led Green Bay to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons. In all, the Packers have won 13 NFL championships, the most in NFL history, comprising nine pre-merger NFL titles and four Super Bowls (I, II, XXXI, XLV). Traditions include the publicly owned team structure, the Lambeau Leap (1993), and Lambeau Field, the "Frozen Tundra."