Cheesehead
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 2,854
- 0
Bret from Hertel, WI
Dear Mike and Wes, thanks again for your awesome reporting and your team providing the best media in the NFL! This season saw many players improve: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Rashan Gary, Darnell Savage, and Robert Tonyan. How important do others need to improve with a lower cap such as Josh Jackson, Jace Sternberger, Kingsley Keke, and other young players such as the 2020 draft class?
Like this year, the young players on this roster are going to be critical to the Packers making another run in 2021. I look specifically at that 2020 draft class. AJ Dillon, a returning Josiah Deguara, Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin will all see bigger roles next season, while Jon Runyan will be competing for a starting role in training camp. And obviously Jordan Love is the biggest insurance policy of all.
Wes from South St Paul, MN
I have submitted a question about Packers free agents two days in a row and have done so previously. Why are you hesitant to address a question that looms large for the organization and us fans?
Because I've answered this, Wes. I just didn't answer you. Yes, Aaron Jones and Corey Linsley are the Packers' top two pending free agents. But I'm not going to sit here for the next six weeks pontificating about a situation in which there is no update. I don't know whether Green Bay is going to re-sign either of them, and given the cap reduction, it seems unlikely to me the franchise tag is a viable option. It's been 11 years since the Packers tagged anyone so please excuse me if I'm not speculating enough for you on the possibility of an improbability.
Gretchen from Dousman, WI
Good morning Wes. Staying under the cap is going to be tough for every team this year. It appears that teams with players willing to restructure their contracts have an edge. Otherwise, free agency seems to me to be reshuffling players depending on need. Interesting process. It's a tough time of year as I always want our own players to stay as we have such a great group of young men.
I know a lot of folks have asked about how the Packers will make ends meet this offseason from a salary-cap perspective and I'm not really sure how it's going to play out. Not only is a cap reduction like this unprecedented in the modern era, but the Packers also never have been tight against the cap before during my time on the beat. Tough decisions will have to be made, but the Packers' predicament isn't that much different than what most contenders are experiencing.
Bubba from Kenosha, WI
All 31 points by the Bucs were scored by players who were not on the team in 2019, so you never know where help will come from. Having 10 picks (three comps for Martinez, Bulaga, Fackrell), along with the talent already assembled and Gutekunst's ability to find talent in FA and UFA has me pumped for 2021.
As we move into the offseason, I'm guessing the 2021 NFL Draft is what will draw the biggest headlines in the months ahead. There was a method to how the Packers approached free agency last March. The organization had to be practical with who it brought back and how active it was going to be in free agency. The reward will be Gutekunst and the Packers receiving their first compensatory draft picks in three years. We all know the team's track record there. The Packers gotta make 'em all count this April.
Brett from San Antonio, TX
With Charles Woodson going into the Hall of Fame, who do you think will be the next Packers player to get in? And do you think LeRoy Butler is being snubbed at this point?
Hopefully, Butler is the next Packers player to get in. The next modern-era player with Packers ties who'll likely get into Canton would probably be Julius Peppers. He's eligible for the Class of 2024.
Trevor from Carmel, NY
Rest in peace to Marty Schottenheimer, a great coach and man who indirectly 'butterfly effected' the Packers in so many ways. From him being reluctant to give information to Ron Wolf about Bill Cowher in 1992, to him giving Mike McCarthy his shot in the NFL, to his brother Kurt coaching here for a few years. Not to mention, Marty himself would've been an II All-Star had it been around back in 1999-2000 during the two HC searches. Anything else I'm missing?
Schottenheimer is a true legend, whose imprint is still felt on today's NFL. I never was able to meet him, but there were some funny stories McCarthy used to tell about what it was like coaching for Marty. My favorite of all was after Ted Thompson hired McCarthy as the Packers' head coach in 2006. A jubilant McCarthy called his mentor for some advice on becoming an NFL head coach and Schottenheimer was clear and concise, "They hired Mike McCarthy for a reason. Make sure you be Mike McCarthy." May he rest in peace.