There are a few different people within the Green Bay Packers organization that are under some pressure heading into the 2023 season. Players are always fighting for jobs, but the same goes for the coaching staff and front office personnel also.
On the sidelines, defensive coordinator Joe Barry has to make some changes to his approach to help the team succeed on that side of the ball. There is too much talent for Barry to not lead a top-10 unit this season. If he doesn’t, he could very well be looking for a job next offseason.
Many people believe that Barry is on the hottest seat in the Packers’ organization. But, in the opinion of Rob Demovsky of ESPN, it is actually general manager Brian Gutekunst who is on the hottest seat.
Over at ESPN, power rankings were put together, stacking up all 32 teams through the preseason thus far. The Packers came in at No. 20, which seems about right given the uncertainty surrounding some positions on the roster.
But, the one position that Gutekunst needs to hit on, in Demovsky’s opinion, is quarterback. He is the person who pulled the trigger on trading up in the 2020 NFL Draft to select Jordan Love. This season, his job and reputation could be on the line.
“Gutekunst drafted Jordan Love and is the one who decided it was time to move on from Rodgers. The Packers don’t have to make the playoffs — or even have a winning record this season — for Gutekunst to be vindicated, but Love must show enough promise to indicate the decision to start over at quarterback was the right one. If he doesn’t, then Gutekunst will have to find another option at quarterback. He might get a second shot at getting the right quarterback, but who knows whether he’d get a third?”
While the Packers aren’t rebuilding like the Arizona Cardinals in 2023, it is fair to say that they aren’t contenders either. They fall somewhere in the middle but could surprise some people if they have a few breaks throughout the campaign.
Gutekunst will certainly hope one of those positive breaks involves Love as the starting quarterback. He has looked good leading the Packers’ offense in the preseason, but the regular season is a whole different animal.
Not only is Love playing to secure his future with the franchise, his success is directly tied to that of Gutekunst as well. If Love fails, Gutekunst will receive the same label.
