There has been a lot of discussion about how different things are going to be on the field for the Green Bay Packers in 2023 without Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback. He has been under center for the team since 2008 when he replaced Brett Favre and it will certainly take some time to adjust with Jordan Love taking over.
However, on the field isn’t the only area that the team will be adjusting. The front office’s approach to building the roster will also be changing as the Packers revert to how things used to be.
In the last few seasons, the Packers have been one of the highest-spending teams in the NFL. They were attempting to make the most of Rodgers’ twilight years, pushing to become Super Bowl contenders year in and year out.
It was a change in the norm in Green Bay, who were normally near the bottom of the league in spending. Now that Rodgers has been traded, the team is re-adopting their conservative spending ways. That is certainly most present on the offensive side of the ball, where Green Bay doesn’t have a single wide receiver on the roster with more than one year of NFL experience.
The Packers have some salary cap issues as a result that need to be worked through. Dead cap money in the future from kicking salaries down the line is something that former team capologist, Andrew Brandt, always looked to avoid.
“Personally, I managed the cap differently,” Brandt wrote. “With a ‘pay as you go’ approach that favored a smoothing approach to cap. Some teams do operate that way, but most are playing the future proration game.”
It was something that Brian Gutekunst, given the circumstances, was unable to do. Pay cuts and restructures became a yearly thing, with running back Aaron Jones taking one this offseason to remain in Green Bay.
“With the way we’re doing things lately,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters half-jokingly, “we’ll probably restructure everybody and try to keep making some room.”
It was a necessity this offseason given the salary cap situation for the team. It led to the Packers being inactive in free agency, making very few signings. But, it is something that will change in time.
It will take a little while for everything to be cleared up, but the Packers are on the right track. There is a youth movement occurring in Green Bay and when the team is ready to contend again, their salary cap situation should be in a place that they can spend on established players to help push them to the next level.