Packers: Top 15 what-ifs of the Ted Thompson era Part 1

What were some of the biggest what-ifs during Ted Thompson’s time as Green Bay Packers general manager? Here’s part one in this new series.

The Green Bay Packers were a very successful team during the Ted Thompson era, but there were a lot of “what-ifs” that could have drastically changed the entire Packers franchise for better or worse during the nearly 15 years that he was in power of the team’s football operations.

In this three-part series I will examine some of the biggest decisions and moments that occurred during the Thompson era and rank some of the biggest what-ifs of the Packers during that era.

I will present the history of what actually happened but I will also present what could have happened had there been a different outcome.

There are some honorable mentions worth noting which include:

1. What if the Packers went for two in the 2015 NFC divisional round?
2. What if Jordy Nelson didn’t tear his ACL in the 2015 preseason?
3. What if the Packers brought back Casey Hayward in the 2016 offseason?
4. What if Aaron Rodgers wasn’t strip-sacked in the 2009 NFC wild-card round?
5. What if the Packers drafted Vernon Davis over A.J. Hawk in the 2006 NFL Draft?

Also to avoid confusion: When I refer to a certain playoff game I am referring to the year in which the regular season that preceded that playoff game was played in.

Example: If I am talking about the Packers 2016 wild-card round game I am talking about the one where they beat Eli Manning and the New York Giants in the “Boat Gate” game even though that game was played in 2017. Not the one where they beat Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins, even though that game was in 2016.