Packers enter win-now mode after free agency signings
After a busy start to free agency, the Green Bay Packers need to win now.
Under Ted Thompson, the Green Bay Packers always had one eye on the future. Thompson rarely spent much money in free agency, instead focusing on building the roster in the draft with the help of compensatory picks.
Brian Gutekunst has quickly changed that. The Packers were active when free agency got underway, making four big signings. Of course, every signing has an impact on the salary cap, and the result of these moves is that the Packers are in “win-now” mode.
And they should be. Aaron Rodgers turns 36 this upcoming season. He’s still in the prime years of his career, but for the team to take the next step and return to the Super Bowl with Rodgers, they need to focus on short-term success. That’s why Gutekunst’s aggressive moves in free agency make sense. He’s trying to build the strongest roster not for the 2020 or 2021 season, but for now.
The time to win is now. But that means these free agency signings have to work out.
Edge rushers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith will need to make a significant impact in Mike Pettine’s defense. Adrian Amos needs to add consistency to the secondary and make the safety position a strength. Billy Turner will need to become a solid starter along the offensive line, whether he plays guard or tackle.
Gutekunst’s first free agency didn’t bring back great results. Part of that was down to bad luck with Muhammad Wilkerson getting injured early in the season. But after just one year, the Jimmy Graham signing looks like a bad call.
The two Smiths and Amos are all inside the top-11 for Packers cap hits in 2019, according to Over The Cap. Next season, Za’Darius Smith will have a cap hit of $17.25 million, more than Davante Adams and David Bakhtiari, and only behind Aaron Rodgers.
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Gutekunst made the right decision to use free agency this offseason, but considering the amount of money that has been spent, the signings he made have to pay off for the Packers to have any chance of making a Super Bowl run in the near future.