Green Bay Packers: A new era is underway in Green Bay

A new era is underway for the Green Bay Packers.

There has been a lot of change at 1265 Lombardi Ave over the past year or so.

After the Green Bay Packers‘ first season without playoff football in almost a decade, president Mark Murphy decided to shake things up, changing the front office structure and handing the keys of the roster to Brian Gutekunst, who replaced longtime general manager Ted Thompson.

The changes continued this offseason after the Packers again failed to reach the postseason. This time, Super Bowl-winning head coach Mike McCarthy was replaced by Matt LaFleur, and LaFleur assembled his own coaching staff.

Gutekunst brought a new approach to roster construction, far more aggressive in free agency than his predecessor. In his second offseason, he has continued to make big changes with a lot of tough decisions.

Now without Thompson and McCarthy running the show as GM and head coach respectively, the Packers have since moved on from Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Clay Matthews, three players who have been key to the Green Bay Packers’ success over the past decade.

It is a new era for the Packers in 2019. They are well and truly in win-now mode after being more active than ever in free agency that has seen Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Adrian Amos and Billy Turner all arrive in Green Bay.

And only four players remain on the roster from the Super Bowl XLV victory eight years ago: Aaron Rodgers, Mason Crosby, Bryan Bulaga, and Tramon Williams.

Change isn’t always easy, but it’s necessary.

The most recent era of Green Bay Packers football brought a lot of success. Thompson’s draft-and-develop philosophy provided the foundation, and led by McCarthy as head coach and Rodgers at quarterback, the Packers were regulars in the playoffs and contending for championships.

But a mini-rebuild was necessary after two disappointing seasons. Gutekunst’s new approach has led to changes across the board, and the Matt LaFleur-led Packers will aim to bounce back in 2019.

Whether the team becomes a contender again in the near future remains to be seen, but what’s clear is that a new era is underway in Green Bay.