The Green Bay Packers enter an important offseason. They have made the playoffs two straight years to begin the Jordan Love era, an impressive achievement with the league's youngest roster.
It's now about taking the next step. The Packers have one playoff victory in that time, and both postseason berths came via the No. 7 seed. The aim is to level up and become serious Super Bowl contenders. While Green Bay finished with a strong 11-6 record in the regular season, it lost all five games to the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles and then again to Philly in the playoffs.
The Packers have the cap space to be more aggressive in free agency. Adding veterans to join the young core on the roster could help them reach new heights next season. Matt LaFleur hinted at the possibility earlier this week.
On Thursday, general manager Brian Gutekunst addressed the media for his end-of-season press conference, answering questions about the upcoming offseason, Jordan Love's development, Jaire Alexander's future, and the potential need for a No. 1 wide receiver.
Key takeaways from Packers GM Brian Gutekunst's end-of-season press conference
Gutekunst spoke to reporters for around 35 minutes, answering questions on the Packers' season, what lies ahead in the offseason, and more. Here are the notable takeaways from the session:
On Jaire Alexander's future
"Yeah, I think we'll work through that. Certainly, we can (afford to keep him). I know it's been really frustrating, not only for him as a player but us as a club. When you have a player who's done what he's done for us in the past and then not being able to get him out on the field consistently. That's tough."
"We're at the beginning stages of gathering information as a whole before we start looking at next year and how we're going to lay this thing out. We could. When he's healthy and he's ready to play, he's a pretty good player."
On Jordan Love
"I know Matt (LaFleur) has probably talked about it as well. We're very, very excited about his growth, not only as a player but what he's doing in our locker room as a leader. I've talked many times about how even-keeled he is. I think his growth and the way he manages our football team has been pretty impressive."
"Obviously, he went through some things this year. Battled through some injuries, and he hadn't done that before. He came out the other side of it, and I was really proud of him for how he went through that. He's leading our team exactly how we want him to do it, so I'm excited about it."
On confidence in Jordan Morgan and finding his best position
"Versatility is everything. We really do have a versatile group. We're going to try to get the best five out there. We didn't see him as much at tackle, which is what he played in college and what he was drafted as. Just because, at the time going into the season, the opportunities were going to lie inside."
"I think this offseason, depending on how everything takes place through free agency and the draft, we'll kind of go into it in the same way. Wherever we think he's going to best fit is where he's going to see his snaps."
On the Packers needing a "No. 1 wide receiver"
"I think, historically, if you look at a lot of the teams, very rarely to teams that have one receiver that's super heavy with targets, that usually doesn't play out well for the playoffs."
On biggest disappointment from the season
"We need to continue to ramp up our sense of urgency. These opportunities don't come (around often). The life of a player in the NFL is not very long. We've got a bunch of good guys in that locker room, a bunch of talented guys in that locker room. I think it's time that we start competing for championships."
There were a few other notable takeaways from the press conference.
Gutekunst had high praise for Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt, which is a possible indication that he plans to pick up their fifth-year options. He also spoke highly of Josh Myers, who hits free agency this offseason. Myers reportedly avoided a significant injury against the Eagles.
However, Myers isn't guaranteed to return this offseason, and Gutekunst said they may need to reshuffle the offensive line. He believes Zach Tom can play across the line, including center, if needed.
It doesn't sound like the Packers are desperate to aggressively target a wide receiver, but Gutekunst sounded open to adding another pass-catcher.
Gutekunst won't give away his offseason plans, but he is generally pretty honest during these press conferences. Last year, he repeatedly told us about his confidence in the cornerback room. Many felt it may have been a smoke screen, but Gutekunst backed up his comments with his lack of offseason moves. That's one of many examples.
He didn't reveal the team's offseason plans, but based on his comments, it felt like he agreed the Packers need to add talent at edge-rusher and cornerback in the months ahead.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway was his comment about needing more "urgency." Will that lead to spending big money in free agency? Making a trade? We'll see. An interesting and important offseason awaits.