While the Seattle Seahawks dominated the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl 60, teams like the Green Bay Packers watched the game wondering what they need to do to reach that stage. Considering how Seattle won the game, there was a clear message for Green Bay: invest in the offensive line.
That message is especially important for the Packers, because veteran left tackle Rasheed Walker is set to be a free agent this offseason. Sunday’s Super Bowl was another example of why Green Bay needs to re-sign Walker, and also why keeping him around could be very challenging and expensive.
Rasheed Walker’s price went up after Super Bowl but Packers need to re-sign him
While Sunday’s game was the NFL’s 60th Super Bowl, the formula for victory was as simple as it’s always been: win the trenches and you win the game. That has been the case since the start of football, and it was on display again in Seattle’s dominant victory.
The Seahawks recorded six sacks and 11 quarterback hits in the game, and the Patriots never stood a chance since their offensive line simply wasn’t good enough.
That reality left every team saying that they need a good offensive line. It didn’t matter how good New England’s defense was, because the offense couldn’t get going at all. Now, every NFL team should be motivated to keep their quality offensive line together, or build a better offensive line this offseason.
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Both sides of that coin affect the Packers. Green Bay has a solid offensive line, and Rasheed Walker is one of the key pieces to that line. If the Packers want to make the Super Bowl and have success, it will serve them to keep Walker around. However, several other teams are likely thinking the same thing, and are ready to aggressively pursue the veteran tackle in free agency.
That means the size of Walker’s next contract will be driven up by multiple suitors, and Green Bay must decide if they want to match. The Packers do have the benefit of being able to franchise tag Walker, or extend him before he even reaches free agency.
Whatever Green Bay sees as the best path, it needs to keep the quality offensive lineman around to give the franchise a chance to reach its ultimate goal.