12 Packers players (and coaches) who won't be back in 2024

Darnell Savage

Now, you have to ask yourself going into this offseason: If the Packers do let go of Joe Barry, would they bring back most of these defensive players?

I think that's a fun question that will be worth monitoring in the offseason because we know how much Brian Gutekunst values his draft selections -- past, present, and future. He could very well push Matt LaFleur to make that change, using Darnell Savage as the prime example of why Barry has failed in the defensive coordinator role.

Savage was looking like a home-run selection as a first-round pick early on in his NFL career. After Barry was hired, things went downhill for Savage in a hurry. You can argue that injuries played some role in that, and that's fair, but there's really no question about the correlation of Savage's decline and the presence of Joe Barry in the defensive coordinator chair. Green Bay simply needs to get someone who is better in terms of not just playing chess, but player development.

So if Joe Barry goes, does Darnell Savage go? Maybe not. Maybe Gutekunst believes he can get Savage back on a one-year deal and prove with a new coordinator out there that he can still play at a high level.

Ultimately, I don't envision a scenario in which both Darnell Savage and Joe Barry are back with the Packers in 2024. The last thing Brian Gutekunst is going to want to see is Savage signing a prove-it deal with some other team (with better defensive coaching) and him having a career revival.