The Green Bay Packers exceeded expectations this season, but their playoff run ended in heartbreak to the San Francisco 49ers.
There is hope for the future with this young team, but several players won't be back in 2024.
The common theme of the 2024 offseason for the Packers will be "change". As if the 2023 offseason didn't bring enough of that with Aaron Rodgers getting traded to the New York Jets, coming off the heels of Davante Adams getting traded in 2022 to the Raiders.
The Packers are still amidst a rebuild or reload, whatever you want to call it. This is a team that likely exceeded the expectations of the masses in 2023 with Jordan Love at the helm and has a lot to build on going forward. With the youngest roster in the NFL, which current Packers are on the chopping block for 2024? Which players do we not expect to be back?
According to Over The Cap, the Packers have over $7.6 million in cap space available for 2024. With a Jordan Love extension possibly looming, and other moves needing to be made on both sides of the ball, change will be aplenty.
Which Packers won't be back?
David Bakhtiari
An era is about to come to an end. The Green Bay Packers have to face reality when it comes to David Bakhtiari, as he has simply not been able to stay healthy in recent years and is set to count over $40.46 million against next year's salary cap.
The Packers can save $21.4 million in salary cap space by cutting Bakhtiari this offseason, and I think that's what's going to happen. Now, as with any of the players on this list, it's possible that any of them could return to Green Bay if the price is right. You never say never.
But I think a change of scenery is coming for Bakhtiari, who seems like he could be one of a number of Packers players -- current and former -- destined to end up with Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.
Jaire Alexander
I don't know if you can call this one a certainty, but the evidence seems to be piling up for Jaire Alexander to potentially be traded in the 2024 offseason. The Packers suspended Alexander in Week 17 for conduct detrimental to the team after he anointed and appointed himself as a team captain and nearly botched the coin toss.
Alexander is one of the best (and most well-paid) cornerbacks in football, but the Packers are about to come to a fork in the road with him and they might try to get as much value as they can on the trade market.
This report from ESPN's Adam Schefter really does a great job of outlining exactly why Alexander's time in Green Bay might soon be coming to a close.
"There are other factors at stake for the Packers, who prefer that their players participate in their offseason program in Green Bay, which Alexander hasn't done. He surrendered a $700,000 workout bonus last spring to skip the Packers' offseason program and work out in Florida instead.ESPN's Adam Schefter
Green Bay also must consider Alexander's injury history; he has missed nine games this season -- three because of a back injury, then another six contests because of a shoulder injury. Alexander returned last week in Carolina, only to be involved in the coin toss fiasco that led to his suspension for Sunday's game against Minnesota."
It seems like the Packers have a long list of reasons to potentially let Alexander go this offseason. I do think they would get a decent haul for him in a trade, as Alexander has a track record of being one of the best corners in the game, and he will be just 27 years old next season.
As much as the cornerback position could (will) be an area of need in 2024 for the Packers, they could really load up on draft capital this year and next, address the position that way, and move on from a player whose issues seem to be piling up.
AJ Dillon
Among the positions that could be getting an overhaul for the Green Bay Packers in 2024 is the running back spot. The Packers have had a very strong two-headed monster at the position in Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon over the last handful of years, but that chapter may soon be coming to a close.
Dillon, a second-round pick out of Boston College in 2020, is having the worst year of his career since his rookie season. He's averaged just 3.4 yards per carry this season, he only had two total touchdowns (despite Aaron Jones struggling with injuries), and he's getting more carries per game than any other season in his career.
The lack of efficiency from Dillon over the long haul of the season has undoubtedly called into question whether or not he'll be with the team in 2024. The Packers don't need to overpay, and Dillon may look for a fresh start elsewhere. He doesn't have a single game this season with over 100 yards from scrimmage, and the lack of great production despite increased opportunity has perhaps made the Packers' decision on what to do going forward a little bit easier.
Dillon did have a strong stretch there from October-December where he was making more plays and getting back in the Green Bay Packers "circle of trust," but I still think the more likely scenario for him in 2024 is playing elsewhere.
Joe Barry
If Green Bay Packers fans could get rid of one player or coach this offseason, who do you think that's going to be?
It's probably Joe Barry, right?
Barry's defense did improve in the final four games of the season (including playoffs), which could cause LaFleur to rethink any plans to move on, but there were too many disappointing performances.
Unfortunately for Packers fans, this one might just be wishful thinking. There's no guarantee that Joe Barry is gone, you just have to hope that Matt LaFleur sees the light. Perhaps the biggest argument against keeping Joe Barry, if you have to boil it down to just one instance, is the game against the Carolina Panthers on Christmas Eve. But there are plenty of others, including allowing a perfect passer rating to Baker Mayfield the week before.
The Packers nearly lost that game and gave up 30 points to the hapless Carolina Panthers. A number of players have regressed under Joe Barry as well as the Packers' defense as a whole in certain statistical categories, including the run defense.
It's just time for new blood there, and you have to hope LaFleur sees it. With a lot of potential personnel change on that side of the ball in 2024, it might be the perfect time for the Packers to bring in a fresh face and voice to lead that side of the ball.
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.
Preston Smith
Their situations aren't really the same, but with the Packers getting rid of Za'Darius Smith after he crossed the age of 30, you can't help but wonder if Preston Smith's fate is about to be the same.
Now, Za'Darius Smith's situation was very different in the fact that he missed all but one game before the Packers let him go in the 2022 offseason. The Packers had a clear path to getting out of the contract with Smith due to injury, and they took it. The main difference here is that Preston Smith is playing quite well this season.
The veteran and former second-round pick came close to matching his career-high of 23 QB hits. He finished with 21. Smith also had a really solid 8.0 sacks and 23 QB pressures (per Pro Football Reference).
But Smith is going to be 32 next season. The Packers could save more than $12 million in salary cap space by cutting or trading him after June 1 in the offseason. I don't think they're going to take every single bit of cap savings they can find, but GM Brian Gutekunst did plan for this with the drafting of Lukas Van Ness in 2023.
Although Preston Smith has largely been underrated and over-criticized, he's been a great player overall for the Packers. His time in Green Bay could be up this offseason.
Aaron Jones
Despite dominating down the stretch, the Packers could move on from Aaron Jones.
Jones is set to be 30 years old next season. He's got a cap hit that is approaching $18 million. He's coming off of a year in which he really struggled with injuries.
As much as we all love Aaron Jones, could the Packers get rid of him this offseason?
The Packers are going to have to spend their cap space somewhere. I think you can look up and down this list and maybe pick one or the other. But if the Packers are going to move on from Aaron Jones, the 2024 offseason would seem to be the time to do it.
This offseason, Brian Gutekunst could really reset at running back. Whether or not the Packers were seriously involved is one thing, but the fact that it sort of made sense for this team to go after a player like Jonathan Taylor in 2023 tells you all you need to know about Green Bay's running back situation.
It's sort of a shock that Jordan Love has thrived the way we've seen without a stable running game behind him. The Packers rank 15th in the league in rushing offense, so they haven't exactly been "bad" there, but you really thought the combo of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon would help make life even easier for Love in year one.
With a base salary of $11 million, trading Jones could be complicated but he would undoubtedly have some suitors. It just feels like the Packers need to overhaul this position.
Josiah Deguara
The Josiah Deguara era is likely coming to an end for the Green Bay Packers in 2024. Deguara, a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, plays a very niche position and hasn't been able to carve out a significant enough role in Green Bay's offense.
Every Kyle Shanahan/Mike Shanahan disciple wants a Kyle Juszczyk, but not every hybrid fullback/H-back is going to be Kyle Juszczyk. Deguara hasn't found success in that role.
There's a running joke about the third-round NFL Draft curse with Josiah Deguara and a number of other players, and I think Brian Gutekunst will admit defeat here. Welcome to the New York Jets in the offseason?
Deguara will undoubtedly have some friends in New York who value his abilities both offensively and on special teams. And we know the Jets are basically just collecting as many former Green Bay Packers as they can get their hands on these days.
Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett (should he remain beyond this season) was Green Bay's offensive coordinator when Deguara was drafted by the Packers four years ago, and I could envision a scenario where Hackett goes to bat for one of his guys in free agency to add some versatility to the lineup.
Keisean Nixon
The Packers caught lightning in a bottle with Keisean Nixon last year, who was an unheralded player with connections to special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia from their time together with the Raiders. Nixon ended up as the Packers' primary kickoff returner, and he was outstanding in that role.
But like relief pitching in baseball, outstanding return men can be very volatile year to year. Nixon hasn't been nearly as good this year as he was last season, though that might be an unfair expectation. Nixon has also been given more opportunities defensively for the Packers this year, and there have been mixed results in that phase of his game, too.
Rudy Ford
Pressed into duty the last couple of seasons, Rudy Ford has done a pretty solid job with the Green Bay Packers and might have earned his way out of Green Bay beyond this season.
Ford will be 29 going on 30 next year and might be able to get better value from some other team on a multi-year deal than he would get from the Packers. Historically speaking, Ford has some nice special teams value but he's proven this season for Green Bay that he can play a more full-time role defensively, allowing just 60.7 percent of throws going his way to be completed.
Jon Runyan Jr.
One of the position groups the Packers will need to overhaul a bit in the 2024 offseason is the offensive line. Whether they plan on some in-house promotions, draft picks, or free agents, I think we're going to see Jon Runyan's spot get reevaluated.
When you grade on the curve of Runyan being a sixth-round pick, he's been a pretty great pick for the Packers. But when you consider the expectations heaped on him as a three-year starter? The Packers simply have to do better here.
Runyan will likely get a solid deal in free agency from some other team, but I don't think the Packers are bringing him back.
Royce Newman
Royce Newman was a starter back in his rookie season in 2021, but the Packers simply can't rely on him, even in relief duty anymore.
After two poor performances when he filled in for Elgton Jenkins in Weeks 3-4, Newman didn't play another snap until Week 13.
With free agency looming for Newman in 2025, the Packers should trade him to anyone who is willing to take him on and let him play. Perhaps a change of scenery can revive his hopes of earning a second contract elsewhere in the NFL. But it is time for the Packers to move on.