5 former Packers players who failed with their new teams in 2023

Robert Tonyan

It was a similar story at tight end. With the Packers entering 2024 with a first-year starting quarterback, it would've been tempting to offer new deals to free-agent tight ends Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis to give Jordan Love two dependable receiving options.

Instead, the Packers moved on in free agency, with Tonyan and Lewis signing with the Chicago Bears. Gutekunst drafted Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft, who combined for 707 yards and three touchdowns, even with Musgrave missing six games.

Tonyan barely made an impact in Chicago, catching 11 passes for 112 yards. It was his first season in the NFL without a receiving touchdown and his worst receiving yards total since 2019 when he was a backup and missed five games to injury.

It's another move the Packers got right. They easily could've gone with the safer option of re-signing Tonyan. He knew the offense and had experience. Green Bay went for the bold move of beginning the season with two rookies at tight end, and it paid off. Musgrave and Kraft have already become a game-changing combination for the Packers, and the sky is the limit.

When will NFC North rivals learn to stop signing former Packers in free agency? It rarely works out.

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