It was clear from the moment Brian Gutekunst replaced Ted Thompson as general manager that the Green Bay Packers' free agency strategy would change.
Thompson's cautious approach was often met with criticism, but it ensured the Packers maintained a healthy salary cap and didn't overspend on free agents who didn't live up to expectations.
Gutekunst took a more aggressive approach. He hit some home runs, but also missed on a few signings. It also left the Packers with some significant cap hits, even for players no longer on the roster.
For the most part, Gutekunst's free agency track record is a strong one. Here are his seven best signings, as well as his three worst.
Best: Marcedes Lewis
One of Gutekunst's first free-agent additions was veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis, a former first-round pick who had spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Lewis wasn't a great fit in Mike McCarthy's offense, and he was limited to a backup role. But it all changed under Matt LaFleur, where Lewis became an unsung hero as a blocker, pass-catcher, and leader.
In four seasons under LaFleur, Lewis made 54 catches for 543 yards and six touchdowns. His greatest impact came as a blocker, becoming a key player in LaFleur's offense.
After starting only four of 16 games under McCarthy, Lewis would start 60 of 65 games under LaFleur. The Packers will miss him this season.
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Worst: Jimmy Graham
Marcedes Lewis wasn't the only tight end Gutekunst signed in his first offseason as Packers general manager. Green Bay also added former Pro Bowler Jimmy Graham, a move that seemed a major risk at the time.
Signing Graham also led to the Packers parting ways with franchise legend Jordy Nelson, a decision that still splits opinions to this day.
What we can all agree on is that signing Graham was a mistake. The Packers were hoping he would bring his past production, despite a clear decline in his play after leaving the New Orleans Saints.
Graham was twice a 1,000-yard receiver in New Orleans, and he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2013 with 16.
However, Graham's production in Green Bay was nowhere near his Pro Bowl-best. In two seasons, Graham caught 93 passes for 1,083 yards and five touchdowns, struggling to make a consistent impact.
He still made some big plays along the way, including in the playoffs, but Graham wasn't the difference-maker the Packers were expecting. They moved on after two seasons, and Graham signed with the division-rival Chicago Bears the following offseason.
Graham wasn't the answer at tight end the Packers were looking for, and signing him in 2018 wasn't a good decision.
Best: Adrian Amos
Adrian Amos was one of four players the Packers signed in the first week of free agency in 2019. It was an aggressive approach Green Bay had rarely taken, and it included signing a key starter from a talented Chicago Bears defense.
And Amos proved the Packers right. He was everything the team hoped for and more.
Amos spent four seasons in Green Bay, starting all possible 66 games. He provided steady, consistent play at the safety position and rarely made mistakes.
Many Bears fans said that while Amos was a good player, he rarely made game-changing plays. Well, apparently nobody told Amos that. He made seven interceptions during his time in Green Bay, including two against the Bears.
Amos made the perfect Packers debut, making the game-winning interception against his former team at Soldier Field.
The Packers knew they could trust Amos to start every week and always play at a high level. Against the run and pass, Amos was consistently among the best safeties in the league.
Green Bay will miss Amos this season. Week 1 will be the team's first game without Amos since 2018, before the Matt LaFleur era had even started. Amos joins Aaron Rodgers with the New York Jets this season.
Best: Za'Darius Smith
Another big move the Packers made in 2019 was to sign former Baltimore Ravens edge rusher Za'Darius Smith. Gutekunst knew Green Bay's pass rush needed significant work, having moved on from previous starters Clay Matthews and Nick Perry.
Matthews and Perry had combined for only five sacks in 2018. Gutekunst replaced them with Za'Darius and Preston Smith and also drafted Rashan Gary in the first round.
Za'Darius Smith was a game-changer in the Packers' defense, and he made a dominant start in his first year.
Smith made 13.5 sacks, 37 quarterback hits, and forced a fumble in a Pro Bowl 2019 season. He put in a dominant performance in a crucial Week 16 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, making 3.5 sacks and five quarterback hits, leading the Packers to a 23-10 win that clinched the NFC North title.
He made another 12.5 sacks and 23 quarterback hits in 2020 but only played one game in 2021 due to injury. The Packers moved on last offseason, with Smith signing with the Vikings in free agency.
Smith was dominant in his first two seasons with the Packers, making 26 sacks and 60 quarterback hits in 32 games. He is one of Gutekunst's best free-agent signings.
Worst: Sammy Watkins
In the 2022 offseason, the Packers surprisingly traded Davante Adams and didn't re-sign free-agent Marquez Valdes-Scantling despite signing Aaron Rodgers to a new multi-year deal. Two of the Packers' top three receivers were now gone.
Turning to the draft was a must, which Gutekunst did by selecting Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure. But the Packers also needed to add another veteran receiver to the room.
Green Bay signed Sammy Watkins in free agency. Watkins had been a solid third option in the Kansas City Chiefs' offense behind Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, but the Packers needed him to play in a starting role.
And it couldn't have gone much worse. Watkins only played in nine games for the Packers, catching 13 passes for 206 yards, and 93 of those yards came in one game.
The Packers moved on from Watkins before the regular season had ended, instead deciding to give more snaps to rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.
Having re-signed Aaron Rodgers, the Packers were still in win-now mode. But with Watkins not making an impact on offense, Green Bay had to rely on Allen Lazard as the WR1, Randall Cobb, and a trio of rookies.
Unsurprisingly, the offense struggled for much of the season, averaging just 17.1 points in the opening nine games.
Best: De'Vondre Campbell
In June 2021, the Packers needed to add a veteran on defense.
Inside linebacker had long been a weakness of the defense. While Krys Barnes had been a solid starter and the Packers had drafted Isaiah McDuffie, they needed to add depth. Gutekunst signed De'Vondre Campbell to an affordable one-year deal.
It was considered a smart move at the time, but it soon became a genius one.
In his first season with the Packers, Campbell started 16 games, making 146 tackles, two sacks, six QB hits, intercepted two passes, and forced two fumbles. He made plays against both the run and pass, earning first-team All-Pro honors as a result.
It was a fantastic first season in Green Bay. Campbell fixed one of the Packers' biggest issues on defense and deservedly landed a new multi-year contract extension the following offseason.
Campbell didn't have another All-Pro season in 2022, but he was still a solid starter, making 96 tackles and two interceptions, with one pick-six, in 13 games.
Gutekunst has made a number of smart, affordable signings in free agency. Campbell is the best example of this. Green Bay signed him to a one-year deal in June 2021, and just months later, he was a first-team All-Pro.
Best: Rasul Douglas
Gutekunst made another incredible signing during the 2021 season. Following an injury to All-Pro Jaire Alexander, the Packers needed to add a veteran to their cornerback room. Gutekunst signed Rasul Douglas off the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad, and it took no time for Douglas to become a game-changer for the Packers.
Douglas made a game-winning interception in just his third game, against the Cardinals, the team that allowed him to be signed off their practice squad.
Douglas would later have pick-sixes in consecutive games against the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears.
Despite not playing the full season in Green Bay, Douglas still made a team-best five interceptions and an impressive 13 pass defenses. And he backed it up in 2022, making another 13 pass defenses to go with four interceptions.
Douglas was a third-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017. He would sign with four more teams, including the Cardinals, where he ended up on the practice squad.
But Gutekunst saw something in him and gave him an opportunity. Douglas has been an outstanding addition to the defense and one of Gutekunst's best signings as general manager. Douglas enters 2023 as a key starter in Joe Barry's defense.
Best: Preston Smith
Like Adrian Amos and Za'Darius Smith, the Packers signed Preston Smith in a busy first week of free agency in 2019. The Smith Bros. formed a dominant pass-rush duo in their first season together, and Preston Smith has been a solid starter for the Packers ever since.
Preston Smith made a career-best 12 sacks and 23 quarterback hits in his first season with the team.
He only made four sacks the following season but has bounced back the past two years, making nine sacks in 2021 and another 8.5 in 2022.
Smith rarely misses time, having played 65 games in the regular season for the Packers, starting 62 of them. While he was signed to get pressures and sacks, Smith is also a strong run defender.
Of the four players the Packers signed in the first wave of free agency four years ago -- Preston and Za'Darius Smith, Adrian Amos, and Billy Turner -- Preston Smith is the only player still on the roster.
He remains a key starter in Joe Barry's defense, even after the team drafted Lukas Van Ness in the first round. Smith has an important role to play this season as he enters year five with the Packers.
Best: Keisean Nixon
De'Vondre Campbell isn't the only Brian Gutekunst free-agent signing to become a first-team All-Pro in year one with the Packers. Last season, Keisean Nixon did the same thing.
Nixon had played under Rich Bisaccia with the Las Vegas Raiders, so it's likely Bisaccia would've recommended bringing him to Green Bay. Gutekunst made the move, understanding Nixon's value on special teams.
He didn't begin the season as Green Bay's returner, but with Amari Rodgers struggling in the role, the Packers eventually turned to Nixon. Despite not getting the full season in the job, he still led the NFL in kick return yards.
Nixon finished with an impressive kick return average of 28.8 yards. His longest went for 105 yards and a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings. He came close to breaking through for a touchdown on multiple occasions, and finally got one late in the season.
Following his dominance as a returner, Nixon was named a first-team All-Pro and landed a new deal with the Packers in the offseason.
He has an important role to play in 2023, not just on special teams, but also as the Packers' starting slot cornerback. Nixon was yet another great free agency signing by Gutekunst.
Worst: Devin Funchess
In 2020, the Packers needed to add another wide receiver to help support All-Pro Davante Adams. They turned to Devin Funchess, who had spent the first four seasons of his career with the Carolina Panthers, followed by one year with the Indianapolis Colts.
Funchess is 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, so the hope was that he would help strengthen Green Bay's red-zone offense and add some much-needed experience at wide receiver.
However, they would have to wait a year, as Funchess opted out of the 2020 season. He was part of the Packers' plans entering the summer of 2021. The concern was that Funchess had only played one game over the previous two seasons.
Along with opting out in 2020, Funchess was injured in the 2019 season opener for the Colts, and he didn't play again all year.
Funchess didn't make the Packers' 53-man roster, never playing a game for the team in the regular season.
There was hope that he could become a solid complementary receiving option for the Packers. In 2017, he had put up 840 receiving yards and eight touchdowns for the Panthers. In an Aaron Rodgers-led offense, he could potentially reach that level again.
But Funchess didn't play a single game for the Packers.