It's simply a monumental year for the Green Bay Packers, and their offseason reflects it.
Trading for Micah Parsons was a sign that they're no longer a team rebuilding around a young quarterback, but ready to make a serious Super Bowl challenge. That didn't happen last fall, thanks in part to Parsons' season-ending injury and also the Packers fielding the league's youngest roster for the third consecutive year. Falling apart in the playoffs didn't help, either.
It led to general manager Brian Gutekunst making some big-time decisions. He found veteran help via free agency and the trade market, made some ruthless roster moves, and attacked positions of need even without a first-round pick.
Will it lead the Packers to better results? Only time will tell, but it's hard to argue with these seven offseason moves.
The best seven moves of the Packers' offseason, ranked
7. Signing Tyrod Taylor
The Packers would've loved to have kept Malik Willis, but that was impossible. He is replacing Tua Tagovailoa in Miami after signing a $67.5 million deal in free agency.
Instead of taking a swing on a developmental prospect in the draft, Green Bay went in the opposite direction by signing veteran Tyrod Taylor. He offers something different to Willis and Sean Clifford as Jordan Love's backup: Experience.
The Packers hope they'll never be without Love on the field, but Taylor adds so much value on the sideline. He's seen it all during his 16-year NFL career, which includes 62 starts. That experience will help Love when they break down film together between series. Taylor is a smart addition for a win-now team.
6. Releasing Nate Hobbs
Fair play to Gutekunst. He swung big in free agency last year by signing Nate Hobbs to a $48 million deal. It didn't work out, but it would've been easy for Gutekunst to double down, blame Hobbs' poor luck with injuries, and keep him for another season.
Instead, Gutekunst held his hands up and admitted defeat by releasing Hobbs. He never should've given Hobbs that contract in the first place, but the sign of a strong general manager is being able to move on early when it doesn't work out.
5. Adding clarity at wide receiver with four big moves
The Packers' wide receiver logjam is no more. They finally have clarity at the position.
Gutekunst made it clear where he stands, first by letting Romeo Doubs walk in free agency and then by trading Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles. That trade netted the Packers a fifth-round selection this year (which they used to select Jager Burton, who is already turning heads) and a sixth-round pick in 2027.
With Doubs and Wicks gone, Green Bay handed extensions to Jayden Reed and Christian Watson. They will lead the way at receiver along with second-year pass-catchers Matthew Golden and Savion Williams. Add Tucker Kraft at tight end, and it's a strong group. The Packers have plenty of talent without the overcrowded room that created problems in recent years.
4. Rebuilding the defensive line
For far too long last season, the Packers' pass rush was coming from Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt, and that was it. They accounted for 45.8 percent of the Packers' total sacks despite missing a combined 10 games.
Green Bay needed to prioritize the defensive line this offseason, and Gutekunst undeniably did that. The Packers added another veteran by signing two-time Pro Bowler Javon Hargrave, who reunites with Jonathan Gannon. Hargrave enjoyed the two best seasons of his career under Gannon in Philadelphia.
"(Gannon) saying he wanted me was all I really needed, honestly," Hargrave said about signing with the Packers, via Bill Huber of Packers On SI.
The Packers then drafted Chris McClellan in the third round, a versatile interior lineman who immediately improves the run defense and registered six sacks for Missouri last season. Green Bay also improved on the edge by drafting Dani Dennis-Sutton in the fourth round, a potential Day 3 steal.
3. Drafting Brandon Cisse
Cornerback stood out as arguably Green Bay's biggest offseason need, so it came as no surprise to see Gutekunst attack it via free agency and the draft. He signed Benjamin St-Juste in March before selecting Brandon Cisse and Domani Jackson in the draft.
Second-round pick Cisse is the most exciting. He is coming off an outstanding season for South Carolina. According to Pro Football Focus, quarterbacks completed just 47.4 percent of passes thrown his way for 361 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, with a passer rating of 78.9.
Cisse also earned an elite 89.2 PFF run defense grade, which ranked eighth among 499 NCAA cornerbacks.
Time will tell whether he can start from Day 1, but the Packers have good reason to believe in Cisse's long-term potential.
2. Netting four 2027 draft picks in free agency
The Packers are trying to win now, but like every other team, they have one eye on the 2027 NFL Draft. It promises to be one of the deepest and most talented rookie classes in recent memory, which is why everyone wants as much draft capital as possible.
Green Bay won't pick in the first round, thanks to the Parsons trade, but Gutekunst has added about a million picks in the following rounds (OK, slight exaggeration).
There was the aforementioned Wicks trade, which netted a 2027 sixth-rounder, but that's just the beginning. Over The Cap projects that the Packers will receive four compensatory picks due to the players they lost in free agency – a Round 4 pick for Malik Willis, a Round 4 pick for Romeo Doubs, a Round 5 pick for Quay Walker, and a Round 6 pick for Kingsley Enagbare.
The Packers still managed to add talent, most notably handing Javon Hargrave a $23 million contract. Hargrave was released by the Minnesota Vikings, so the Packers signing him didn't count against the compensatory pick formula. Smart business.
1. Trading Rashan Gary for a fourth-round pick
That's not the only way Green Bay added more 2027 draft capital. Gutekunst somehow, some way, convinced Jerry Jones to part ways with a fourth-round pick for Rashan Gary.
Not because Gary isn't talented enough to justify a fourth-round pick, per se (although his performances in the second half of last season tell a different story), but more down to how it happened.
On March 6, Gary dropped a big farewell message to Green Bay on social media, which was swiftly removed because the Packers hadn't yet released or traded him. But it all but confirmed he was done. Gary even said his X account had been hacked (hmm...).
So, by all accounts, it was inevitable that the Packers would have no choice but to release Gary. They no longer had any leverage. Every team knew they planned to release him, so why give up draft capital?
Enter the Dallas Cowboys. Clearly, Jones wanted to make a deal for Gary and not risk losing him if he became a free agent. But surely a conditional Day 3 pick would've been enough? Green Bay was lucky to get any compensation after Gary dropped a goodbye message too early.
But a fourth-round pick? That's phenomenal work by Gutekunst.
Add us as a preferred source on Google