Packers' Biggest Keys to Having A successful NFL Offseason

The Green Bay Packers are at a serious crossroads with the 2023 offseason.

After three consecutive seasons with 13 wins and two NFC Championship Game appearances, the Packers went 8-9 and missed the playoffs. It was a sobering result for a team that was hoping to squeeze in one more playoff run with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

Now the four-time MVP's future is murky, the team may be ready to move on and their objectives for the offseason are a little unclear.

As it stands, the Packers' salary-cap situation is not good. They are $8.6 million over the salary cap to start the offseason. However, that's before they get to work on cutting players, restructuring deals and saving money now with contract extensions.

Still, they are starting in a place where they are going to have to do some work just to get under the cap.

There are a lot of possible directions the team could go. So here's a look at three keys to a successful season for Green Bay as it looks to move on to a new era.

Really Move on from Aaron Rodgers

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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 08: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers looks to the throw the pass against the Detroit Lions in the second half at Lambeau Field on January 08, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

It's time.

NFL reporter Bob McGinn reported what many Packers fans might have been thinking after the disappointing 2022 campaign.

"He's not coming back," the NFL reporter said on the Go Long podcast with Tyler Dunne (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), "I mean, they're disgusted with him, and they're done with him. And they're moving on."

That's before Rodgers comes back from his "darkness retreat" as he makes a decision about his playing future. The 39-year-old has stated he's not sure if he's even going to play next year, regardless of what team he intends to play for.

So, if the rumors are to be believed, the Packers are ready to move on from their starting quarterback for the last 15 years.

It's a good time to make the move. Jordan Love has now spent the first three years of his career studying under Rodgers. They have until May 1 to decide if they are going to pick up his fifth-year option.

It's a decision they are going to have to make with just 83 career pass attempts of game experience. The rest is going to be what they've seen in practice and the preseason.

If they don't exercise the option, they will have just one season to decide whether to extend him.

It's time to find out what they have in him. Going back to Rodgers in 2023 shouldn't be an option.

Acquire at Least One More Offensive Weapon

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Mike Gesicki would give Jordan Love a big target at tight end.

Fully moving on from Rodgers means also shifting focus from a team-building perspective. With a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes or Rodgers, it's understandable to take some resources away from the receiving corps and offensive weapons.

The Chiefs just had to trade away Tyreek Hill, in part, because the money in Mahomes' contract was starting to kick in and there's only so much cash to go around. A quarterback of his caliber is expected to elevate the talent around him.

The same could be said for Rodgers over the past five years.

The Packers can't roll out the same supporting cast that Rodgers had last season and expect Love to make the best of it. Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson emerged as rookies with high ceilings.

Whether it's through a trade or finding someone on the free-agent market, the Packers have to get aggressive in surrounding Love with weapons who can help him prove he's the guy at quarterback quickly.

The receiver class is pretty light on difference-makers. However, the tight end class could include Dalton Schultz, Evan Engram, Hayden Hurst and Mike Gesicki. Any of the four would make a good addition.

Robert Tonyan is also set to hit the market, but given his injury history and disappointing season last year, one of those four would be an upgrade.

The draft could be the source for another receiver if the club finally decides to use a first-rounder on a wide receiver.

Get the Books in Order

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General manager Brian Gutekunst

More than anything, the Packers have to be honest with themselves about where the team is right now.

The option to kick the financial can down the road is ever-present in the NFL. According to Over the Cap, the Packers have the ability to get $40.9 million under the salary cap through simple restructures.

That makes things sound simple, but it isn't. Simple restructures involve converting either salary or roster bonuses into prorated signing bonuses that are then disbursed through the contract. To simplify, it takes money that is owed this year and spreads it out through the remainder of the contract.

It's a nice way to clear cap space in the short term. But all it does is delay the inevitable and increase the money they'll owe in subsequent seasons. It's a good crutch for teams that are in win-now mode.

As the Packers start to make decisions about how to get under the cap and address some of the needs they have on the team, they have to understand the goal might not be to win the Super Bowl next year.

Instead, they should be focused on creating future cap flexibility while trying to put together the best roster they can around Jordan Love to find out if he's the quarterback of the future.

In short, it's time to admit that there's a bit of a retooling process going on in Green Bay.