Packers should embrace youth movement in 2023
The Green Bay Packers are at a crossroads: To rebuild or run it back in 2023? That is the question.
General manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t appear to have any appetite for a rebuild in their season-ending press conferences. Neither does quarterback Aaron Rodgers who is still deciding whether he wants to return in 2023.
In Rodgers’ weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee show, he shared some thoughts about returning and what constitutes a rebuild. He mentioned that he would like to continue playing with Marcedes Lewis, Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard, Robert Tonyan and David Bakhtiari. All of those players except Bakhtiari are free agents this offseason.
Despite Aaron Rodgers wanting the Green Bay Packers to bring back several veterans, the franchise should embrace a youth movement.
Green Bay doesn’t have to turn its back on all of its veterans, but it should look to younger players to fill voids and play bigger roles in 2023 and beyond.
The Packers have clung to the version of this team that made back-to-back NFC Championship games in 2019 and 2020, but haven’t won a playoff game since. It’s time for a youth movement.
A youth movement, AKA rebuilding, doesn’t have to be a long and painful process. The Packers quickly went through one when they transitioned to Rodgers as their quarterback in 2008. After going 13-3 the previous season, they went 6-10 with Rodgers at the helm, before righting their ways and becoming a playoff contender once again.
For example, Lewis would be a great mentor for a rookie tight end, teaching him to be successful on and off the field. Lazard, however, wants too much money, isn’t as productive as he should be for that price, and blocks playing time for up-and-coming receivers such as Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. He’s a guy the Packers should move on from.
The Packers’ salary cap is also a mess and needs to be cleaned up if they want any chance of bringing in new talent in the future. Instead of continuing to kick the can down the road, they should bite the bullet for one or two seasons, clear space, and move forward with a clear conscience and book.
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These are difficult decisions, especially for the guys who have to be in the locker room every day for a year or two during a youth movement. However, if they truly believe in Jordan Love, now is the time to give him a chance, make difficult decisions, and embrace the unknown.