3 Packers Playing for Their Futures as the Season Winds Down

Entering the final three weeks of the NFL season, the Green Bay Packers are technically still trying to clinch a playoff spot. They have several ways to do so in Week 16, the easiest being a win over the New Orleans Saints.

As their team prepares for another postseason run, some individuals are playing for their future as the season winds down. Here are three Packers with one eye on the team goal and one eye on their futures after the season.

1. Eric Stokes

Eric Stokes' NFL journey has been anything but smooth. The former first-round pick flashed potential as a rookie, with sticky coverage skills and the kind of speed that could keep him in a starting role for years.

Fast forward to now, and the Packers’ decision to decline his fifth-year option for 2025 looms over his future. Stokes is set to hit unrestricted free agency next offseason.

Green Bay didn’t entertain extension talks last offseason — how could they? Stokes was coming off two injury-riddled years, his promising trajectory derailed by a combination of misfortune and inconsistency. This season, finally healthy, he’s struggled to regain his form.

The film doesn’t lie: Stokes has been a target magnet. Opposing quarterbacks don’t just test him; they actively hunt him. His coverage breakdowns are glaring, and his inability to make a play on the ball since his rookie season underscores the steep decline.

With Jaire Alexander nursing an injury, Stokes remains in the rotation, if only out of necessity. The snaps are there, but so is the scrutiny. Every rep doubles as a tryout—not just for the Packers, but for any team willing to take a chance on a once-promising cornerback.