Brian Gutekunst has been more aggressive than Ted Thompson since taking over as general manager from his longtime colleague in 2018. He spent nearly $200 million on free agents three years ago, and he’s been more willing to acquire veterans during the season. But Gutekunst hasn’t been nearly as bold as Ron Wolf, the Hall of Fame GM who hired him in 1998. It’s time for the pupil to start acting more like the teacher and do whatever’s necessary to win a Super Bowl.
There’s really no reason for Gutekunst to worry about three or four years from now because star quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ massive $150 million extension all but guarantees some down seasons after he departs. For example, the team would be carrying nearly $70 million of dead money in 2024 should the back-to-back MVP and future first-ballot Hall of Famer decide to call it a career at the age of 40. Even with the expected substantial increases in the salary cap, there’s almost no way to build a competitive roster under those conditions. Not to mention the Packers probably won’t possess a quarterback of the future since Jordan Love will either be traded or leave as a free agent before Rodgers retires.
Gutekunst must do everything humanely possible to bring another Lombardi Trophy to Green Bay in the next year or two, and that means doing more than just retaining as many starters as possible from teams that fell short of the Super Bowl the past two seasons despite winning 13 games and earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Gutekunst needs to add another impactful player to the roster – somebody who could help make next January different from the previous Januarys.
Wolf did just that when he traded for Pro Bowl free safety Eugene Robinson prior to the 1996 season. The Packers had come frustratingly close to getting to the Super Bowl the previous few years, but they couldn’t quite get over the hump. Robinson provided just what the doctor ordered. His leadership, intelligence, and playmaking ability pulled everything together on defense and helped turn a good unit into a great one. Ironically, there’s a similar player available in free agency.
Three-time Pro Bowl free safety Tyrann Mathieu remained unsigned as of early Monday morning. The “Honey Badger” could do for the defense in 2022 what Robinson did for that unit in 1996. He’d bring incredible leadership, and more importantly, he’d be a major upgrade over Darnell Savage. The former No. 1 pick from Maryland regressed in the second half of last season, and while he could still be a good player in the future, the future has to be right now for the Packers.
I mentioned Mathieu because he reminds me so much of Robinson, but the impact player could be anyone at any position. Gutekunst just needs to be willing to do something bold, and to be honest, out of character. Wolf signed defensive end Reggie White and traded for Robinson, quarterback Brett Favre, and tight end Keith Jackson. Even the usually conservative Thompson signed corner Charles Woodson. Those were bold moves, and each one contributed in a major way to a championship. There’s a big-time player out there for Gutekunst. He just needs the cojones to go and get him.
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That would be a heck of an addition. I was hoping GB would check in on Fletcher Cox as a Santana Dotson type for the d line.
I’m hoping GB hangs onto their extra picks and uses them on a rookie that makes an instant impact. Gute has missed on late picks but his early ones (Josh Jackson aside) have been great.
I agree that Gutekunst has done a very good job in the early rounds, although you conveniently forgot about Love.
It ain’t hard to draft in the first and second rounds. Just like signing expensive top tier FAs. Gutey has been so bad after the 2nd round having all these picks scares the living shit out of me.
With the said, I was so happy to hear he pulled the trigger and traded Adams. It kept the defense together sans ZSmith, but they don’t need him. That’s what I’m excited most about.
I hope a bold move is in the cards, but I’m not holding my breath. I think it’s going to be heavy run offense. I see the draft loading up on DL and OL, with the obvious need for a 3 edge rusher.
It’s such a shame Allen Robinson signed with the Rams!!!!! Gutey can’t even handle a big time trade right LOL.
In addition to the Honey Badger, Gute should be looking at a vet WR, a vet DL (I saw an article today saying there are still 12 or so good D-linemen out there), and maybe a vet TE. That will also allow Gute to truly look at BPA in the draft.
Intriguing idea about signing Matthieu. Strange that he hasn’t signed anywhere yet. Is that a money issue or what? If Gutey were to sign him I would think that would put Savage down in the slot, which I’ve thought was a compelling thought since I read Dougherty suggest that.
I’m wondering if the “splash” though will happen through the draft – wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Gutey get jumpy and trade to, say, the 10th pick to get the best WR in the draft. I don’t have much of a sense for the WR class – the little I’ve read suggests there’s no clear top-tier WR in this draft.