Green Bay’s offense was listless for half the season, and while it’s shown signs of life in recent weeks, it still ranks just 23 rd in points per game (19.6). That hasn’t come close to happening, though. I think we have an opportunity to do it right now.” “I think we’ve got as good a shot as anybody to win a Super Bowl (in 2022). So yeah, I think we’re full forward ahead. “We’re disappointed that we didn’t finish it off the last two years but there’s no reason to think we can’t get right back there and knock on the door and get there. “We’ve got a really good football team,” Gutekunst said. Like any credit card, though, the bill eventually comes due - and the interest payments are a beast.ĭuring the NFL Combine in February, Gutekunst explained why the Packers were re-working contracts and pushing so much money into the future. There was logic to those moves, as the Packers won three straight NFC North titles between 2019-2021, reached the NFC Championship Game in both 20, and won more games than any team in football the past three years. Ball lowered their salary cap hits and pushed the money into the future. Over the past two offseasons, executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball re-worked the contracts of several of Green Bay’s standouts. Now, it appears this could be a lose-lose deal for Green Bay. They mortgaged the future hoping for immediate gratification. Good luck chasing a Super Bowl - or even an NFC North title - with those type of salary cap challenges. What it all means is several of Green Bay’s top players today will be in different uniforms come 2023. Green Bay might also have to restructure - or release - players at the top of its payroll food chain. In all likelihood, the Packers won’t have the salary cap space available to make a competitive offer to most of these players. The Packers will have 16 unrestricted free agents this offseason, including starters such as offensive linemen Elgton Jenkins and Yosh Nijman, safety Adrian Amos, defensive linemen Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed, kicker Mason Crosby, wideout Allen Lazard and tight end Robert Tonyan. That means Green Bay’s roster will be littered with young players, rookie contracts and a good deal of minimum-wage labor - at least by NFL standards. So the Packers will have just $53 million remaining for the final 41 players on the roster. Only the top-51 contracts count against your salary cap.

That means Green Bay’s 10 highest paid players will account for $172 million of salary cap space - or 76.4% of the pie. Green Bay’s next five-highest paid players - outside linebackers Preston Smith ($13M) and Rashan Gary ($10.9M), inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell ($8.25M), safety Darnell Savage ($7.9M) and cornerback Rasul Douglas ($6.77M) - gobble up nearly $47 million of cap space. Just five players - quarterback Aaron Rodgers ($31.6 million), left tackle David Bakhtiari ($29.1M), nose tackle Kenny Clark ($23.9M), running back Aaron Jones ($20M) and cornerback Jaire Alexander ($20M) - will account for roughly $125 million, or 55.6% of the Packers’ 2023 salary cap.

According to - a website that breaks down contracts, salaries and salary cap situations of professional teams - the Packers will enter the offseason about $2.3 million over the projected salary cap of $225 million.

Packers rumors 2022