It is NFL Combine Week. Beyond the obvious benefits of information about potential draftees, it is also a chance to hear from most teams general managers. Brian Gutekunst was no exception. While his answers remained generic, there is definitely things to take from his comments about how the Packers will approach the offseason.
Will Jaire Alexander be with Green Bay in 2025?
Jaire is under contract for another two years. For Gutekunst to be speaking in these kind of terms the writing seems on the wall. I would be surprised at this point if Alexander was a Packer come next season. Now the question becomes whether they simply cut him, or if they can salvage some value from him via trade.
While I personally would rather have him then not, if Gute can include him in a trade for a pass rusher, or even for a draft pick I think he likely does it. This actually leads us to the next thing he said.
Do the Packers intend on adding more picks?
This is actually the most straight forward he was with anything. And it’s backed up by history. Since taking over in 2018 there has not been a single year that the Packers haven’t made a trade during the draft. What does remain a question is whether those trades will be to move up or down. While it obviously depends on how free agency plays out, I would anticipate him looking to trade down. Especially if he opts for his usual strategy of spending multiple picks on a position group he feels needs attention. What group could that be?
By all accounts this is a deep draft for the defensive line. While Gutekunst mentioned expecting more from Lukas Van Ness this year, these comments would indicate that he saw what the Eagles did in the Super Bowl, and wants to try his absolute best to emulate that defensive strategy.
Does hosting the draft impact the Packers strategy?
One idea that kept popping up in the last few weeks is that Gutekunst may not have the ability/permission to trade the teams first round pick with the draft being held in Green Bay this year. While I personally think that idea is absurd, it apparently picked up enough steam that he felt as though it needed addressing.
Again, if the team actually considered letting this affect their overall strategy, everybody involved should be fired. Thankfully it appears as though the Packers will continue to handle thing as they normally have.
In addition, given what we previously discussed, would Gutekunst’s desire for more draft capital preclude him from making a move with that pick to add a veteran? A pass rusher perhaps?
“Depends who that edge rusher would be”
This offseason has the potential to be the most important one of Gutekunsts tenure to this point. He has managed to reset the team from the end of the Rodgers era. He has loaded the roster with young talent. Now he has money to spend and a team on the cusp, what he does these next few months could have ramifications on the franchise for years to come. I absolutely can’t wait to see how this plays out.
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