The Green Bay Packers have a philosophy that they always follow. This philosophy hasn’t changed (much) since the days of Ron Wolf. The sphere of influence that Wolf had on the Packers and the Packer Way hasn’t just influenced the decisions of Green Bay, but has also impacted other organizations on their way to success. Because of the success of the Packer Way, Green Bay continues to follow Wolf’s ideas.
Ron Wolf had many “stepping stones” he used to help direct the organization. These “stepping stones” ranged from “Identify What Needs to Be Fixed” to “Play to Your Strengths” to “Staying on Top.” But the “stepping stone” that matters most for our discussion today is “Keeping It Going.”
Packers “Keeping It Going”
This “stepping stone” is one of the most difficult in my opinion, especially when running an NFL team. The career of an NFL player is short. Because of this, a roster has to constantly be turned over. Turnover is necessary to make sure a team is ready to play in current and future seasons.
Of course, this is why “keeping it going” is one of the most difficult things to do. Players can quickly become team and fan favorites, which can make any future separation hurt a ton. Despite the difficulty, separation is a necessary evil to “keep it going.”
Here is an excerpt from Ron Wolf’s book, The Packer Way:
“The Packer Way“
“Inevitably, our personnel evaluations were going to affect veteran players who were heroes in the Green Bay area. We weren’t oblivious to the effect our decisions might have on the world outside our office, yet the bottom line had to be applied to everyone, hero or not. Safety Chuck Cecil, for example, was revered in Green Bay. He had been a Pro Bowl player and had earned a deserved reputation for being tough and hard-nosed. He also missed too many tackles, which became painfully obvious to us during the 1992 season. If Chuck remained a starter, we couldn’t improve. He was a free agent and we chose not to re-sign him, much to the chagrin of the media and fans.”
This wouldn’t be the last time this very situation took place.
As a player ages, their contract number, and therefore their cap hit, increases. At the same time, their abilities on the field start to diminish. It’s important for a team to find that sweet spot when a player is at their peak performance and not destroying the future of the franchise with a terrible cap hit. Because of having to find that sweet spot, Green Bay is extremely predictable when it comes to letting a player go. There is a history that can prove it.
There is always an offseason breakup.
Packers Recent Offseason Breakups
2015-2019
In 2015, the Packers let Pro Bowl corner Tramon Williams walk in free agency. He signed with the Browns, although he did eventually come back to Green Bay in 2018 and in the 2020 playoffs.
Josh Sitton was the one to leave in 2016. Sitton was an All-Pro guard for the Packers and eventually found himself in the Packers Hall of Fame. On September 3, just prior to the regular season, Green Bay cut Sitton. The next day he signed with the Packers long-time rival the Chicago Bears. Former players signing with Packer rivals is a common theme with these breakups.
Future Hall of Famer, Julius Peppers signed with the Packers in the 2014 off-season after the Bears released him. He was an absolute game changer for the Packers and quickly became a Packers fan favorite. Peppers’ contract expired after the 2017 season and the Packers were content on letting him walk due to his age. He signed back with the Panthers.
In 2018, Green Bay surprised everyone by releasing Jordy Nelson. This one hurt a ton. Two days later, Nelson signed with the Raiders.
Clay Matthews found himself as an unrestricted free agent in the 2019 offseason. Many hoped that he would resign back with the Packers but it didn’t seem like he was even given an offer. Green Bay let him walk too. He eventually signed with the Rams.
2020-2024
Bryan Bulaga, Iowa, left in the 2020 offseason. The Packers dominant tackle signed with the Chargers that off-season.
Just like Bulaga, Corey Linsley in the 2021 offseason also signed with the Chargers.
In 2022, Davante Adams had contract negotiations fall apart with Green Bay. The Packers eventually traded Adams to the Raiders.
Jordan Love was drafted in the 2020 NFL draft and when that happened, a timer was set for the end of Aaron Rodgers‘ career in Green Bay. In 2023, that time ran out and Rodgers was traded to the Jets.
Sometimes, there are multiple top notch players let go, which was the case for 2024. David Bakhtiari was released on March 11th, 2024. Later that day, the Packers agreed to a deal with Josh Jacobs and subsequently, Green Bay released Aaron Jones.
Offseason Breakups Will Continue
As you can see, every year, like clockwork, the Green Bay Packers will let a top end player go. Sadly, this has to happen. Look at the players I just mentioned. All of their careers – except for a couple – went down hill quickly. It’s always best to let a player go a year early rather than a year late.
So, who will be let go this off-season? I think it is fairly obvious. Jaire Alexander is on the chopping block for the 2025 offseason. I can take this a step further. I’m positive I can guess who will be let go in 2026. Maybe even a couple of guys. But I won’t say any names. I’m sure with some quick research and some thought, you can figure out who.
Who do you think I’m talking about? Can you make any guesses?
If anybody thinks the Green Bay Packers are in for a boring offseason, then they must not know “the Packer Way.” This roster will continue to be churned over again and again.
Either way and as always,
Go Pack Go!
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Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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The post Packers Have a History of Big Time Offseason Breakups first appeared on PackersTalk.com Blog Posts and Podcasts.