The Green Bay Packers off-season has gotten off to a fiery start. A series of moves have been made, and they’ve given the fan base an array of feelings. Some good, some bad, it’s been quite the roller coaster week for Packers fans.
At the end of the day, most moves were made for the betterment of the franchise. Even if might take some time to reap the benefits, still – these moves had to be done, sooner rather than later. Jordan Love’s window before getting a massive contract isn’t huge, so the team might be in win now AND rebuild mode over the next 2 years.
Here are the moves ranked in order of how well they (seemingly) work it for the Packers, short term and long term.
6. The Green Bay Packers Losing Aaron Jones To The Vikings Hurts
This move sucks. Point, blank, period. Did it have to be done? Maybe, but considering some of the other moves that the team has done since it stings bad. In some people’s view, it was unnecessary.
That’s especially true given what transpired after Aaron signed with the Vikings. Perhaps the Packer’s biggest rival (the 49ers stink too), fans are still in mourning over this set of moves. It’s easily the worst move of the off-season, and perhaps the biggest betrayal since Brett Favre went to the same team.
5. Releasing De’vondre Campbell
This move doesn’t hurt that bad, which is a sign of a solid off-season. Campbell was certainly good, racking up a lot of tackles and turnovers as a Packer. He helped bring consistency to a run defense that was embarrassing for a few years.
At the end of the day, the Packers did what they had to do and cut him for cap space. With new DC Jeff Hafley coming into the fold, letting Campbell go might have been a part of his master plan anyway. We’ll see how it goes, but for now, it’s a neutral move for money.
4. Releasing David Bahktiari For Cap Space
This move hurts at face value, but for the health and optimism for the team’s short-term future, it definitely was the right move.
Cutting Bahktiari helped save $19 million and allowed the franchise to sign some players. Considering David has missed a lot of time over the last few years, it was just the right move. No fans are bitter about it, although there is a “what could have been” somewhere in there for the fans to chew on.
3. Bringing Back AJ Dillon
This move isn’t the sexiest pick, especially given Dillon’s 3.4 yards per carry last year. With that being said, Packers fans wouldn’t have been able to handle losing another of the team’s most beloved and popular players in one season.
It also gives Dillon a chance to redeem himself. He and Josh Jacobs will aim to bounce back from their worst season, and they’ll hopefully do so behind a revamped line.
2. Signing Xavier McKinney
Finally, an exciting and potentially franchise-altering move! Maybe that’s a reach, but it’s certainly the first win-win move the team made on this list.
McKinney has star potential. He can play in both deep zone and the box and can be the type of safety Jeff Hafley wants to build his 4-3 man defense around.
1. Signing Josh Jacobs
The Packers had a potential all-time great RB duo in Jacobs and Jones for about 2 hours. The team signed the 2022 rushing leader for $48 million total.
Jacobs is a physical back who isn’t quite as impactful as Aaron Jones when it comes to catching passes. With that being said, Josh is truly a top-tier running back that defenses will fear and game plan against, opening up the passing game for Jordan Love.