Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst is very often criticized by his own fan base. After all, the decision to trade Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets was not, at the time, a popular one. Jordan Love, whom he was heavily criticized by fans and the media for selecting in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, was not a proven NFL quarterback when the team sent Rodgers packing.
And to be fair, not all of Gutekunst’s picks in recent NFL drafts have worked out. Indeed, the 2021 draft, which saw Eric Stokes taken in the first round, Josh Myers in the second, and Amari Cooper in the third, was not his best work. Of all the players taken by Green Bay that year, Stokes, Myers, TJ Slaton, and Isaiah McDuffie are the only ones who remain, and there is a good chance none of them get a second contract with the Packers.
But the Love pick, and the Rodgers trade, sure do look like great moves in hindsight. What is more, Gutekunst was able to take the oldest team in the NFL, transform it into the youngest, and still make the postseason two years in a row.
Today, three players who most recently were three of his most noteworthy contract decisions made the Pro Bowl, proving his value to the organization.
1. The Green Bay Packers Needed a Safety, so Brian Gutekunst Got Xavier McKinney
Tork Mason
Last year, the Packers had one of the worst safety rooms in the NFL. Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, and Jonathan Owens left a lot to be desired at the position.
So Gutekunst went out and signed the best safety on the free agent market in Xavier McKinney. He also devoted three of his picks in the 2024 NFL Draft to the position, selecting Javon Bullard, Evan Williams, and Kitan Oladipo.
McKinney has been, arguably, the best safety in the NFL this season, with seven interceptions and 10 passes defended. He was named as the Packers’ lone Pro Bowl starter on Thursday morning, proving that Gutekunst made the right call in bringing him into Green Bay.
2. Green Bay Packers Running Back Josh Jacobs Had Big Shoes to Fill
There have been very players as universally beloved in recent Packers history as former running back Aaron Jones. As good of a person as he is a football player, Green Bay’s decision to release Jones was only reluctantly accepted without much anger from fans because of who Gutekunst brought in to replace him: Josh Jacobs.
Before even taking the field for the Packers, Jacobs was out in the community, doing his best to not only fill the immense hole left by Jones’ departure, but to create his own connection.
On the field, well, Jacobs has had one of the five-best single seasons by a Packers running back in franchise history with 295 carries for 1,285 yards and 14 touchdowns.
He was named to his third career Pro Bowl on Thursday morning.
3. Green Bay Packers Pass Rusher Rashan Gary Made His First Pro Bowl
When Gutekunst select Rashan Gary in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, many criticized the decision because of his injury history. When Gary didn’t play as much as fans expected a first round pick to play, well, there was even more crticism.
And when the Packers gave Gary that massive contract extension without his recording a double-digit sack season, there were even more questions.
The fact of the matter, though, is that very few players carry the G like Gary does. A staunch defender of his teammates (especially Love) and a pillar of the community, he does a great deal off the field for which he does not get the credit he deserves.
On the field, he is often the one double-teamed by opposing offenses because his abilities are so difficult for a single offensive lineman to counter. He was named to his first Pro Bowl today, selected partially by fans, but mostly by his peers in the NFL, other players and coaches.
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