As the Green Bay Packers prepare for the upcoming NFL free agency period, it appears that their direction is being made clear. Aaron Rodgers has now officially met in person with the New York Jets and will likely not be back with Green Bay in 2023. That means the franchise will move forward with Jordan Love under center, which offers the fan base a ton of excitement about the future.
Moving on from Rodgers to Love gives the team a few different avenues they could explore. If they think Love is capable of keeping the team competitive in the NFC, they could continue to be aggressive in adding to the roster. Or, they could simply build through the draft and acquiring young talent to compete in a couple of years.
With that in mind, there are a few free agency strategies the Packers could have. We’re going to assume that they want to remain competitive moving forward and would like to add win-now talent around Love.
Who Is The Packers’ Realistic Dream Free Agency Target?
Bleacher Report recently took a look at who the realistic free agency target would be for each NFL team. When it came to the Packers, they decided on Kansas City Chiefs’ free agent wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Either way, JuJu Smith-Schuster makes a lot of sense for the Packers. The former Pro Bowler went to Kansas City on a one-year deal to prove his worth. He did just that with 78 catches for 933 yards and three touchdowns. He was key in helping the Chiefs reform their passing attack after trading away Tyreek Hill.
With the Packers, he could work the slot and become a reliable cog in a passing attack that needed reliability last season.
Smith-Schuster was floated around as a potential free agency target last offseason. Obviously, he ended up with the Chiefs and he was able to prove that he is still capable of being a big-time weapon.
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During the 2022 season with the Chiefs, Smith-Schuster ended up catching 78 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t find the end zone a lot, but that is hard to do with a red-zone weapon like Travis Kelce. Smith-Schuster showed off his ability to be an elite possession wide receiver.
At 26 years of age, Smith-Schuster would be able to fit both avenues the Packers could pursue. He would be able to help the team win now and be a piece long-term to build around.
Expect to see the Packers be extremely aggressive this offseason. They may not be aggressive in the terms of pursuing a superstar, but they will look to add to the roster. Even with Love likely replacing Rodgers, Green Bay will want to compete and they have enough pieces in place to continue pursuing that goal.
