PHOENIX — No storyline is bigger in Green Bay right now than the transition at quarterback, and Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love were the main topics of conversation when Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur spoke with reporters this week at the NFL’s annual league meeting.
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There came a time when there wasn’t much, if anything, left to ask about the quarterbacks, though, in LaFleur’s case because he refused to go into much detail about the situation.
Gutekunst and LaFleur discussed a variety of other relevant topics as the organization prepares for the draft in less than a month, the most notable of which are outlined below.
New backup QB
With Rodgers on his way out and Love taking over, the Packers will need a new No. 2 quarterback. The Packers have three options: sign a veteran free agent, draft someone to develop behind Love or elevate Danny Etling, who spent last season on the practice squad.
“I think it would be nice to have someone who has some experience,” Gutekunst said. “We have a lot of respect for Danny and what he’s done and would be very comfortable with him in the two spot, but I think we’ll look at a lot of different options. Back when Aaron took over in 2008, I think it was Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn who we drafted that year and they were our backups, so I think we’ll kind of see how that works itself out.”
Here are the most notable quarterbacks who remain unsigned: Teddy Bridgewater, Carson Wentz, Mason Rudolph, Blaine Gabbert, Trevor Siemian and Brian Hoyer, not exactly the most inspiring crop to choose from.
“I think you can go a couple different ways with it, to be honest,” LaFleur said. “You can try to get a veteran in here that’s done it and can help because I think it’s always important, obviously the relationships in that room. I think it’s important for a quarterback to have another quarterback and player to lean on in some of those times, especially when you’re going through a little adversity. I think you can go that route. If you fall in love with somebody in the draft, you can draft a young guy. There’s a lot of different ways to do it. I’ve been a part of a lot of different quarterback rooms, so I just think you gotta try to figure it out and get the best guy available.”
The Packers are high on Jordan Love as they usher in a new starting QB, but Matt LaFleur understands the immediate reality.
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Uncertainty at kicker
Mason Crosby, who hasn’t missed a game in the regular season or playoffs since the Packers drafted him in 2007, remains unsigned. He’ll turn 39 before the season starts and has lost a little juice in his right leg, even though his 56-yard field goal in Week 17 last season set the Lambeau Field franchise record for longest made kick.
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As it stands, Parker White is the only kicker on Green Bay’s roster. The 24-year-old former South Carolina kicker will assuredly face competition during the offseason, but it sounded less like that competition will come from Crosby when Gutekunst addressed the position this week than at the combine last month.
“Any new kicker, that’s gonna be tough for those guys,” Gutekunst said at the combine of kicking in clutch conditions at Lambeau Field. “That takes time and Mason has that. He has that experience and stuff. I think you’ll see a stronger leg and a different power in his leg on kickoffs this coming year just because he won’t be coming off that surgery.”
“We’ll never close the door,” Gutekunst then said of Crosby this week. “We’ll kind of see where that goes. Mason is the all-time leading scorer in this franchise’s history. He had a good year this past year. Again, we’re limited a little bit financially, but we’d never say never.”
Crosby is a career 81.4-percent field-goal kicker and is coming off a season in which he made 25 of 29 field goals with an improved operation around him after going 25-for-34 in 2021. However, Crosby went 1-for-4 on field goals of at least 50 yards, his most such misses since 2012.
Back-tiari
The Packers recently restructured the contract of left tackle David Bakhtiari, ensuring that the five-time All-Pro selection will be back in 2023 to protect Love’s blindside. If there was any lingering thought that Bakhtiari might be part of a package with Rodgers sent to the Jets, Gutekunst put an end to that this week.
“Dave’s been through a couple years of real tough struggles, but when he played for us last year, we were a different offensive line, a different team,” the GM said. “He really was impactful when he was able to go. I’m really hopeful that he’s beyond the injury thing. I think he really got into a nice groove of how to get into the week of practice to get to the games. Left tackles don’t grow on trees. He’s still playing at a very, very high level. So we’re excited to get him back.”
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Bisaccia’s promotion
After helping revitalize Green Bay’s special teams last season, Rich Bisaccia earned a promotion to assistant head coach/special teams coordinator and will return for his second season with the Packers despite being a finalist for the Colts’ head-coaching vacancy.
Sitting in the same room as the 16 NFC head coaches, LaFleur said Bisaccia could very well be manning his own table at the head coach’s breakfast.
“I think there’s a lot to learn from Rich Bisaccia,” LaFleur said. “We are so fortunate to have him. I personally think he’s one of those guys that should be here right now. I think he’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around, just how he’s able to coach guys really hard and these guys will run through a brick wall for him because they know he cares about the man. He always talks about coaching the jersey number and I think that’s a great way to put it. That’s a great way to kind of differentiate the player from the performer out there on the grass. I just can’t say enough great things about him. Somebody, if given the opportunity, I think they’d hit the lotto with this guy.”
Aaron Rodgers said he wished the Packers would've had direct conversations with him about moving on.
Brian Gutekunst says he tried "many times" this offseason to talk to Rodgers about his future, but Rodgers didn't respond.
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— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) March 28, 2023
Tweaks in the secondary
After former Packers defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Jerry Gray took an assistant head coach job with the Falcons, LaFleur filled the vacancy with Greg Williams, who had served as the Cardinals cornerbacks coach the last four seasons.
Williams now holds the title of defensive passing game coordinator in Green Bay, where he’ll be tasked with getting much more out of a Packers secondary that underwhelmed last season.
“You always hear me talking about hiring the man first, the coach second,” LaFleur said of Williams. “I think he’s an unbelievable person. He had familiarity with (defensive coordinator) Joe (Barry) with the Chargers and Rich was there and (assistant special teams coach) Byron Storer, they were all on that staff together with the Chargers. I’d never met Greg prior to the interview process, but I thought he had a great teaching progression, a great teaching plan and just knocked the interview out. Just overall communication with everybody, I think we have to be super-detailed in the back end. Certainly losing a great coach like “OG” (Gray) isn’t easy, but I was happy to see him get an opportunity in Atlanta to be the assistant head coach, so excited for Jerry and appreciative of all that he’s contributed to our success.”
LaFleur added that after experimenting with cornerback Rasul Douglas at nickelback last season, the Packers concluded that outside corner is Douglas’ best position and that’s where he’ll start out next season.
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“I do think, for us, he’s best when he’s on the outside and mixing up and playing bump and playing with vision,” LaFleur said. “He’ does a great job of being able to read quick game and read the quarterback, allows him to break on balls, and he knows what receivers are going to run based on their splits, their route stems, which allows him to jump some routes.”
Darnell Savage Jr. will start at safety after being used partially in the slot last season and Keisean Nixon, the Packers’ first-team All-Pro kick returner, will be given “every opportunity to lock down” the nickel spot.
As for 2021 first-round pick Eric Stokes, who suffered season-ending injuries to his ankle and knee against the Lions in Week 9 last season …
“Certainly try to get Stokes back as soon as possible and it’s going to be a competitive situation,” LaFleur said. “It might be a situation where you see three different guys in there at various times. They’re going to have to earn their snaps, but I do believe in competition. I’m a big believer it brings out the best in everybody, so I’m excited to see how that room progresses, especially with some new voices in there.”
(Photo of Mason Crosby: Benny Sieu / USA Today)
