A critical NFL free agency is almost here for the Green Bay Packers. Following an 11-6 season but a one-and-done playoff, general manager Brian Gutekunst used the phrase “sense of urgency” about the upcoming season.
The urgency needs to start at the top after a season in which the Packers went 0-6 against the Lions, Vikings and Eagles and almost went 0-6 in the NFC North.
Here are five offseason moves (or budget-friendly fallbacks) that would help get the Packers back on a Super Bowl trajectory.
Trade for WR DK Metcalf
Davante Adams or DK Metcalf? That is the question of the offseason.
Adams, a 32-year-old, three-time All-Pro who was released by the Jets, is going to be expensive, but at least there would be no trade compensation. Metcalf, a 28-year-old, zero-time All-Pro, is going to be incredibly expensive and will cost a premium draft pick (or two) to acquire from Seattle.
To that, I say, who cares?
Metcalf is in the prime of his career. The Packers have done well drafting quality receivers with second-round picks. So, give the Seahawks a second and a fourth and get a premier playmaker for the next three or four seasons.
Adams remains a legit No. 1 receiver but Metcalf fits what the Packers want to do. Quarterback Jordan Love loves to air it out. He’s got a big-time arm, and his big-play mentality fits with coach Matt LaFleur’s style. Metcalf led the NFL with 16 receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield in 2024. Because of his elite size and speed, he’d create all sorts of room for Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft to do their thing. Plus, in six seasons, he missed only three games.
Things can change in a mere phone call, but my feeling is the interest in Metcalf is genuine and the interest in Adams is media-driven.
Plan B: The free-agent crop of receivers is bad. The big-name receivers are old and everyone else is mediocre. Darius Slayton isn’t a No. 1 by any definition but he averaged 15.0 yards per catch in six seasons with the Giants. He’d be a decent fallback plan if the price is just too high for Adams or Metcalf. If that’s the case, don’t be shocked if this is the year of the first-round receiver.
Re-Sign DT TJ Slaton
The Eagles’ Milton Williams isn’t going to break the bank. He’s going to own it. He’s arguably the best free agent in the entire class. Jonathan Allen (released by the Commanders) and Javon Hargrave (released by the 49ers) would be helpful.
Floating under the radar is TJ Slaton, who started all 17 games in 2023 and again in 2024. He was an anchor of one of the NFL’s best run defenses.
Plan B: The draft and/or a run-stopping budget player like the Bengals’ B.J. Hill or the Broncos’ D.J. Jones.
Re-Sign C Josh Myers
No, Josh Myers isn’t the best center in the NFL. No, he’s not the best center in free agency. (That’s the Falcons’ undersized but uber-athletic Drew Dalman.) But he’s a competent starter at a position in which trust is vital, and Myers has earned trust for how he handles things at the line of scrimmage as well as his professionalism.
The price has to be right, obviously. The problem, however, in letting him go is you have to replace him. The Packers already are short on depth on the offensive line. Moving Elgton Jenkins to center and inserting Jordan Morgan at guard would provide a competent starting five but with the same troublesome depth that led to their demise in the playoffs.
Plan B: If Myers is too expensive, maybe the Colts’ Ryan Kelly could be a stopgap. Kelly, who will turn 32 in May, is a four-time Pro Bowler (as recently as 2023) but has missed 10 games the last two years.
Sign CB Paulson Adebo
It’s an interesting group of cornerbacks in free agency. The Vikings’ Byron Murphy, who led all NFL cornerbacks in interceptions, would be a great fit but is going to get a truckload of dollars. The 49ers’ Charvarius Ward would be a great fit but will turn 29 during OTAs. D.J. Reed, historically, is too short. Carlton Davis is more of a man corner.
The Chargers’ Asante Samuel, a second-round pick in 2021, fits as a young, playmaking zone corner, but he missed most of the season with a shoulder injury and isn’t a good tackler. The Saints’ Paulson Adebo, a third-round pick in 2021, missed most of last season with a broken leg.
At 6-foot-1, Adebo would bring needed size to the secondary. In 52 career games, he has 10 interceptions and 43 passes defensed, including seven interceptions and 28 passes defensed in 22 games the past two seasons. He’ll turn 26 in July, which is the sweet spot for Gutekunst’s forays into free agency.
Plan B: Kristian Fulton, who was a second-round pick by the Titans in 2020, had one interception and seven passes defensed in 15 games (14 starts) with the Chargers. He allowed 100-plus passer ratings each of the last three years, according to PFF, but he’s 6-foot and will turn 27 before Week 1. Rasul Douglas is at his best in zone coverage, and the Packers know all about his playmaking history. With 14 interceptions from 2021 through 2023 but zero in 2024, he will turn 30 at the end of training camp.
Sign DE Dayo Odeyingbo
Bengals star Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL in sacks, is available but would cost a king’s ransom in a trade. The Eagles’ Josh Sweat is going to get paid an enormous amount of money for a player with 43 sacks in seven seasons and only one season of more than eight.
Joey Bosa is available after being released by the Chargers but has started only 18 games the past three seasons. The Chargers’ Khalil Mack will turn 34 before Week 1. The Raiders’ Malcolm Koonce missed all of 2024 with a knee injury.
A more likely target would be Dayo Odeyingbo, who might have been a first-round pick in 2021 if not for a torn Achilles sustained before the Senior Bowl. A second-round pick instead, he missed the first seven games of his rookie season because of the injury but enters free agency having played in 61 consecutive games.
He had a breakout 2023 season with eight sacks and 17 quarterback hits as a backup. In 14 starts in 2024, he had only three sacks but once again had 17 quarterback hits.
Odeyingbo will turn 26 in September and fits the mold as a young, ascending player. At 6-foot-6 and 286 pounds, he’s got the size to set the edge at end or move inside to tackle on passing downs.
Plan B: If the price is too high, Joseph Ossai was a third-round pick by the Bengals in 2021. He had career highs of five sacks and 15 quarterback hits in 2024. He’s got the size (6-foot-4, 263 pounds) and upside (will turn 25 in April) but has started only three games.
Matt Judon had 12.5 sacks in 2021 and 15.5 sacks in 2022 but a total of 9.5 sacks the past two seasons. He’ll turn 33 during training camp but played in New England under Green Bay’s new defensive line coach, DeMarcus Covington. So did Deatrich Wise, who will turn 31 at the start of camp. He has only 34 sacks in eight seasons, including five in 15 games last year.
Chase Young, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 draft, Azeez Ojulari, a second-round pick in 2021, and Harold Landry, a Pro Bowler in 2019, could be more budget-friendly options as designated pass rushers. Young put up excellent pressure numbers with the Saints in 2024. Ojulari had eight sacks as a rookie and six in 2024. Landry, released by the Titans on Friday, had 31.5 sacks in his past three seasons.