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Can Packers make a splash in free agency? Aaron Jones?

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Brian Gutekunst

The Green Bay Packers still have to cut more than $12.5 million just to get under the adjusted $180 million salary cap before the start of the new NFL year, they’ll need to go beyond that if they hope to make any moves in free agency, including bringing back any of their own, such as Aaron Jones and/or Corey Linsley to name two.

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst spoke with reporters via zoom on Tuesday.  Certainly a long term deal with Jones would be considerably better for the salary cap, but he didn’t rule out using a tag on Jones.

The last time the Packers used the franchise tag was in 2010, on nose tackle Ryan Pickett.  Losing Jones, without exploring every opportunity to keep him, would be a mistake.

Jones is tied for second in the league the last two years with 30 total touchdowns.  His 5.17 yards per carry career average [Read more…]

Houston releases J.J. Watt, Could Packers be next?

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Former Wisconsin Badger standout J.J. Watt asked the Houston Texans for his release and it was granted today, ending a 10-year run in Houston.

Watt broke the news in a 2-minute video on Twitter Friday morning.

“I came here 10 years ago as a kid from Wisconsin who never really been to Texas before and now I can’t imagine my life without Texas in it,” Watt said.

Watt is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and was named the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2017 for his humanitarian work after Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area.  He set out to raise $200,000 to help out and by the time he was done, the total collected was $41.6 million. [Read more…]

Rodgers wins third MVP Award

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Aaron Rodgers (File Photo)

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the favorite to win the NFL’s MVP award on Saturday, so the announcement was not a surprise.  In fact, the only surprise came when he announced that he got engaged during the season.

Rodgers received 44 of the 50 votes conducted by a nationwide panel of media members, becoming just the sixth player to be named the NFL’s MVP at least three times.  He also captured the honor in 2011 and 2014.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen received four votes and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes earned two votes.

Rodgers led the Packers to a 13-3 record, leading the NFL with 48 touchdown passes and just five interceptions.  Rodgers became just the third quarterback in NFL history to lead the league in both categories.  Tom Brady did in in 2010 and Johnny Unitas did it in 1958.

The 37-year-old Packers quarterback completed over 70 percent of his passes for 4,299 yards.  His 48 touchdown passes nearly doubled his total from his first season in Matt LaFleur’s offense, when he threw 26 touchdown passes.

Rodgers joins Brett Favre, Jim Brown, Brady and Unitas as three-time winners.  Peyton Manning has five MVP awards.

Tennessee’s Derrick Henry won the Offensive Player of the Year award.  Aaron Donald of the Rams is the Defensive Player of the Year.  The Chargers Justin Herbert was named Offensive rookie of the year, while Washington’s Chase Young won the Defensive honor.  Cleveland’s Kevin Stefanski was named the Coach of the Year and Washington’s Alex Smith captured the Comeback Player of the Year award.

 

 

 

 

Packers season comes to an end in NFC Championship

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After working all season to secure a first round playoff bye and home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, the Green Bay Packers season came to an end in the NFC Championship game, falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-26 on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Tom Brady threw for 280 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions and will play in his 10th Super Bowl in two weeks, this time on his own home field in Tampa.  Brady will be in search of his seventh Super Bowl title.  To get there, the Bucs had to beat three division winners, including the Packers on Sunday.

The Buccaneers (14-5) will face the Kansas City Chiefs (16-2) on Feb. 7 in Super Bowl 55.  No team has ever played in a Super Bowl on their own home field before.

The Packers (14-4) picked a bad time to play their worst game of the season, seeing their seven-game winning streak come to an end. [Read more…]

Ted Thompson passed away at age 68 (AUDIO)

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Ted Thompson at 2019 Hall of Fame Ceremony – WRN Photo

One of the great architects in Green Bay Packers history, Ted Thompson passed away on Wednesday night, just days after his 68th birthday.

With Thompson as the teams general manager, the Packers compiled an overall regular season record of 125-82-1.  The Packers also made the playoffs nine times during his 13-year tenure, posting a 10-8 postseason record.  It included four NFC Championship games (2007, 2010, 2014 and 2016) and a 2010 Super Bowl victory.

When Thompson took over, his very first draft pick in 2005 was Aaron Rodgers (24th overall).  That pick put the Packers in the competitive drivers seat for years to come.

“I’ll never forget your loyalty,” said Aaron Rodgers during a prerecorded video at Thompson’s 2019 Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  “I’m going to always be thankful for the time I had to spend with you, and the fact that you took a chance on a [Read more…]

Packers get rematch with Tampa Bay in NFC Championship

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Lambeau Field

The Green Bay Packers will face Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Sunday’s NFC Championship game (2:05 p.m) at Lambeau Field.

Brady threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score as the Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints 30-20 in the NFC Divisional playoffs in New Orleans.

The Packers advanced on Saturday with a 32-18 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

The Packers and Bucs met earlier this season, a week six matchup that saw the Bucs blow out Green Bay 38-10 in Tampa.

Green Bay and Tampa Bay have met once previously in the postseason.  The Packers beat the Bucs in the 1997 NFC [Read more…]

Packers one win away from Super Bowl

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8,456 fans at Lambeau Field on Saturday

Aaron Rodgers passed for 296 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 32-18 win over the Los Angeles Rams, advancing to next Sunday’s NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field.

It’s Rodgers fifth appearance in the NFC title game, but the first at Lambeau Field.  It’s also the second time in two years that Matt LaFleur has led the Packers to the NFC Championship game.  The Packers lost last years NFC title game 37-20 to San Francisco.

The Packers used all three of their running backs on Saturday.  With the Rams trying to take Davante Adams away, the Packers used a heavy ground attack to rush for 188 yards on 36 carries, a 5.2 yards per carry average with two touchdowns.

Aaron Jones led the way with 99 yards on 14 carries and a score.  Jamal Williams added 65 yards on 12 carries and A.J. [Read more…]

Six Packers named All-Pro

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Six Green Bay Packers players were named to the Associated Press All-Pro team on Friday, including QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Davante Adams, T David Bakhtiari and C Corey Linsley named to the first team.

Linebacker Za’Darius Smith and cornerback Jaire Alexander were also named second team All-Pro.

The four first-team selections are the most the Packers have had since 1967, which is the last year the Packers had two offensive linemen make the first team (Forrest Gregg and Kerry Kramer).

It’s the fourth All-Pro selection for Rodger, who was previously voted first-team All-Pro in 2011, 2012 and 2014.  He started all 16 games and completed 372 of 526 passes (70.7%) for 4,299 yards and 48 touchdowns with only five interceptions.  His 121.5 passer rating is the second-best single-season mark in NFL history behind only his own 122.5 rating in 2011. [Read more…]

Hackett gets interview with Falcons (AUDIO)

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Nathaniel Hackett

Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett interviewed virtually for the Atlanta Falcons vacant head-coaching job on Thursday.

Hackett overseas a Packers offense that ranked 3rd overall, tied for first in scoring, second in third-down efficiency and first in red-zone offense.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur was excited for his offensive coordinator when speaking with reporters during a zoom call on Thursday. [Read more…]

Packers beat Bears, clinch NFC’s No. 1 seed (AUDIO)

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Matt LaFleur

The Green Bay Packers broke open a close game in the fourth quarter, knocking off the Chicago Bears 35-16 on Sunday at Soldier Field.  The Packers secured the top seed in the NFC, giving them a week off.  They won’t play again until the divisional playoff round either Jan. 16 or 17.

The Packers put 21 points up on the board in the first half and had what looked like another touchdown to start the third quarter, when Marquez Valdes-Scantling dropped what would have been a 53-yard touchdown pass.

After a slow start to the second half, Aaron Jones finally put the game away with a 4-yard touchdown run with 3:47 left.  On the very next possession, Davante Adams caught his 18th touchdown pass of the season, tying Sterling Sharpe’s franchise record.  He also broke Sharpe’s franchise record for single-season receptions.

Aaron Rodgers tossed four touchdown passes, giving him a career-best and franchise-record 48 for the season.  It likely put the wraps on Rodgers bid for his third NFL MVP award.  It also sets the Packers to host any NFC playoff games at [Read more…]