Joe Barry’s defense continues to be a punch line — and a punching bag.
Jaire Alexander has gone from Pro Bowl cornerback to All-Pro pain in the neck.
De’Vondre Campbell’s final days will be remembered more for his Twitter attacks than any hit he made on the field.
And Matt LaFleur’s leadership skills are being questioned by everyone from Burlington to Bayfield.
The Green Bay Packers have become one of the more dysfunctional bunches in the NFL, making far more noise for their internal spats and coin flip flubs than winning or losing games.
Here’s the good news, though.
Amidst the drama, fuss and theatrics caused by a few bad apples, the Packers have gotten a thumbs up on their most important question of 2023.
Green Bay learned that quarterback Jordan Love is capable of great things. And no matter what happens these final two games — as the Packers chase a playoff spot — Love’s emergence has already made 2023 an overwhelming success.
I think we can all agree that he’s come a long way and there’s still a lot to improve upon,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Love on Thursday. “And that’s what’s so exciting, because he’s playing at a very high level right now and I still think there’s more out there for him. So, that’s exciting for him and all of us.”
Management will never tell this to the paying customers, but this season was never about wins or losses in Titletown.
Instead, it was about finding out if Love could play and for the Packers to get their financial house in order. Both will wind up being Super Bowl-level wins for the green and gold.
The Packers are carrying $66.6 million in dead cap money this season, with $40.3 million of that going to Aaron Rodgers. That’s a remarkable 29.4% of the cap being devoted to players that are on other teams or out of the league.
As of Friday, Green Bay’s dead cap charge for 2024 is just $5.6 million — or 2.3% of the estimated $247.3 million salary cap. After this season, Rodgers’ contract will be off the books and the Packers will have the financial flexibility to be active in free agency for the first time since 2019.
