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[Green Bay Packers]

Packers to interview Wisconsin native for quarterbacks coach opening

Nov 16, 2013; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Connor Senger (14) during warmups prior to the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 51-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Green Bay Packers will need to make at least one move with their offensive coaching staff this offseason, as quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion left to become the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles after just one year in an on-field coaching role. On Friday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on the Packers’ first known quarterbacks coach target: Connor Senger.

According to Pelissero, Senger will interview with both the Buffalo Bills and Packers for their quarterback coach vacancies. A Wisconsin native, Senger went to Pius XI High School in Milwaukee before enrolling at Wisconsin-Madison and transferring to Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He began his coaching career by immediately becoming Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s quarterbacks coach after graduation, followed by a stint as Carroll’s quarterbacks coach and Wisconsin-Whitewater’s running backs coach.

He made the jump out of Division III football in 2020, when he served two years as North Dakota State’s offensive quality control coordinator. In 2022, he was supposed to become the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach of Central Washington, a Division II program, but instead worked with the Arizona Cardinals under the Bill Bidwill Coaching Fellowship. Senger has received three promotions in his last three seasons with the Cardinals, jumping to offensive quality control coach in 2023, assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024 and passing game coordinator in 2025.

Funny enough, Senger was the offensive coordinator for the East team in the East-West Shrine Bowl this week, as Mannion was for the West team. The year before, Senger was the receivers coach of the West team there.

Obviously, new Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon has worked with Senger for several years, so the team probably has some good intel there.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...sconsin-native-for-quarterbacks-coach-opening

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers Analysis: Passive vs. Active Defenses

TAMPA, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 30: Head coach Jonathan Gannon of the Arizona Cardinals looks on from the sidelines during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on November 30, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) | Getty Images

I’m not sure whether Jonathan Gannon will be a good, poor, or medium defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. It is, in fact, virtually impossible to tell how good or bad any defensive coordinator is without an insanely long track record. Jeff Hafley coordinated the seventh-best defense in the NFL (by DVOA) in 2024, and then, with Micah Parsons, the Packers fell to 14th. And then once Parsons got hurt, they fell to 28th, finishing 19th overall when you average everything out.

So, did Jeff Hafley do a good job? I have no earthly idea. The Miami Dolphins apparently thought so, and maybe they’re right! But I don’t like to pretend I know things when I don’t, and I’m just not sure. The fundamental problem for all DCs is that so much is out of their control.

The New England Patriots — who, as you may know, are going to the Super Bowl — finished the season ranked 23rd in defensive DVOA. They finished 11th in EPA per play. They finished fourth in Points Against. The difference lies in the fact that the DVOA adjusts for the quality of the opponent faced, and the other two metrics do not, and while the Patriots’ defense got results, they got them against the Raiders, The Panthers (Young was either benched or hurt partway through), Saints, Titans, Browns, Falcons, Jets (2x), Bengals with Jake Browning, Giants, Ravens with mostly Tyler Huntley, and the Dolphins led by Quinn Ewers. That is an absolutely TERRIBLE slate of offenses. Is defensive coordinator Terrell Williams a genius? Was he secretly terrible? Or can we just not tell?

And of course, the DC doesn’t control which players they have. That’s up to the front office in terms of drafting and acquisition, and God, in the form of injuries. It’s not Jeff Hafley’s fault that Jaire Alexander is a big weirdo, that they got Micah Parsons, that they lost Micah Parsons, that they lost Devonte Wyatt, or that Keisen Nixon turned into a trash-talking pumpkin.

All of that said, I do believe (and I think everyone would agree) that there are good and bad defensive coordinators. Vic Fangio has a long track record of generating outstanding results, and I’m confident that he is a good defensive coordinator. In my opinion, the best current DC is Brian Flores in Minnesota, which brings me to my point. I don’t think the underlying scheme of any given DC really matters that much, and that all have merit if run properly. Instead, I think two overarching philosophies exist among DCs, and I have boiled them down to the following mathematical equations. Both equations assume you stop the run at a non-terrible rate. They are:

I think of the Passive Model in terms of the old Cover-2 shell, or Tampa-2, though that is hardly the only example, but it’s easy to understand. In the classic Cover-2, the safeties prevent splash plays, they force/tempt all passes to be targeted underneath, and rely on sure tackling to prevent big YAC gains. If you have a strong front four or a Brian Urlacher eating up the middle of the field, so much the better. This model made a lot of sense for a long time, however it made MUCH MORE sense when teams made more mistakes, and there has been a league-wide trend towards more conservative, mistake-free ball over the last 40 years, which has really ramped up of late.

The last time the NFL’s league-wide completion percentage was below 60% was in 2006, when it topped out at 59.8%, and in fact, 2007 was a turning point for passing as the league hit 61.2%, and has not fallen below 60% again to date. In 2020, the league average hit 65.2%, and has not fallen below 64% since. The league has been consistently moving towards a higher completion percentage over time, representing a general move towards more conservative play. In 2010, the league-wide interception percentage hit 3% for the final time, and in 2025, it reached a historic low of 2.2%. But all of this conservative play has come at a cost.

Explosive plays have declined as completion percentage has increased. Way back in 1972, the average completion was 13.2 yards, which is also the last time it was over 13. In 1991, the league hit 12 yards per completion for what is likely the second-last time, as it has only exceeded this mark once since, in the offensively insane 2011 season. Since then, it’s been consistently over 11 yards per completion, until 2022, when it fell to 10.9, where it has remained to this day.

Picks are down, completions and completions percentage are up, and explosive plays are down, and these trends seem to be continuing, which means that the passive model isn’t as useful as it once was, and this is why my admiration for the Flores system has grown. Flores’ defense rushes four defenders less than any other defense in the league, and so it is the least predictable pass rush in the league. Doing any sort of film study against Minnesota is a nightmare because of the volume of possible combinations. It’s not just about identifying “the blitz,” but about identifying whether it will be a five, six, or seven (or a few times this year, eight) people coming at you, who the rushers will be, and where to fire off your hot route while making sure that a sneaky down lineman hasn’t dropped into your passing lane. And just when you think you see seven people coming, all of a sudden, all but three drop off into coverage.

The Flores defense isn’t perfect, of course, as no defense is, but it’s consistently outstanding. The Vikings finished third in defensive DVOA this year despite a disastrous offense frequently putting them in terrible situations. They finished second in 2024 as well, and first against the pass. And while that defense certainly has some talent on it, their highest ranking player per PFF was Jonathan Greenard with a very medium 74.2. The outstanding (but comparable) Houston Texans defense had six players graded higher, including three in the 80s or 90s.

More than anything, I think there is some good evidence, buried in the Vikings, and to a lesser extent, the Bears and blitz-happy Dennis Allen (whose Bears led the league in turnover differential), that while Passive Model defenses are only as good as their constituent parts, that the Active Model defenses CAN create improvement via scheme, at least a bit.

And I’m not sure what Jonathan Gannon is, at least yet, but once we get a look and hear more on his philosophy, this is the framework I’ll be using. And I don’t even necessarily think this is entirely a this-or-that situation. I think one reason Jeff Hafley’s defense was better without Micah Parsons in 2024 is that he was forced to be Active to create a pass rush, whereas with Parsons in 2025, he could remain passive and still get a pass rush. But it’s much easier to plan for Micah Parsons than it is for “a bunch of random crap I scheme up,” and so, even though Parsons is incredible, they were still worse overall.

Perhaps, at some point, the league will shift back to a more explosive, less careful offensive norm, but until then, passive defenses will struggle, as offenses stay content to pick them apart with high-percentage passes. I very much hope the next man up is aggressive and risk-preferring. Losing slowly is still losing.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...3/packers-analysis-passive-vs-active-defenses

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers DB coach leaves for the Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers defensive passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley gives instruction to cornerback Jaire Alexander (23) on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, at Ray Nitschke Field in Green Bay, Wis. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

The Dallas Cowboys are going to hire former Green Bay Packers pass game coordinator Derrick Ansley, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. This shouldn’t be too big a surprise, since Ansley has an extensive history with the quarters system from his time with Alabama, Tennessee and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Cowboys hired their new defensive coordinator, Christian Parker, from the Philadelphia Eagles, who run a quarters-based system. Parker signed with the Cowboys, who interviewed with the Packers, a day before Green Bay had new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon in for his interview. Apparently, the Cowboys chose Parker over Gannon, who also interviewed for that job, because of his communication with players.

The Packers will also be running a quarters system under Gannon, so it was a little odd that Ansley wasn’t retained by the team. Interestingly, Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur only reportedly interviewed four outside candidates for the job, following Jeff Hafley’s hire as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach, before hiring Gannon got the gig. (Yes, the Hafley interview didn’t come out in 2024 until Hafley was already hired by Green Bay, but he was a sitting college football head coach. That’s about the one scenario where an agent wouldn’t want to leak that his/her client received an NFL defensive coordinator interview.) Per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, though, LaFleur did interview all four of his defensive assistants for the job, too.

With Ansley leaving for the Cowboys, three of those four assistants are now gone. Linebackers coach Sean Duggan, who came into the league with Hafley after a stint with him at Boston College, and defensive backs coach Ryan Downard, who has been in Green Bay for eight seasons, joined the Dolphins.

On paper, assistant coaches can only move gigs if they were fired (there’s been no reporting suggesting any of these coaches were fired), if they leave for a defensive coordinator promotion (Ansley and Downard did not become defensive coordinators but Duggan’s title in Miami has yet to be announced), if their contracts expired (there has been no reporting that these coaches were free agents) or if the team simply allows them to leave for a lateral gig. My theory is that we’re seeing the last option play out.

Letting assistants leave means that the Packers don’t have to use buyout money (the industry standard is for coaching contracts to be guaranteed in the NFL) to get Gannon a fresh new staff. So far, the only 2025 defensive assistant who doesn’t have a new job in 2026 is Green Bay defensive line coach/run game coordinator DeMarcus Covington, but we haven’t heard whether he will 100 percent be back under Gannon, either.

For perspective, if Covington does leave, it will be the first time a new defensive coordinator in Green Bay gets an entire staff of his own in decades. Hafley, Joe Barry, Mike Pettine and Dom Capers all had holdover assistants from the previous staff.

It sure looks like the Packers wanted a clean break on defense under Gannon, and their assistants (sans maybe Covington) were willing to play ball.

So far, Green Bay has hired Sam Siefkes, who coached linebackers under Gannon from 2023 to 2024 and comes from the same Mike Zimmer background as Gannon, to coach linebackers. They’ve also hired Bobby Babich, whom LaFleur interviewed for defensive coordinator in 2024 and is a member of QB Collective, to coach defensive backs.

In Philadelphia, Gannon’s 4-3 defense had just three on-field coaches, one for each level of the defense. In Arizona, when Gannon was the head coach, his 3-4 defense had five total on-field coaches (they split line of scrimmage duties between a defensive line coach and an outside linebackers coach, and also had two coaches for the secondary). So, depending on whether or not Covington comes back, the staff could be set, or the Packers could look to hire three more coaches for 2026 (a potential Covington replacement, another coach on the line of scrimmage and another defensive backs coach).

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ackers-db-coach-leaves-for-the-dallas-cowboys

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers Draft: Baylor’s Josh Cameron is the punt returner in 2026

WACO, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 29: Josh Cameron #34 of the Baylor Bears catches a pass during the fourth quarter against the Houston Cougars at McLane Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images

A lot of people are clamoring for a new punt returner for the Green Bay Packers, so I decided to take a look at the upcoming draft class to see what was available. What became very clear to me early on is that the man for the job is Baylor’s Josh Cameron, a 6’1”, 223-pound receiver (verified at the Senior Bowl). First, though, I want to show my work.

Outside of very rare exceptions, punt returners come in the form of a running back, receiver or defensive back at the NFL level. According to the consensus draft board, there are 103 draftable players (top-256) at those positions in the upcoming class. Of those 103 players, only 27 of them ever returned a punt at the college level, per College Football Reference’s data.

Of those 27, 8 are highly unlikely to be available for the Packers’ top pick of the 2026 class, as they are ranked among the top-40 prospects in the class.

• #6 S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
• #9 WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
• #11 CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
• #15 CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
• #16 WR Makai Lemon, USC
• #25 WR Denzel Boston, Washington
• #26 WR Kevin Concepcion, Texas A&M
• #39 WR Zachariah Branch, Georgia

Off of draft stock alone, these players are not Packers-relevant (at least at this point). As we’ve written about before, projected top-40 picks are highly unlikely to still be available when the 52nd overall pick comes on the clock (the slot which will be Green Bay’s first selection in the draft) unless they have character or injury red flags. The Packers also don’t dip their toes in those waters often (the most recent character red flag I can recall was Devonte Wyatt in 2022, and the most recent known injury red flag was Vince Biegel in 2017). Generally, Green Bay is conservative in those two aspects.

From here, let’s make some cuts for size.

Running back is going to be easy to talk about. Green Bay likes their backs to be in the 220-pound range (See: Josh Jacobs, Emanuel Wilson, Chris Brooks, AJ Dillon) as they’re actively trying to build their team around being able to run the ball inside. I don’t think that will change in 2026. The only draftable running back who has caught a single punt at the college level is Pittsburgh’s Desmond Reid, who is all of 5’6”, 162 pounds. Firmly not a Packers-type player.

At receiver, the LaFleur-era Packers like to be 200-plus pounds at the receiver position (really more in the 210 range), even in the slot. Green Bay wants to win blocks on the perimeter and use receivers as insert players, almost like tight ends, if they need to.

The following receivers with punt return experience are not a fit, from that perspective:

• Antonio Williams, Clemson (5’11”, 190 pounds, estimated by NFL Draft Scout)
• Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State (5’9”, 170 pounds)
• Eric Rivers, Georgia Tech (5’9”, 185, verified)
• Kevin Coleman Jr., Missouri (5’11”, 174, verified)
• Aaron Anderson, LSU (5’8”, 177, verified)
• Barion Brown, LSU (5’11, 176, verified)
• Vinny Anthony II, Wisconsin (6’0”, 185, verified)

To the Packers, these would be slot-only players, with the way LaFleur uses the receiver position, and they aren’t even preferred for that. With Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden already serving the “small receiver” role in the offense, it’s highly unlikely that Green Bay would give up another 53-man roster spot (and a 48-man gameday spot) for a backup to the backup to the slot receiver. (I’m giving some grace about size for the receivers who passed, which we’ll get into.)

At cornerback, the Packers are also pretty specific with their wants at the position. If you haven’t caught on yet, Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst learned from Ted Thompson, who learned from Ron Wolf, who learned from Al Davis, the ultimate height-weight-speed evaluator. In general, the team wants to be big.

Since Thompson, the Packers have never drafted a cornerback who is as short as either Indiana’s D’angelo Ponds (estimated to be 5’9”, 173 pounds) or USC’s DJ Harvey (estimated to be 5’10”-flat, 188). They also probably won’t be in the slot-only market this year, with Javon Bullard, Nate Hobbs, Kitan Oladapo and Keisean Nixon already under contract in 2026. Miami corner Keionte Scott (5’11”, 195) was already a full-time slot-only player at the college level, so that’s another name off our list.

The last cut I want to make is Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, who is projected to be the 44th overall prospect in this class. I just can’t imagine Green Bay turning in their second-round pick for a safety when Xavier McKinney, Bullard, Evan Williams and Oladapo are under contract. If that happens, there might be a riot.

So, who are we left with then? These 7 players remaining out of our original list of 103 running backs, receivers and defensive backs:

• #41 on consensus board: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
• #55: Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama
• #97: Jalon Kilgore, S, South Carolina
• #104: C.J. Daniels, WR, Miami
• #170: Josh Cameron, WR, Baylor
• #246: Skyler Thomas, S, Oregon State
• #247: Lewis Bond, WR, Boston College

Johnson (6’0”, 190 pounds, verified), Bernard (6’0”, 204 estimated) and Bond (5’11”, 197, verified) are sort of on the border of what Green Bay is looking for, from a height or weight perspective, but I’m giving ties to runners if we’re here just to make a watch list.

Here are those players’ career stats as punt returners:

• Johnson: 2 punt returns, 0 yards
• Bernard: 4, 43 (in 2023)
• Kilgore: 12, 74
• Daniels: 3, 16 (in 2023)
• Cameron: 45, 632
• Thomas: 1, 7 (in 2022)
• Bond: 6, 67 (in 2023)

For perspective, the single-season leader in punt returns at the college level in 2025 was Toledo’s Bryson Hammer (fire name alert) with 30. The only legitimately experienced punt returner who fits the Packers’ offensive or defensive specs (and roster situation) is Cameron.

I’ve harped on how wanting big receivers really hurts the punt return game for years. In August, I wrote “Why it’s going to be hard for the Packers to get better on punt returns”, with the main point being that LaFleur-era receivers average to be around 6’0” and 208 pounds, while the league average punt returner is 5’9” and 183 pounds. It’s also why it was so easy to spot that Savion Williams was a Packers-type receiver months ahead of the draft.

To save you the heartbreak, if you’re going to latch onto the hope of a rookie punt returner coming in and saving the day, have it be Cameron. There are some other punt returners in this class, like Iowa’s Kaden Wetjen (who measured in at the Shrine Bowl under 5’9” and 195 pounds with short hands and reach). This team will actually like Cameron, from an offensive perspective, though. He’s sort of the one shot in this class where the team’s draft and develop approach, what they want to do on offense/defense and their need for a punt returner can overlap.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ors-josh-cameron-is-the-punt-returner-in-2026

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Former Packers coach Sean Duggan will be Dolphins defensive coordinator

COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 13: Ohio State Buckeyes graduate assistant for defense Sean Duggan reacts during the Ohio State Life Sports Spring Game presented by Nationwide at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on April 13th, 2019. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

While the Miami Dolphins have been plucking away parts of the Green Bay Packers throughout the last couple of weeks, it was uncertain what the role of former Packers linebackers coach Sean Duggan would be for Jeff Hafley’s new staff. On Sunday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Duggan, who was co-defensive coordinator for Hafley for one season at Boston College, will be Hafley’s non-play-calling defensive coordinator in Miami. Hafley has previously stated that he will call plays from the sideline, on top of his head coaching duties, after calling plays from the box in Green Bay.

Duggan and Jacksonville Jaguars linebackers coach Tem Lukabu were always linked to the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator job. Lukabu was Hafley’s first defensive coordinator at Boston College, serving three seasons as the team’s sole defensive coordinator from 2020 to 2022. When Lukabu left for the NFL in 2023, Duggan and Aazaar Adbul-Rahim split defensive coordinator duties under Hafley. Abdul-Rahim is currently the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at the University of Maryland.

If you’re trying to keep track of the Packers’ coaching staff moves, here’s what’s happened this offseason, so far:

• Duggan (linebackers coach) left to be Miami’s defensive coordinator
• Ryan Downard (defensive backs coach) left to be Miami’s secondary coach
• Nathaniel Hackett (defensive analyst) left to be Miami’s quarterbacks coach
• Wendel Davis (defensive quality control coach) left for Miami
• Sean Mannion (quarterbacks coach) left to be the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator
• Derrick Ansley (pass game coordinator) left for the Dallas Cowboys
• Jonathan Gannon (former Arizona Cardinals head coach) was hired as the Packers’ defensive coordinator
• Sam Siefkes (former Virginia Tech defensive coordinator) was hired as the Packers’ linebackers coach
• Bobby Babich (former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator) was hired as the Packers’ pass game coordinator/secondary coach

Here’s the breakdown of Green Bay’s current on-field coaching roster (based on 2025 and the new hires):

• Head coach: Matt LaFleur
• Offensive coordinator: Adam Stenavich
• Pass game coordinator: Jason Vrable
• Running backs coach: Ben Sirmans
• Wide receivers coach: Ryan Mahaffey
• Tight ends coach: John Dunn
• Offensive line coach: Luke Butkus
• Defensive coordinator: Jonathan Gannon
• Defensive line coach/run game coordinator: DeMarcus Covington
• Linebackers coach: Sam Siefkes
• Secondary coach/pass game coordinator: Bobby Babich
• Special teams coordinator/assistant head coach: Rich Bisaccia

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...duggan-will-be-dolphins-defensive-coordinator

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers announce Jonathan Gannon’s hiring as defensive coordinator

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 19: Head coach Jonathan Gannon of the Arizona Cardinals and head coach Matt Lafleur of the Green Bay Packers talk before a game at State Farm Stadium on October 19, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It’s now official. The Green Bay Packers formally announced on Monday that they have hired Jonathan Gannon as their new defensive coordinator, replacing Jeff Hafley, who left to take the job as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Gannon was most recently the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals for the last three seasons.

A statement from head coach Matt LaFleur on Gannon’s hiring, published in the Packers’ press release, said the following:

“We are thrilled to add Jonathan Gannon to our coaching staff. He possesses tremendous experience as an NFL coordinator and head coach. I am confident that he will be an outstanding addition to our organization, as well as a strong leader of our defense.”

Interestingly, the formal announcement comes more than a week after reports of Gannon’s hiring leaked through NFL reporters. That news broke eight days ago, on the morning of Sunday, January 25th. By contrast, Hafley’s hiring in 2024 was a bit of a surprise, with the Packers making a formal announcement on the same day that the news broke.

By now, Green Bay is already well underway in hiring new assistant coaches for the defense, as several new hires have been reported. Those expected to join Gannon’s defensive staff are Bobby Babich (reportedly as secondary coach/pass game coordinator), Sam Siefkes (linebackers coach), and Daniel Bullocks (no title reported, but likely to be focused on defensive backs).

However, none of these assistant hires have yet been formally announced. Last season, the Packers made several changes to their coaching staff, but did not make formal announcements until April 3rd, which suggests that there may still be some time before they officially reveal the staff for the 2026 season.

The Packers have not yet announced a date for an introductory press conference for Gannon. Hafley’s first presser took place on February 22, 2024, about three weeks after his official hire date, suggesting that the Packers will give Gannon some time to settle in and work on finalizing their coaching staff before making any new coaches available to the media.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...athan-gannons-hiring-as-defensive-coordinator

 

[Green Bay Packers]

The NFL will play 9 international games in 2026

A general view of the action during the NFL International match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Picture date: Sunday October 12, 2025. (Photo by Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images) | PA Images via Getty Images

Two weeks ago, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft spilled the beans on a local radio show and told the world that the NFL has plans for every single team to play an international game every single year when the league goes up to a 20-week, 18-game regular season. NFL owners are hoping that this can be codified in the next collective bargaining agreement with players, which should be agreed upon before the league goes to market for its next round of broadcast agreements. The next broadcast negotiation can start at any time, as the NFL will likely trigger an opt-out for its current deal as early as the 2029 season.

In the Bay Area for the Super Bowl, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that the league will be playing a game in Mexico City for the 2026 regular season. That brings the league’s total international package up to nine games, with three in London and one in each of the following cities: Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Munich, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.

Goodell also said that Kraft’s statement is true, that the plan is for every team to play an international game every season at some point.

“I’ve said many times 16 games, so that every team is playing a regular season game every season,” Goodell said. “I think that’s an important mark for us to go for. I think we’re well on our way, with the desire we have from our side, but also the desire for people to have this in their communities, and some of the greatest cities in the world are asking to do this.”

The Green Bay Packers have only ever played two international games (New York Giants in London and Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paulo), so they are relatively “due” for an overseas game. The only team that has played fewer international games than Green Bay is the Dallas Cowboys, the league’s money printer.

So far, here’s what we know about the NFL’s international slate in 2026:

• The Los Angeles Rams are the home team for the Melbourne game. Green Bay has a road game scheduled against the Rams in 2026.
• The New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns will reportedly be the matchup in Paris. The Saints are the designated home team, and the Packers have a road game scheduled against the Saints in 2026. If the reporting is wrong about the Browns being a road tame in this matchup, the Packers are an option for the league’s schedule-makers.
• The NFL’s Wembley Stadium game (the league will also play two games in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2026) will have the Jacksonville Jaguars as the host. The Jaguars aren’t on Green Bay’s schedule, so the Packers aren’t available to play in that specific London game, but could play in a Tottenham Hotspur Stadium game.
• No teams have been linked to the Madrid, Mexico City, Munich, Rio de Janeiro or Tottenham Hotspur Stadium games, which leaves those six options pretty open-ended.

It’s the NFC’s turn to have nine home regular-season games, so the Packers may be considered the “host” team for one of these international matches and still keep their usual eight-game home schedule. Green Bay was the designated home team for the London game in 2022, but was the away team for the Sao Paulo game in 2024.

For what it’s worth, here are the teams that have claimed a remaining host site as an International Home Marketing Area (HMA). This is requested to the league.

• Brazil
  • On Packers’ 2026 schedule: Detroit Lions (home and away games for Green Bay), Miami Dolphins (home game for Green Bay) and New England Patriots (away)
  • Not on 2026 schedule: Philadelphia Eagles
• Germany
  • On Packers’ 2026 schedule: Atlanta Falcons (home), Carolina Panthers (home), Detroit Lions (home and away), New England Patriots (away) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (away)
  • Not on 2026 schedule: Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks
  • Other: The Green Bay Packers have Germany as an HMA, along with Ireland and the United Kingdom.
• Mexico
  • On Packers’ 2026 schedule: Dallas Cowboys (home), Houston Texans (home), Los Angeles Rams (away-doubtful Rams would host two international games, already announced as Melbourne game’s host) and Miami Dolphins (home)
  • Not on 2026 schedule: Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers
• Spain
  • On Packers’ 2026 schedule: Chicago Bears (home and away) and Miami Dolphins (home)
  • Not on 2026 schedule: Kansas City Chiefs
• United Kingdom
  • On Packers’ 2026 schedule: Chicago Bears (home and away), Miami Dolphins (home), Minnesota Vikings (home and away) and New York Jets (away)
  • Not on 2026 schedule: Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers
  • Other: The Green Bay Packers have the UK as an HMA, along with Germany and Ireland. The Pittsburgh Steelers (not on the Packers’ schedule) have the UK as an HMA, but only for Northern Ireland.

If you want to assume that the NFL will have at least one HMA team represented in these games, it’s not a terrible bet. The only team that claimed France as an HMA is the Saints, the Rams are one of four who claimed Australia and the Jaguars are one of nine who claimed the non-Northern Ireland United Kingdom.

Here are the possibilities for the Packers’ 2026 regular-season slate

Packers 2026 Home Games​

Any of these games has the possibility of being moved to London or Munich, based on Green Bay’s claim of Germany and the United Kingdom as the team’s HMA.

• Chicago Bears (also has the UK as an HMA)
• Detroit Lions (also has Germany as an HMA)
• Minnesota Vikings (also has the UK as an HMA)
• Atlanta Falcons (also has Germany as an HMA)
• Buffalo Bills
• Carolina Panthers (also has Germany as an HMA)
• Dallas Cowboys
• Houston Texans
• Miami Dolphins (also has the UK as an HMA)

Packers 2026 Away Games​

• Chicago Bears (Madrid or London)
• Detroit Lions (Munich)
• Minnesota Vikings (London)
• Los Angeles Rams (Melbourne, doubtful Rams would host both a Melbourne and Mexico City game)
• New England Patriots (Munich or Rio de Janeiro)
• New Orleans Saints (None, as long as the Cleveland Browns are indeed the road team for the Paris game)
• New York Jets (London)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Munich)

Process of elimination still leaves Green Bay with a lot of potential international options for the 2026 season.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...e-nfl-will-play-9-international-games-in-2026

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Tuesday Cheese Curds: Matthew Golden ready for big second season

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden (0) makes a reception for a first down during the second quarter of their wild card playoff game against the Chicago Bears Saturday, January 10, 2026 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Packers broke a two-decade streak when they picked Matthew Golden in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

An exciting and explosive player in college, Golden looked like a great addition to a Packers offense that was already full of playmakers. And then that stable of playmakers made it hard for Golden to find a role.

There were flashes, but things never really came together for the diminutive receiver, and he finished the season with a disappointing statistical output, failing to find the end zone until the playoffs.

But that touchdown was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing playoff game, and it pointed to big things ahead for Golden. With a season under his belt and an altered depth chart ahead of him, Golden figures to have both more opportunities and more experience to make the most of them. He’ll still have game-breaking speed, and as long as he can run away from just about anyone, there will be plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Golden and what he can bring to the Packers.

Evaluating Matthew Golden’s rookie year and scope for 2026 breakout | Packers Wire

Golden had a bit of a rough go in 2025, but I think he enters 2026 with the arrow pointing up.

Redrafting first two rounds of 2025 NFL class: 64 new picks | ESPN

The Packers switch up their picks here, but that seems a little shortsighted.

Five Reasons Why Packers Can Win NFC North Next Season | Sports Illustrated

The Packers couldn’t get it done in 2025, but here are some reasons 2026 could be their year.

Super Bowl GMs John Schneider, Eliot Wolf value their Green Bay roots | Packers News

There are a lot of Green Bay and Wisconsin connections in the Super Bowl.

5 things to know about new Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon | Packers.com

A funny feature of the Packers’ media ecosystem is that the official site reports news of hires so much later than everywhere else.

1930s camera bought from thrift store contained mysterious photos | UPI

The photos are not that mysterious, honestly, but it’s neat that they’ve essentially been waiting, undiscovered and unviewed, for nearly a century.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ds-matthew-golden-ready-for-big-second-season

 

[Green Bay Packers]

NFL, NFLPA disagree about 18th regular-season game

Feb 2, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during Super Bowl LX press conference at San Jose Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made a clear statement during Super Bowl week, claiming that the league is hoping to get to an 18th regular-season game with every team in the NFL playing at least one international game every single season. This echoes the comments of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who said similar on a radio show last month.

For the NFL to get the extra 18th game, though, the league will need to get the NFL Players Association to agree. On Tuesday, NFLPA interim executive director David White pushed back on Goodell’s asks from Monday.

“Our members have no appetite for a regular-season 18th game,” NFLPA interim executive director David White said at the union’s annual Super Bowl week news conference, citing player health and safety concerns that come with a longer regular season. “… The 18th game is not casual for us. It’s a very serious issue. It’s something that comes out of negotiations, and nothing will move forward until players have the opportunity to account for all of those factors, take that into consideration and then through negotiations, agree or not to the 18th game.

“But as it stands right now, players have been very clear they don’t have any appetite for it.”

Both White and NFLPA president Jalen Reeves-Maybin, currently a Chicago Bears linebacker, have stated that the NFLPA has not been contacted to discuss an 18th game, per ESPN.

“There’s 31 owners, they all have different agendas and opinions on things,” said Reeves-Maybin when asked if the extra game was inevitable. “… Maybe this is a way of them trying to influence. … We have not opened up any 18-game discussions. It’s not something that the players are excited about or really trying to press for. Then we put in a lot of work, and we put out a good product out there every year and it’s not something we feel the need for.”

White added: “An arbitrary statement carries no weight. It’s a free country. People could say what they like, but … is it increasingly inevitable? … The answer is absolutely not. It’s a point of negotiation.”

For the most part, NFL owners have gotten their way with the NFLPA in the last decade plus. Ownership got the players to end the lockout and union decertification in 2011, which opened the league up for lawsuits, by simply slashing rookie salaries with the rookie wage scale. After an uncapped 2010 season, the league’s salary cap was at or under $123 million from 2011-2013, the same rate as the 2009 cap. The owners didn’t spend any more money on players; they simply decided to take money out of incoming players’ pockets, players who had no seat at the table in the union because they were not yet NFL players, and give it to veterans, who could vote.

That, and changes to the practice schedule, was enough for the NFLPA to sign off on a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA). After the 2011 agreement, the NFLPA rushed an 11-year CBA, in part because of the uncertainty during the pandemic, with the league unable to play in front of fans in 2020.

After pushing around the players for 20-plus years, it sure seems like NFL owners are making statements, telling the NFLPA what they will eventually be agreeing to in public, rather than holding these negotiations behind closed doors.

The current CBA is set to expire after the 2030 season, but the NFL will want to negotiate labor peace before they enter a new round of broadcast agreements. Their current deals have opt-outs that can be triggered in 2029, so the league will probably want to start negotiating with television and streaming companies around then. So while the CBA, on paper, expires after 2030, it’s more likely that ownership will want to get a deal done with the union around 2028 or 2029.

Generally, the NFLPA’s biggest gains (at least recently) do not come in the form of direct financial benefits to the players. Ownership does not want their share of the pie to get smaller, and instead, they’re actually openly advocating for the opposite. While some owners are willing to spend well above the cap, use future cap space to pay current players and wait for that cap debt to be inflated out by the consistent $25 million per year increases that we’re seeing on the salary cap (this is tied to shared revenue in the league), every ownership group isn’t playing that game. For perspective, the Cleveland Browns have spent around $362 million more on players from 2020 to 2025 than the Los Angeles Rams have. Goodell said last summer that NFL owners are openly questioning the integrity of the league’s salary cap system.

This is all to say: No, the owners will not be giving players a bigger piece of the pie. They never really do. Instead, their goal is to increase the size of the pie. The problem, from an NFLPA angle, is how much bigger this pie can get before an 18-game season and 14-team playoff starts burning its players out of the league quicker due to injury.

On a rookie deal, the jump from a 16-game season and a 12-team playoff, which was standard in 2019, to an 18-game and 14-team playoff could mean an extra 12 games on a player’s body before the end of his rookie contract, the first time he’s actually able to negotiate on the open market. That’s significant.

I’m sure the NFL will be willing to give up some non-financial concessions for these extra games, but there’s not too much left on the docket. Practice time has already been slashed, and padded practices are already limited in a major way. The players already codified the reduced penalties for the marijuana policy. Kraft has floated that an extra game in the regular season will come with an extra bye, too, and will knock off a week of the NFL preseason, but a regular-season game for a veteran player is hardly comparible to a preseason game, when most of them already sit out that action, unless it also means a reduction in the extra week of training camp practices, too. Does this league want even less practice? Does either NFL ownership or the NFLPA care about that? We’re about to find out.

It will be interesting to track what demands the NFLPA makes in exchange for the plans of an 18th game, whether they get them or if ownership is just going to push around the players’ union again. This time, at least, the NFLPA won’t be led by an executive director who is being investigated by the FBI and allegedly did horse trading to bury a collusion grievance with the NFL.

For what it’s worth, the Packers’ union representative is right tackle Zach Tom, with the co-alternates being quarterback Jordan Love, tight end Tucker Kraft and safety Zayne Anderson, who is a free agent in 2026. Kicker Brandon McManus is a vice president in the union.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...nflpa-disagree-about-18th-regular-season-game

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Brian Gutekunst Press Conference Discussion Thread

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 25: General manager Brian Gutekunst of the Green Bay Packers speaks to the media during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

I don’t think we’ve ever had a press conference discussion thread before, but I figure some of you will be interested to hear Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst’s talk with the media — if you have the time to watch it midday on a Wednesday. This is the first time that Gutekunst has spoken in a press conference since the post-Micah Parsons trade presser, as Green Bay didn’t have him go on the podium after the trade deadline or their early bye week this season.

No Packers official has done a press conference since the extensions of head coach Matt LaFleur, Gutekunst and vice president/director of football Russ Ball became official, either. LaFleur talked to the media the day after Green Bay’s season-ending loss to the Chicago Bears, but that’s the last we’ve heard of him. The team hasn’t had a press conference for newly-hired defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, either.

The presser is set to kick off at 12:30 pm CT. We’ll have a full write-up on Gutekunst’s comments later today.

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Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-gutekunst-press-conference-discussion-thread

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Nathaniel Hackett takes Cardinals OC job for Mike LaFleur

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 24: Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett of the Green Bay Packers watches action prior to a game against the Washington Football Team at Lambeau Field on October 24, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Earlier this offseason, former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who served as a defensive analyst for the team in 2025, agreed to become the quarterbacks coach of the Miami Dolphins, which was taken over by former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. Now, there will be a pivot in Hackett’s career, as he’s accepted the offensive coordinator job with the Arizona Cardinals, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Cardinals hired Mike LaFleur, brother of Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur, to be their head coach on Sunday. Interestingly, Mike was actually replaced by Hackett in 2022, when Robert Saleh, whose best man in his wedding was Matt, made a switch at offensive coordinator as the head coach of the New York Jets. After LaFleur was let go in New York, he joined Sean McVay, another coach who comes from the Kyle Shanahan tree, with the Los Angeles Rams as their non-play-calling offensive coordinator.

Yes, the NFL coaching cycle has never been more incestuous. Just because teams are pulling the trigger faster now, with ownership now having more of an appetite to eat multi-year and multi-million-dollar buyouts, doesn’t mean that any new coaching trees are growing.

The younger LaFleur will be the play-caller in Arizona, meaning that Hackett will serve in a non-play-calling role as he did in Green Bay under the elder LaFleur. Both LaFleur and Hackett were play-callers with the Jets, the last time either has called plays at the NFL level.

So far, the only change to the Packers’ offensive roster this offseason has been that quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion left to be the play-calling offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. The only interview that we know the Packers have had with a potential Mannion replacement is Connor Senger, who received three promotions in the three years that new Green Bay defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was the head coach of the Cardinals. Senger is also up for the offensive coordinator job with the Chicago Bears and the quarterbacks coach job with the Eagles, under Mannion. Funny enough, both Senger and Mannion were the offensive coordinators of the two teams that went head-to-head in the Shrine Bowl, a college all-star game played last month.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ckett-takes-cardinals-oc-job-for-mike-lafleur

 

[Green Bay Packers]

The Green Bay Packers can do as much as they want in free agency in 2026

BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 21: Tyler Linderbaum #64 of the Baltimore Ravens warms up before the game against the New England Patriots at M&T Bank Stadium on December 21, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year: NFL accounting season. With the season over for all but two teams, and shortly over for everyone, it’s time to see what resources you have to improve your team this offseason. After all, that’s what this is all about, right? Not winning games, but running off-season simulators to max out your roster.

The problem is, if you’re a Packers fan, it doesn’t look like there’s much to work with. The team traded their first round pick both in 2026 and 2027 for a future Hall of Fame pass rusher, and enter the spring with what can only be described as “not a lot of cap space.” In fact, the Packers are technically still over the salary cap for 2026 as of writing, according to Over the Cap. Packers cap analyst Ken Ingalls has it laid out here:

I've been using $303m for the 2026 Salary Cap all along, so recent news it's expected to land in the $301.2m to $305.7m range is spot on .

Right now I have the Packers at:
-$2.6m current
-$19.0m effective

Get rid of Jenkins/Gary and we go to:
+$9.5m effective pic.twitter.com/xukDtY2ugq

— Ken – Packers Cap (@KenIngalls) January 30, 2026

The Packers have a good number of free agents, technically negative cap space, and no premium draft pick. Not a lot of fun. Also not particularly great if you’re a general manager trying to make your team better. However, the current situation does not properly sum up what we’re likely to see.

Barring something quite surprising, neither Elgton Jenkins nor Rashan Gary will be on the Packers next year. Those two cuts alone would open up about $30.5M in cap space. Now that may sound like a lot, but as you can see in Ken’s tweet above, it really just gets the Packers breathing room back above the cap to take care of drafting players, signing practice squad players, having an in-season piggy bank, and some room for potential extensions for guys like Tucker Kraft and Christian Watson. To do anything significant on top of that, the cap space is going to have to come from somewhere else.

The perk is that Green Bay has avenues to do so. The problem is, to figure it out, you have to do more convoluted math than the cap websites do, mostly because the sites really struggle with option bonuses, which both Jordan Love and Micah Parsons have on their contracts. Parsons’ contract is basically untouchable this year. There’s no roster bonus (only an option bonus, which acts like a pre-converted roster bonus), and his salary is barely above the league minimum. It’s effectively structured in a way to maximize the can-kicking from the start. This is also partially true for Jordan Love, who also has an option bonus in 2026. The difference here is that Love’s base salary is convertible and, if they do a max conversion, could create a little over $7M in 2026 cap space. $7M may not sound like much, but it’s about what Xavier McKinney’s cap hit was in year one of his deal. Remember, cap hits tend to rise over the course of a contract and are generally depressed most in year one. Zach Tom has a little bit of space to create in his, though his roster bonus is quite small at just $3M, and he, like Parsons, is making barely north of league minimum in base salary, so not a lot of extra wiggle room to work with there, at least not until 2027 where his more sizable roster bonus of $9M is a lever they could pull.

Similar conversions are also possible on the Aaron Banks deal, as he is due a 10.4M roster bonus that I’m not sure Green Bay will be super thrilled about. The key difference in converting money on a Love, Parsons, or Tom contract and converting on Aaron Banks is that when you do a conversion, you’re kicking the can, but ideally, on a player you’re happy to have on the roster in the future. And I’m not sure come 2027, the Packers will want Aaron Banks on the roster for what he’ll cost. However, the lever remains if they want to pull it. And forget about Banks taking a pay cut. His agent will not be answering any calls from the Packers this offseason. He has the leverage. If Banks’ contract is converted, assuming they don’t add any void years to the deal, and did a maximum base salary and roster bonus conversion, Green Bay would create a little over $11M in cap space. By doing so, however, they would be putting themselves in a precarious position with Banks, where cutting him in 2027 would leave a dead cap hit of nearly $25M. While I am all for leveraging this window, this type of move would seem imprudent to do in full.

Another potentially complicated situation is Xavier McKinney. McKinney is due a sizable roster bonus of $8.5M, which could be converted, but he also only has two years remaining on his deal. Now, the Packers could go wild with tacking on void years to maximize the can-kicking, or perhaps they could look at an extension. They could also tack on the void years now to maximize the can-kicking, and then come back with extension talks after next season, since Green Bay typically does not entertain extensions until the final year of a deal. Doing the maximum amount of can-kicking, with full void years, on McKinney’s current contract could open close to $10M in space itself, but would present a likely long-term commitment on the horizon for McKinney next off-season.

Josh Jacobs also has a sizable base salary that is convertible, though with his position and increasing injury issues, touching that contract and making a release following next season more painful seems similarly imprudent to Banks.

Another place they could go, though complicated by his ankle injury, is Devonte Wyatt, who had his fifth-year option picked up and thus has a fully guaranteed base salary just shy of $13M. If Green Bay extends, they can rework how that money is prorated over the cap and pull his cap hit down. How much space they could make depends entirely on the structure, but because cap hits generally rise over the course of the contract, it’s quite unlikely to reach his current cap hit of about $13M.

The Packers have generally been more conservative financially, choosing contract structures that maximize their flexibility, control, and ability to keep a relatively clean cap sheet year-over-year. However, during the COVID-era, the Packers had to learn how to utilize these structures and conversions. They’ve even pre-utilized them in the way the Love and Parsons contracts are structured from the get-go. And their existence on the roster is the prime reason to leverage the team financially. The Packers have a prime-aged top-five quarterback and a prime-aged top-two pass rusher. The time is now. If you’re going to push, it has to be 2026-2028 before you start seeing the attrition of the sport take its toll on core players like Zach Tom, Xavier McKinney, Christian Watson, Tucker Kraft, and yes, even Micah Parsons. And on the other side, you’ll probably get bailed out by the NFL signing new streaming deals with Amazon and Netflix, in addition to the obscene deals they have with traditional cable.

The reason I wrote this isn’t to advocate for any of these can-kicking measures in particular, but to emphasize that Green Bay can do whatever they want to do this spring. If they want to fix the center position entirely by splashing a bunch of money on Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, they can do that. It’s hard to make a compelling case to splash money on other free agents, as due to the rapidly rising cap, almost no one of note is even getting to free agency at this point in time, but if Green Bay wants to do something, they absolutely can. And this includes retaining their own free agents. The cap isn’t preventing Green Bay from retaining Sean Rhyan or Quay Walker. That does not mean they will, but they are not being prevented from doing so by the cap. They can kick the can, and if you’re ever gonna kick the can, the next couple of years are the time to do it. The window is now.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...o-as-much-as-they-want-in-free-agency-in-2026

 

[Green Bay Packers]

ACME Survey: Predict the Super Bowl LX winner

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA- FEBRUARY 4: A general view of the Seattle Seahawks helmet and New England Patriots helmet displayed in inside of the Levi's Stadium prior to Super Bowl LX on February 4, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Packers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

With the Super Bowl just days away, it’s time to get everyone on the record. Who will win Super Bowl LX? Let us know if it will be the Seattle Seahawks or New England Patriots. We will have results later this week and can compare how Packers fans feel about the game compared to the rest of the league. Cast your vote now before the survey closes!

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/green-bay-packers-discussion/79130/packers-predict-super-bowl-lx

 

[Green Bay Packers]

The Packers’ offense didn’t use Jordan Love enough in 2025

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 10: Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers looks to pass prior to an NFL wild card playoff game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on January 10, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Jordan Love was a spectacularly efficient quarterback in 2025. Just about any stat you can find paints him as a quarterback who took care of the ball and got results when the Packers put the ball in his hands.

So why didn’t the Packers do it more?

Maintained by consummate stathead Ben Baldwin, rbsdm.com is one of the foremost repositories of quarterback data. Of particular interest to our discussion here is the EPA+CPOE composite, which combines the EPA a quarterback generates with his Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE) to generate a clean, simple number representing quarterback efficiency.

Love did quite well in this number in 2025, ranking third behind Drake Maye and Brock Purdy. He was one of only 14 quarterbacks in the NFL to generate an EPA+CPOE composite of .100 or better. It’s safe to call Love one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league.

But among the QBs that hit the .100 threshold, Love ranked just eighth in average attempts, throwing just 29.2 passes per game, well behind league leaders Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and Matthew Stafford, all of whom averaged at least 35 pass attempts per game.

A six attempt difference may not seem like all that much but consider this: the Packers averaged 6.2 plays per drive in 2025. Assuming a 50/50 split between runs and passes, that means Love was almost two full drives’ worth of passes behind the league leaders last season. That seems like a mistake.

How did things end up this way? A big reason for it is the Packers’ commitment to running the ball on early downs. The Packers were comfortably in the bottom third of the league last year in early down passes, preferring to run the ball on first and second downs more than 50% of the time.

That, too, seems like a mistake, and it looks even worse when you see how productive the Packers’ ground game was relative to the passing game. The Packers had a terrifically efficient passing game, but their rushing game was in the bottom third of the league. They were sacrificing Love passes for runs that were going nowhere.

Fortunately, the fix here is easy — if Matt LaFleur is willing to change his approach. The Packers need to ditch the early down runs in 2026 and let Love loose. He has the receivers for it. Even with Romeo Doubs likely departing, the Packers still have an enviable top four in Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, and Dontayvion Wicks. And that’s not even mentioning Tucker Kraft, who should be back early next season. Heck, even Luke Musgrave was relatively useful down the stretch in 2025.

The Packers have no excuse for operating this way in 2026. Their lead running back slowed down dramatically in 2025. Their offensive line likely won’t be any better at generating the sort of push needed to run the scheme Matt LaFleur seems determined to run. But Jordan Love will still be there, along with his bevy of pass catchers. It’s time to put the offense in his hands.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-offense-didnt-use-jordan-love-enough-in-2025

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Matt LaFleur wanted to keep Sean Duggan before he left for Miami

COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 13: Ohio State Buckeyes graduate assistant for defense Sean Duggan reacts during the Ohio State Life Sports Spring Game presented by Nationwide at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on April 13th, 2019. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Green Bay Packers have had a bit of an odd season from a coaching standpoint. Obviously, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley left to be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, but he also brought a bunch of people with him to Miami that the Packers could have blocked from taking, what, in the eyes of the league, were lateral jobs. Essentially, if any coach was under contract as a non-offensive or defensive coordinator, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur could have blocked those coaches from leaving for another non-offensive or defensive coordinator title with another team.

While LaFleur couldn’t have prevented Hafley from going to Miami, linebackers coach Sean Duggan becoming Hafley’s defensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion becoming the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator, LaFleur could have prevented receivers coach Rhyan Mahaffey (now Eagles tight ends coach and run game coordinator), pass game coordinator Derrick Ansley (now Dallas Cowboys pass game coordinator) and defensive backs coach Ryan Downard (now Dolphins secondary coach) from leaving Green Bay, as long as they were under contract. So far, there has been no reporting that any of these coaches were let go by the team, either via a firing or an expiring deal.

On Friday, ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques, who covers the Dolphins, dropped some interesting information about how Duggan, specifically, ended up in Miami:

After Jeff Hafley was hired as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach, and after all pleasantries were exchanged with his former boss, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur, the two men discussed who Hafley would be taking with him to South Florida.

LaFleur staked his claim on then-linebackers coach Sean Duggan; Hafley made a simple counter.

“No, Sean’s coming with me.”

Consider it Hafley’s first win over his former employer.

…

“Ultimately [LaFleur and I] decided that it was best for Sean to come here,” Hafley said Wednesday. “And I say that not because he’s been with me for eight or nine years, whatever it’s been. I say that I think he’s a rising star, and he’s going to allow me to be the head coach of his team.

“I’m going to be able to touch all three phases with how good this guy is, and he’s going to allow me to be the head coach. And then when it’s time for me to call the defense, I’ll be able to call the defense.”

This is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, LaFleur couldn’t have blocked Duggan from becoming Miami’s defensive coordinator, so it wouldn’t have mattered whether LaFleur wanted to have him back in 2026 or not. Secondly, the linebackers, specifically Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper, regressed in 2025 under Duggan, his first year as the team’s linebackers coach, compared to the second half of 2024, when Anthony Campanile, now the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive coordinator, was leading the unit. Obviously, Duggan has long-standing ties with Hafley, as he was one of two coaches, along with assistant defensive line coach Vince Oghobaase, whom Hafley brought with him from Boston College.

Duggan had served as BC’s linebackers coach under Hafley, and he was a graduate assistant for Ohio State in 2019, when Hafley was the team’s co-defensive coordinator. In 2023, Hafley’s final year at Boston College, he named Duggan co-defensive coordinator on top of his title as linebackers coach, when his previous defensive coordinator, Tem Lukabu, left to be an assistant coach in the NFL. Duggan served the role of “defensive assistant” in Hafley’s first year with Green Bay, before Campanile received the promotion in Jacksonville.

Under defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, the team’s defensive staff has been almost completely reshaped, with the only on-field assistant who hasn’t reportedly left for another gig this cycle being defensive line coach/run game coordinator DeMarcus Covington. As of now, the reported signings under Gannon have been pass game coordinator Bobby Babich, defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks and linebackers coach Sam Siefkes. Siefkes, Duggan’s replacement, previously coached for Gannon as his linebackers coach in Arizona from 2023 to 2024, before taking over as Virginia Tech’s defensive coordinator in 2025, a role he held for just one year before being displaced by former VT head coach Brent Pry being moved to defensive coordinator after the hiring of head coach James Franklin.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-to-keep-sean-duggan-before-he-left-for-miami

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Matthew Golden excelled on third and fourth down in 2025

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 16: Matthew Golden #0 of the Green Bay Packers lines up before a play during an NFL football game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 16, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Nobody’s going to argue that Matthew Golden had a statistically dominant rookie season, or even a particularly noteworthy one. 29 catches for 361 yards isn’t going to turn a lot of heads, no matter how you slice it.

But Golden was great for the Packers in at least one significant area: he consistently came up big for the Packers on third and fourth downs.

Golden converted 11 of 17 (58.8%) of his third and fourth down targets into first downs, the second-highest percentage on the team among receivers and tight ends with at least 40 targets. Only Tucker Kraft was better on the money downs than Golden, converting 11 of 15 opportunities (73.3%).

For good measure, Golden hauled in a clutch completion on a fourth down in the Packers’ playoff loss to the Chicago Bears, snagging a pass from Jordan Love for a 13-yard gain on 4th and seven on the Packers’ final drive.

That likely doesn’t make up for Golden’s relative lack of statistical output in the minds of many fans, but it shows a lot of good things about the young wide receiver. He was no afterthought on key downs, for one thing. Though both Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs had more targets and catches on third and fourth downs, Golden still got a decent number, and he caught them when called upon.

It’s also noteworthy that Golden was getting open often enough to be regularly targeted on the money downs. That aligns with other data on his ability to shake defenders: according to ESPN’s pass catcher analytics, Golden was in the top half of the league among eligible pass catchers in “open rate,” measuring the degree to which he separated from defenders. Golden ranked third among Packers pass catchers in open rate.

Now, this isn’t necessarily an indicator of Golden’s breakout potential for 2026 or a validation of his success in small sample sizes, and it’s not intended to be. But it is evidence of Golden doing small things right on his journey toward a bigger role in Green Bay. And if he’s going to become an elite wide receiver for the Packers, developing a reputation for being reliable on third and fourth down is a pretty great place to start.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...den-excelled-on-third-and-fourth-down-in-2025

 

[Green Bay Packers]

ESPN highlights 2 landing spots for Packers QB Malik Willis

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 27: Malik Willis #2 of the Green Bay Packers runs with the ball in the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Lambeau Field on December 27, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis, who had a 134.6 passer rating over two years with the team after general manager Brian Gutekunst traded a 2025 seventh-round pick for him in the summer of 2024, is set to be a free agent in 2026. It seems unlikely that Willis will be brought back to Green Bay this offseason after he hits the free agency market in March. In his end-of-season press conference earlier this week, Gutekunst even stated that Willis is “going to have a lot of opportunities” this spring, a light admission that the quarterback will probably be wearing another jersey next year.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein in November — which, to be clear, was before a two-game stretch where Willis went 27 of 32 for 409 yards (12.8 yards per attempt), two passing touchdowns, a passer rating of 139.6 and run for 104 yards and two touchdowns on the ground — Willis’ market was projected to be around $5 million to $8 million per year. At this point, I think anything around or under the number Justin Fields got last offseason, a two-year, $20 million per year contract, seems reasonable. It only takes two teams to start a bidding war, which would bring up Willis’ price.

But who will those teams be? Well, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler dropped an update on the offseason quarterback market on Saturday, which included some info on potential landing spots for Willis. Here’s what Fowler had to say:

Two teams I’ll be watching to pursue Malik Willis, if they can find someone to take their current quarterbacks, are the Cardinals and Dolphins. The ties are obvious: New Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley got a head start on Willis from Green Bay, and new Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur can get intimate knowledge of Willis’ game from LaFleur’s brother, Matt. The Cardinals and Dolphins are saddled with huge guarantees for Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa, respectively, though. The Browns were my sleeper for Willis, but the hiring of Todd Monken might change that equation. He seems open to working with the quarterbacks on the roster, including Shedeur Sanders.

Those make sense, depending on how much of an appetite the Cardinals and Dolphins have to move on from their current quarterbacks. Both Murray and Tagovailoa have contracts that are hard to get out of, as Murray carries a dead cap of $54.7 million in 2026 and Tagovailoa carries a dead cap of $99.2 million. Those are the numbers to release these quarterbacks. If they trade these quarterbacks, their original teams will be less on the hook for their dead cap, but this would require finding a team that would be willing to take on the quarterbacks’ salary or bonus guarantees, too.

The NFL record for a dead cap hit is Russell Wilson’s $85 million, which was split over two years, so it’s not impossible for Arizona and Miami to move on from their quarterbacks, but it will cost them a lot of opportunities moving forward. The biggest single-season dead cap was Matt Ryan’s $40.5 million after the Atlanta Falcons swung and missed in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, followed by Aaron Rodgers’ $40.3 million after his time in Green Bay, when the Packers pushed his cap hits forward to prevent a title window from closing before trading him to the New York Jets.

For what it’s worth, Arizona finished 11th in the NFL with a 92.8 passer rating on the year. If I were asked to name places where Willis might get a legit shake to be a starter, I’d circle the Jets, Minnesota (depending on how they stack the veteran QB market), Carolina (if they don’t want to pick up Bryce Young’s fifth-year option), Miami (if they don’t want to stick with Tua), Pittsburgh (if they aren’t going to run it back with Rodgers) and Arizona (if they don’t want to move forward with either Murray or Jacoby Brissett). Decisions that these teams make at the quarterback position before free agency will tell us if they are or aren’t open to making Willis more than a backup in 2026.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...s-2-landing-spots-for-packers-qb-malik-willis