Green Bay Packers
CLEVELAND, OH (WSAU) — Packer fans across the country will get their first look at this year’s crop of rookie players on Thursday when Green Bay makes the 29th selection in this year’s draft.
There’s also the intrigue surrounding the team’s situation at QB, where established starter Aaron Rodgers is coming off an MVP season while last year’s first-round pick waits on the depth chart.
GM Brian Gutekunst acknowledged that this week but says at this time there’s no controversy surrounding the position.
“He’s such a unique, different player than anyone I’ve ever been around,” said Gutenkunst. “He affects our organization in so many different ways that you can’t value him. He’s so important to what we do.”
Gutekunst admits that he’s still working to get the Packers in compliance with the NFL salary cap, which remained virtually flat compared to last year due to the fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes Rodger’s deal.
“We’ll have to do a few things with different contracts as we head towards the season and through the season to make sure our salary cap situation not only this year but in 2022 is square,” said Gutenkunst.
A tactic that many teams employed in free agency involved signing players to a multi-year contract, then voiding the years beyond 2021. That allows them to pay out money in the voided years, saving money under the current cap.
Then there’s also the status of last year’s top pick.
Green Bay traded up in last year’s draft, which was held through virtual means due to the pandemic, to select Jordan Love out of Utah State. Love did not see the field at all in 2020 after the league canceled preseason games and the team established veteran Tim Boyle as their backup.
Boyle has since signed with the Detroit Lions. According to the current depth chart available on the team’s website, Love remains the 3rd stringer with no backup listed.
This weekend’s draft will be followed up by the release of the NFL’s first 17-game regular-season schedule on May 12th. League officials maintain their goal is to have stadiums nearly full for the duration of the entire season after not having a single full stadium last year.
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