Packers GM Brian Gutekunst - Photo by Evan Siegle/Green Bay Packers
GREEN BAY, WI (WSAU) – As the Packers continue to prepare for the 2024 NFL draft and put together a new defensive staff for DC Jeff Hafley, GM Brian Gutekunst is laying out what his expectations are for the team going forward.
During a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Gutekunst discussed one of the team’s top priorities this offseason: signing Jordan Love to a long-term deal, saying, “I think we’ll go down that road because I think it would be important for our team to have some stability at the position. Jordan and his representation are really good people, so we’ll start working toward that over the next couple of months.”
Exactly how much the deal could be worth continues to be unknown; however, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is currently the highest-paid quarterback in the league at $55 million per year with $146.5 million fully guaranteed, with Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert a close second at $52.5 per year with $133 million fully guaranteed.
Gutekunst also weighed in on the future of running back Aaron Jones and if he’ll be a Packer next season, saying, “Absolutely, we’d love to have Aaron back, and we’re still trying to put all those things together as far as how we’re going to move forward, but I mean, he was such a difference-maker when he was out there this year.” Gutenkunst continued by saying, “I think for us, finding a way to keep him out there and healthy, but he’s such an influential piece of our locker room.”
After Jones recovered from an MCL sprain, he ran for more than 100 yards in each of the last five games for the Packers. With 458 rushing yards during that time, Jones topped all running backs, and his 5.7 yards per attempt were the fourth-highest in the league.
Guteknust did address the hiring of former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley as defensive coordinator, saying that he believes in Hafley’s ability to coach versatility on the defensive line and that he can bring “some” positive influence on players and staff.
Other highlights from the press conference included Guteknust stating that the team has no plans to trade star cornerback Jaire Alexander and that the team is “getting to a little bit better spot” financially to be able to add players during free agency if needed.
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