Packerraymond Mock Off-Season; The Real, Real Last Dance (last 2 years were just practice)

[Packerraymond]

Aaron Rodgers: Rodgers informs the Packers he would like to stay in Green Bay, they meet and mutually agree that this season will be his last and he will retire to pursue other interests at its conclusion. True to his word on the McAfee Show, realizing he needs to give us more cap space to be competitive, he rips up the remaining terms of his contract and agrees to a new structure of option bonuses, giving us 8m in cap space and lessening the burden of his retirement on our future cap. Current Cap Space: -2m 

Simple Restructures: Current cap space 35m
Jaire Alexander
Kenny Clark
David Bahktiari
Preston Smith
De'Vondre Campbell
Rasul Douglas

Extensions: Current cap space 39m
Rashan Gary (5/125 with 42m guaranteed) +4m to cap space
Jordan Love (2/65 with 50m guaranteed and 2 void years): This is signed in season as to not affect this years cap, the trade off for one more year of sitting is 50m, Love hits FA again as a 27 year old with a chance for a megadeal.

Re-Sign: 22m cap space
Allen Lazard (4/40 5m cap hit)
KeiSean Nixon (3/24 4m cap hit)
Rudy Ford (2/8 3m cap hit)
Marcedes Lewis (1/min)
Justin Hollins (1/min)
Yosh Nijman (4m RFQ Tender)
Kris Barnes (2m RFA Tender)

Trades: 13m in cap space
5th round pick traded to LAC for WR Keenan Allen: Allen has a pretty simple contract to trade with mostly base salary, he's been listed as a cap casualty for the Chargers, Gute knows he can't afford to have his deal ripped up and compete on the market for him, so he offers up a 5th rounder. Allen's 15m base salary is max restructured to signing bonus, and a 1yr 20m extension with 5m signing bonus and 2 void years is agreed to, giving Allen a cash payout of 19m and his cap number becomes 5.5m

 

3rd round pick and OL Sean Rhyan to LV for 4th round pick and TE Darren Waller: Waller is another potential cap casualty, as the Raiders miss out on Rodgers and decide to go after a young QB. The Packers swoop in and get their guy, giving the Raiders another day 2 pick and a young OL to develop. Waller's extension only included a 825k signing bonus, so this is another easy restructure. He's maxed restructed converting his 11m base salary to signing bonus for a cap hit of 3.5m. 

 

Free Agency: Left with 5.5m in cap space
 

Arden Key EDGE 3/33m: Key has come on as a great situation rusher, we'll need more pass rush than last year if we're going for it.

 

Charles Omenihu DL/EDGE 2/10: More depth for the DL and EDGE positions. 

 

The Draft: This draft is all about the year 1 impact, not the best way to draft I know, but taking Rodgers back forces us to look for immediate plug and play players to help the team next year.

Round 1: Peter Skoronski 6'4 305 OL
School: Northwestern

Skoronski is a legacy prospect so this would be cool to see, he's an immediate plug and play RG for us next year giving us a starting 5 of Bahk-Jenkins-Myers-Skoronski-Nijman. That has a chance be an elite group. I'm not giving up on Skoronski having a chance to play OT one day, but there's no starting spot for him there so he starts off as a guard to replace JRJ. Next year when when Bahk can be released or traded and Nijman is a UFA, we can evaluate Tom and Skoronski as tackles. I think you're looking at a Zach Martin type OG here, so maybe he just stays there and has a 10 year career, either way he's one of the players who helps the most year 1 so Gute pulls the trigger.

 

Round 2: Christopher Smith 5'11 195 DB
School: Georgia

We break our round 1 Georgia streak, but don't wait too long to go back to the well. Smith is my top safety in this draft, he can play deep, he can play slot, he can fill in the run game, he's a true modern safety. We'll be able to experiment between Savage, Ford, Douglas and Smith to find the best combo of safeties to replace Amos back there. Smith should be a core ST early on as well.

 

Round 4: Zacch Pickens 6'4 305 DL
School: South Carolina

More depth for the DL, Pickens is a good mix between rusher and gap defender. He won't be responsible for many snaps as a rookie but is quality depth for that room. Projects as a solid rotational piece in the future with Clark, Slaton and Wyatt. 

 

Round 4: Tyler Scott 5'11 190 WR
School: Cincinnati

Scott is a blazer, with Allen, Lazard and Waller as lower end speed guys, the team needs another blazer to mix with Watson out there. Scott is a darkhorse for fastest player in the draft, he can fill the Tyler Ervin type roll that we really haven't had since 2020, as well as backup Nixon in case of injury for return duties. 

Round 5: Josh Whyle 6'5 250 TE
School: Cincinnati

Back to the Luke Fickell well, I remember watching a lot of Cincy in 2021 and liking how Whyle looked, not quite as good this year without Ridder, but worth an add to the room to kick Tyler Davis off the team and provide depth. 

Round 7: Cameron Brown 6'0 195 CB
School: Ohio State

Late round flyer on an athletic, high end recruit from a school with a DB pedigree. Brown can unseat SJC and give us a 5th corner with some better tools to work with.

Round 7: Robert Beal JR 6'4 250 EDGE
School: Georgia

Led Georgia's other wordly defense in sacks in 2021, Beal's dealt with injuries and isn't a freak athlete, but he's worth a look late.

Round 7: Ali Gaye 6'6 260 EDGE
School: LSU

Another toolsy SEC EDGE to redshirt for a year on the PS and see what we have down the road. 

Round 7: Shaquan Davis 6'5 220 WR
School: South Carolina State

Davis is the big body that LaFleur and Gute love, worth a late round flyer to put him on the PS and see if he can make a Lazard like ascension. 

 

Projected 53:

QB: Rodgers - Love
RB: Jones - Dillon - Goodson
WR: Allen - Lazard - Watson - Doubs - Scott - Toure
TE: Waller - Lewis - Deguara - Whyle
OL: Bahktiari - Jenkins - Myers - Skoronski - Nijman - Tom - Runyan Jr - Newman - Walker - Jones

DL: Clark - Slaton - Wyatt - Omenihu - Pickens - Ford
EDGE: Gary - Smith - Key - Enagbare - Hollins - Beal
ILB: Campbell - Walker - Barnes - McDuffie
CB: Alexander - Stokes - Douglas - Nixon - Brown - Jean-Charles
S: Savage - Ford - Smith - Leavitt - Carpetner 

K: White/UDFA
P: O'Donnell
LS: Coco 

^Your 2023-24 NFCCG losers ladies and gentlemen. 

[Old Guy]

Looks a lot like 8-9 to me. So, come playoff time the Packers will be:

Dancing With Myself - Bing video

[Packerraymond]

6 minutes ago, Old Guy said:

Looks a lot like 8-9 to me. So, come playoff time the Packers will be:

Dancing With Myself - Bing video

Coaching staff should be canned entirely if that roster goes 8-9 in this NFC, playing a 3rd place sched. 

[Old Guy]

Just now, Packerraymond said:

Coaching staff should be canned entirely if that roster goes 8-9 in this NFC, playing a 3rd place sched. 

Everybody should be canned if they bring Rodgers back.

Apologies, nothing wrong with your efforts but the idea of Rodgers coming back makes me throw up a little in my mouth. He's worse than Favre ever was at the end of his tenure in GB. 

I just can't stand the idea of him being back. 

One honest critique, no way I see Love taking that contract if Rodgers is back. He'd be a fool not to demand a trade immediately. Unless he doesn't believe in himself. 

 

[Packerraymond]

1 minute ago, Old Guy said:

One honest critique, no way I see Love taking that contract if Rodgers is back. He'd be a fool not to demand a trade immediately. Unless he doesn't believe in himself. 

 

50m guaranteed in cash and a FA at 27, I'd like to hear your reasoning on this. If he demands a trade, he's going to play on a rookie year deal and then get a 5th year option. So 20m cash and FA by 26. 

[PackFan13]

3 years too late. Lazard isn't worth 10 million a year. Love getting 50 million for doing nothing is just highlighting what an awful pick he was and how poor gutes plan is.

[packfanfb]

Under the "Rodgers comes back" scenario, this would at least provide some excitement to the season versus just bringing back the ol' gang and a few new rookies approach over the last few years. Frankly, it's the only logical way to take this if Rodgers comes back. If nothing else, 2022 proved that. 

My only gripe is Lazard (most here know how I feel about him). Especially if you're bringing in Allen and Waller to be 2 of your top 4 receiving threats with Watson/Doubs, I am not paying Lazard anything close to $10m/aav to be our No. 5 option and who's only better-than-average trait is blocking. Let him walk and draft his replacement on Day 3. 

 

 

[NFLGURU]

Love is under contract through this upcoming season with a 5th year option by the Packers for 2024.  He has little leverage in anything.

[CWood21]

22 minutes ago, Packerraymond said:

50m guaranteed in cash and a FA at 27, I'd like to hear your reasoning on this. If he demands a trade, he's going to play on a rookie year deal and then get a 5th year option. So 20m cash and FA by 26. 

I'm assuming you're declining his option and then signing him to a new deal?

[Packerraymond]

Just now, CWood21 said:

I'm assuming you're declining his option and then signing him to a new deal?

Yes, it would be discussed this summer and executed late season to bring him off the ledge once Rodgers announces he's coming back. Really a "good faith" gesture that I think is necessary if you truly desire him to be the heir, otherwise just trade him. If he's bad year 1, then he's a perfect QB for the year 2 tank to get a top pick, if he's good/great, you talk about the next extension which wipes out the void years. 

[Packerraymond]

7 minutes ago, packfanfb said:

Under the "Rodgers comes back" scenario, this would at least provide some excitement to the season versus just bringing back the ol' gang and a few new rookies approach over the last few years. Frankly, it's the only logical way to take this if Rodgers comes back. If nothing else, 2022 proved that. 

My only gripe is Lazard (most here know how I feel about him). Especially if you're bringing in Allen and Waller to be 2 of your top 4 receiving threats with Watson/Doubs, I am not paying Lazard anything close to $10m/aav to be our No. 5 option and who's only better-than-average trait is blocking. Let him walk and draft his replacement on Day 3. 

 

 

My assumption is he could also play some TE2 since Lewis is a blocker only, Deguara is an H-back only and Whyle is a rook. 

[vegas492]

I really like and appreciate the thought process to this mock.

It all makes sense to me.  Not a fan of Key, but as a 3rd or 4th EDGE, sure.  Like the San Fran kid, too.

Love the idea of Allen...also...he's been very injured lately.  But still, nice pull.

I don't know a lot of the names in the draft, but I do know some and the thought process is logical.

The Love deal is the one thing that I do LOVE.  Basically paying him off to sit the bench and guaranteeing him the starting gig a year later while giving him more guaranteed money than if he sat, then got the 5'th year option.  Nothing wrong with that.

Huge grey area is whether or not Rodgers re-does any part of his deal.

Ultimately, while I like this mock, after further review, I love it.  Why?  We didn't pick in the 3rd round.

[AlexGreen#20]

11-6 and losing in the NFCCG again is kinda depressing tbh 

[15412]

Oh yeah, this is exactly how Ol Rodg would do a mock off season, pad the old ego it would!  Let’s do away with calling any plays, we’ll make the old man O Coordinator officially.  
 

Is this type of off season possible?  Sadly yes.  If Alfred E Neuman and Gute can be fooled into giving Rodg his last bloated deal then this would be baby food.

The only way (unless Rodg truly and completely will tear up the old deal and play for what he is worth, which will never happen) the team can begin to recover from that horrible contract is to address in full right now.  The old man needs to be jettisoned now for as much treasure they can still get and the team must get behind Love.  The cap and the future is paramount at this point.  Ol Rodg has stunk late in the year for over a decade now, it’s not going to be any different with another year from now.  I’m not saying it will be instantly better with Love at the helm, but not saying it wouldn’t either.  Bottom line is the cap burn needs to be felt right now to get past it as quickly as possible.

[MaximusGluteus]

You lost me at Peter Skoronski.