Packers 2020 team discussion

[PeaveyFury]

Well... Rodgers is the obvious contract to restructure...

 

Only if they're willing to sign him to an extension and basically void their 'out' that they have after next year.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I feel like there's always room with the way you can restructure contracts. Didn't the Chiefs just dole out like $200 million or something?

 

There's always a day (well, year) of reckoning at some point. The Packers kicked the can a couple of times recently, and there's not much room for movement left without cutting players.

 

Exactly, because they've done this before, and that year was 2005. The let both pro bowl guards walk in FA and released Darren Sharper, then proceeded to go 4-12. Ted Thompson knew they were in a cap hell and likely knew they had to suck to get out of it. It's a consequence of being consistently good with a ton of money tied up in one very important guy.

[homer]

There are guys making good money they can cut in the next year or two and not see a huge dropoff. P. Smith, Turner, Amos off the top of my head are all replaceable. I mean sure there could be a dropoff to the next guy but not to where you'd lose an extra five games.

[CheezWizHed]

Well... Rodgers is the obvious contract to restructure...

 

Only if they're willing to sign him to an extension and basically void their 'out' that they have after next year.

 

Right. You give him a signing bonus, add years, reduce his yearly cap hit, and push the 'out' a few years later. Given this year, I'm not sure that is a bad thing.

[adambr2]

Does the playoff seeding this year work similar to previous years where the top seed automatically faces the lowest remaining seed in the playoffs, or does it follow a standard bracket now?

 

Like let's say the playoffs ended today. We're the 1, Saints are the 2, Cardinals are the 7. Cardinals upset the Saints in round 1. Do we automatically face the Cardinals, or would we face the Washington/Seattle 4/5 game winner like a traditional bracket would work?

[lcbj68c]

According to CBS.....The NFL playoffs are not based on a pure bracket system. In the divisional playoffs, the No. 1 seed is assured of playing the lowest-seeded Wild Card survivor.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/standings/playoffrace/

[OldSchoolSnapper]

No fixed bracket. 1 plays lowest seed left in round 2.

[PeaveyFury]

Well... Rodgers is the obvious contract to restructure...

 

Only if they're willing to sign him to an extension and basically void their 'out' that they have after next year.

 

Right. You give him a signing bonus, add years, reduce his yearly cap hit, and push the 'out' a few years later. Given this year, I'm not sure that is a bad thing.

 

Looking a bit closer at his contract this morning, his last restructure (last year) actually makes a future restructure really hard. They've deferred so much money, I'm not sure how much more they can realistically defer. They truly are better off moving him after 2021, hard as it may be to believe.

[adambr2]

I am 100% ok with moving Rodgers after 2021, as crazy and unconventional as it sounds (and I realize it almost certainly won't happen).

 

At some point these contracts paint us into a corner and the time will come to pay the piper. This franchise will face a rebuild, not a matter of if but when and for how long. Best to make it as quick as possible. Love will still have 3 years on his rookie deal (including the option) and Rodgers will be entering his age 39 season.

 

If Rodgers is still playing at this level he should still garner a substantial return which would help accelerate the rebuild.

 

The roster is already going to take a massive hit next year with how far we're going to be over the cap. After 2021 we're going to start losing our ability to field a competitive team around Rodgers anyway. We're looking at a 2 year window here including this season to win a Super Bowl and after that it will be time to start looking at the franchise with a more long-term plan.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I am 100% ok with moving Rodgers after 2021, as crazy and unconventional as it sounds (and I realize it almost certainly won't happen).

 

At some point these contracts paint us into a corner and the time will come to pay the piper. This franchise will face a rebuild, not a matter of if but when and for how long. Best to make it as quick as possible. Love will still have 3 years on his rookie deal (including the option) and Rodgers will be entering his age 39 season.

 

If Rodgers is still playing at this level he should still garner a substantial return which would help accelerate the rebuild.

 

The roster is already going to take a massive hit next year with how far we're going to be over the cap. After 2021 we're going to start losing our ability to field a competitive team around Rodgers anyway. We're looking at a 2 year window here including this season to win a Super Bowl and after that it will be time to start looking at the franchise with a more long-term plan.

 

Yeah...I'm not, though I don't think you're crazy since most people I talk to seem to agree with you on this. This "window" stuff is always just an eye roll to me. The 49ers were going to dominate the NFC for years to come...the Packers just won the Super Bowl and "haven't peaked yet, there will be more." There's an endless list of stuff that was supposed to happen and never did.

 

"Moving on" from a 39-year-old QB that's still throwing 40 TDs and a handful of picks is just insane, there's no other word for it. You don't need a long-term plan when you are winning 13 games. It doesn't take 7 years to rebuild in the NFL, there isn't a need to accelerate a rebuild. Many of the same teams pick high year after year and suck anyway.

 

Why fans always seem to be in a hurry to get Tom Brady to retire or the Packers to move on from the one guy that's held up some atrocious teams just always surprises me. I watched the Brett Hundley season and I'd rather postpone that as long as possible. If Rodgers is playing like this in 2 years then make it work. The guy is probably going to be good into his 40s, and I hope it's here.

 

2-year window is completely debatable. Your window is open when you have a QB like Rodgers. But it doesn't mean you can just suck in all other forms of player development. However I have no reason to believe he's falling off a cliff in 2 years.

[adambr2]

I am 100% ok with moving Rodgers after 2021, as crazy and unconventional as it sounds (and I realize it almost certainly won't happen).

 

At some point these contracts paint us into a corner and the time will come to pay the piper. This franchise will face a rebuild, not a matter of if but when and for how long. Best to make it as quick as possible. Love will still have 3 years on his rookie deal (including the option) and Rodgers will be entering his age 39 season.

 

If Rodgers is still playing at this level he should still garner a substantial return which would help accelerate the rebuild.

 

The roster is already going to take a massive hit next year with how far we're going to be over the cap. After 2021 we're going to start losing our ability to field a competitive team around Rodgers anyway. We're looking at a 2 year window here including this season to win a Super Bowl and after that it will be time to start looking at the franchise with a more long-term plan.

 

Yeah...I'm not, though I don't think you're crazy since most people I talk to seem to agree with you on this. This "window" stuff is always just an eye roll to me. The 49ers were going to dominate the NFC for years to come...the Packers just won the Super Bowl and "haven't peaked yet, there will be more." There's an endless list of stuff that was supposed to happen and never did.

 

"Moving on" from a 39-year-old QB that's still throwing 40 TDs and a handful of picks is just insane, there's no other word for it. You don't need a long-term plan when you are winning 13 games. It doesn't take 7 years to rebuild in the NFL, there isn't a need to accelerate a rebuild. Many of the same teams pick high year after year and suck anyway.

 

Why fans always seem to be in a hurry to get Tom Brady to retire or the Packers to move on from the one guy that's held up some atrocious teams just always surprises me. I watched the Brett Hundley season and I'd rather postpone that as long as possible. If Rodgers is playing like this in 2 years then make it work. The guy is probably going to be good into his 40s, and I hope it's here.

 

2-year window is completely debatable. Your window is open when you have a QB like Rodgers. But it doesn't mean you can just suck in all other forms of player development. However I have no reason to believe he's falling off a cliff in 2 years.

 

They made a pretty some pretty big talent investments in the roster when MLF got here. We saw what happened in the last couple years under Mike McCarthy what happens when Rodgers has to do it all himself, and it wasn't pretty. He's really having a great year, but it should be noted that he's playing at a much higher level than he was the last few years. It can't and won't last forever. I don't know if he'll fall off a cliff, but I wouldn't expect this level of play beyond 2021. Father time catches everyone. You don't see too many 39 year old QBs carrying teams to Super Bowls anymore. The Bucs made significant talent additions around Brady and he's still clearly not playing at an elite level anymore. Brees is still a good QB, but I don't think anyone would expect elite play out of him anymore. A 39 year Rodgers carrying a roster that will likely be gutted in the next couple years to get out of salary cap hell? I just don't see it.

 

I don't see the comparison of Hundley to Love. Hundley was never drafted to start. Hundley was a 5th round pick. I certainly don't think the Packers draft Love in the 1st, much less trade up to get him, unless they saw him as their QB of the future.

 

The "window" stuff is subjective and ambiguous but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. The Packers' window has been open since 2010, they just haven't finished the job. The 49ers aren't really comparable to the Packers, their "window" has never been tied to a franchise QB because they don't have one.

 

Rodgers looks really good but he also has one of the top WRs in the league, a pretty good TE group, a top running back and an offensive line that constantly keeps him upright. It's going to be a lot harder for him to look this good when the realities of kicking the salary cap down the road finally catch up and prevent us from affording that kind of supporting cast for him.

[pacopete4]

I want Love to be a stud just because it would be hilarious to go Favre, Rodgers, and then Love and not miss a beat. So many friends of mine would lose their minds.

[homer]

I want Love to be a stud just because it would be hilarious to go Favre, Rodgers, and then Love and not miss a beat. So many friends of mine would lose their minds.

 

There would potentially be people in their 30's that never in their lives saw an extended period of bad Packer QB play.

[FVBrewerFan]

They can definitely do another extension for 2-3 years with Rodgers. But with revenue down, the cap going down, etc. it could make it tough to negotiate. Rodgers may want to wait a year to see if the economics rebound.

 

Should they extend him? YES. I want to free up cap space for the next 2-3 years. Whatever happens post-Rodgers is likely to be pretty bad anyhow. So I wouldn't mind falling off the cliff. Make the right moves and it only takes a couple years to rebound.

[GAME05]

I get that MLF had to overrule a bunch of folks to draft Love, but either way I don't see how the pick happens in the first place without an established plan in place to replace Rodgers. Long-term drafting is great, but nobody does it four years out. That says to me that it's less likely Rodgers' improved play changes those big plans and more likely that it simply ups his trade value.

 

That said, if Rodgers really is traded and Love isn't Mahomes v.2.0 by Q2 of Game 1, Packer fans are going to implode.

 

I tried to find articles on what Rodgers' trade value would really be and I didn't see much. All I saw was a 1st and a 3rd from NE or DJ Chark from Jacksonville. That's less than I would have guessed.

 

Of course there's also the variable that Rodgers is madder at the Packers than he lets on for drafting Love and ignoring the trade deadline and he just demands a trade.

[nodakfan17]

Assuming Rodgers’ play doesn’t drop off significantly next year, the price would start at two #1s..

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Long-term drafting is great, but nobody does it four years out.

 

Rodgers sat 3 and probably would have sat 4 if Favre didn't retire first. TT wanted him to retire but there's no telling what happens if he doesn't retire in March first.

 

However I don't think they saw Favre playing as well as he started to in 2007 and then continued to in Minnesota and New York for half a season.

 

I don't think there is a plan set in stone. I think they drafted a QB they really liked (biggest reason) because Rodgers is old, had shown possible signs of decline, they have no depth at the position and have seen him get hurt before.

 

It's foolish to make a plan on Draft Day and stick with it for 3 years if your vet is still playing like an MVP. Love has to actually show something before the Packers make that kind of call. I'd hardly call this offseason any kind of real evaluation on Love, but he did not look good at all in camp according to numerous sources. Rodgers was lighting up practice by the time Favre left and it was clear to everyone on the roster he was ready to play.

[OldHeidelberg]

Assuming Rodgers’ play doesn’t drop off significantly next year, the price would start at two #1s..

 

Well I don't know if that was true this past offseason with his contract and all the uncoachable talk. But this coming offseason? Yep the guy is one of the 3-4 best players in the league right now plus the Packers eat a lot of the bonus so the contract probably gets pretty easy for teams to take on. Coming into this season I thought he probably would be traded soon but I doubt it now.

 

I understand why Jones is probably upset he didn't get a new contract but it's bad luck for him. We just gave 2 record deals out to other pending FA's and for the first time in years the cap will likely drop instead of the constant growth that gave teams so much flexibility. Plus, while I don't agree with it they may prioritize King and just bring Williams back at RB. But no matter what I expect the Packers to wait and see what the market is for Jones/King/Linsley. It will be a weird offseason where the the headliners may still get the big deals but there may be a lot of average starters dumped on the market who can be had for cheap. The Packers may take their comp picks and fill up the roster with the released guys again.

[adambr2]

 

That said, if Rodgers really is traded and Love isn't Mahomes v.2.0 by Q2 of Game 1, Packer fans are going to implode.

 

I plan on giving him til at least into the 4th quarter and perhaps even as late as the 2 minute warning of the 4th quarter before I jump to any conclusions. No need for panicky hot takes if he isn't playing at a HOF level by halftime when there's still a whole other half of a game to be played.

[PeaveyFury]

I think it's hard to say they should do one thing or another with any certainty at this point. A decision needs to be made in 13-14 months, which includes another whole season to see A)how Rodgers continues to perform, and B)how Love continues to develop behind the scenes.

 

A year ago, we thought Rodgers was fading significantly. This year, he's playing MVP level. We should have a good idea a year from now what his trajectory actually looks like...

[HiAndTight]

Long-term drafting is great, but nobody does it four years out.

 

Rodgers sat 3 and probably would have sat 4 if Favre didn't retire first. TT wanted him to retire but there's no telling what happens if he doesn't retire in March first.

 

However I don't think they saw Favre playing as well as he started to in 2007 and then continued to in Minnesota and New York for half a season.

 

I don't think there is a plan set in stone. I think they drafted a QB they really liked (biggest reason) because Rodgers is old, had shown possible signs of decline, they have no depth at the position and have seen him get hurt before.

 

It's foolish to make a plan on Draft Day and stick with it for 3 years if your vet is still playing like an MVP. Love has to actually show something before the Packers make that kind of call. I'd hardly call this offseason any kind of real evaluation on Love, but he did not look good at all in camp according to numerous sources. Rodgers was lighting up practice by the time Favre left and it was clear to everyone on the roster he was ready to play.

 

 

I agree with all of this. The idea that just because you really liked Love you're going to ignore what happens(ie, Rodgers playing at an MVP level) and just force your "plan" which we're all guessing about anyone, to happen....it's crazy.

 

The Packers control Love for 5 years, we have no clue what the Cap is going to be, but we know that MOST teams are going to have significant cap issues next year if it does drop...and there is a new TV deal. There's no reason to blow things up just as the Packers are getting rolling under LaFleur. I've never seen a fan base advocate something like that and I think it speaks to how spoiled we've become.

 

The Cap was projected to go up to 250 this year(as high as). No fans changed that. There's plenty of reason to believe there will be fans in the regular season in 2021.

 

EITHER WAY, the Packers aren't giving their LT 25 million a year and then saying to their MVP QB, "you're too expensive, we're going with the unproven kid now."

[HiAndTight]

They can definitely do another extension for 2-3 years with Rodgers. But with revenue down, the cap going down, etc. it could make it tough to negotiate. Rodgers may want to wait a year to see if the economics rebound.

 

Should they extend him? YES. I want to free up cap space for the next 2-3 years. Whatever happens post-Rodgers is likely to be pretty bad anyhow. So I wouldn't mind falling off the cliff. Make the right moves and it only takes a couple years to rebound.

 

 

It shouldn't be that tough. The Packers add guaranteed money and add a couple of years to his contract at...50 million in base salary. Forces the Packers to work out a contract with him at that time or let him go and the only thing that happens to Rodgers is he gets more money right now.

 

The Pats did this with Brady, the Cowboys with Romo. There's no need to wait another year to see where the revenue's going. That's more an NBA thing where contracts are a pct of the salary cap.

[adambr2]

The Saints/Chiefs is a big game for us this weekend. If the Chiefs win, we can afford to pooch the Titans game and still get the #1 seed (assuming we win the other two).

[nodakfan17]

I’ll definitely be pulling for the Chiefs this weekend, but if they lose, that probably means Mahomes wasn’t perfect and Rodgers may pick up some MVP votes.

[FVBrewerFan]

The Saints/Chiefs is a big game for us this weekend. If the Chiefs win, we can afford to pooch the Titans game and still get the #1 seed (assuming we win the other two).

 

If the Rams or Seahawks run the table would we still hold the tie-breaker over them? (If we lose to the Titans.) No head-head, so NFC record is next right?