Losing to the 49ers in the divisional round certainly hurts, but fans should be excited to think about the Green Bay Packers' offseason plans. After all, the Packers went 6-2 down the stretch and beat the Cowboys on the road in the Wild Card Round before falling to the 49ers. The Packers' season review is certainly positive, setting it up for a bright future.
Packers offseason plans for the 2024 season
Keep in mind that the Packers were one of the biggest underachieving teams in the NFL in 2023. Before the season, some thought Green Bay could be among the worst teams in the NFL. The team's 2-5 start to the season didn't help. But from mid-November until the end of the season, the Packers were among the best teams in the league.
If they can continue to build on that in the offseason, one could argue that the Packers pose the biggest threat to San Francisco's dominance in the NFC. The 49ers have now reached the NFC Championship Game four times in the past five years. However, the Packers could be set up to repeat that kind of success starting in 2024.
It's all about love
There were a world of questions about Jordan Love heading into the 2023 season. Even at midseason, many of those questions remained. But those questions no longer exist. Love ended up throwing for over 4,100 yards with 32 touchdown passes to rank second in the league. Over the final 10 games of the season, including the playoffs, Love was limited to just three interceptions, two of which came in the playoff loss to the 49ers.
In other words, love grew quickly after it had the opportunity to begin. He sat behind Aaron Rodgers for three seasons but needed only half a season of on-court experience to find his groove. The Packers will presumably lock him up to a long-term contract that will keep him in Green Bay for the foreseeable future.
If he can build on the second half of the 2023 season, Love has a chance to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFC for many years to come and make the Packers one of the elite teams in the conference once again.
forever young
Of course, Love didn't take the Packers to the playoffs alone. He's had a lot of help from a surprisingly young and productive support team. The wide receiver position was a big question mark for Green Bay heading into the season. But like much of the quarterback position, that is no longer the case.
Rookie Jayden Reed ended up leading the Packers in receiving yards and touchdown catches, paving the way for a promising future. Second-year receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Dobbs also took impressive steps forward in 2023, giving the Packers a solid trio of receivers that only promises to get better going forward. The same can be said for the rookie tight end tandem of Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft. Not only have the receivers around Love performed much better than expected, but the familiarity the group has with Love should benefit Green Bay for years to come.
Building on the foundation
With Green Bay's quarterback dilemma resolved and a young core on the offensive side of the ball to build around, the Packers have a strong foundation heading into 2024. Outside of safeties Darnell Savage and Jonathan Owens, backup running back AJ Dillon, and veteran guard Jon Runyan, the Packers are not At risk of losing anyone indispensable in free agency. Additionally, with the emergence of young players on offense, it is clear what areas the Packers need to address in 2024 and beyond.
Heading into the offseason, Green Bay has just over $8 million in cap space. Releasing or restructuring the contract of a few veterans to create more space is also a feasible idea. That would give the Packers some money to spend this winter as well as having five draft picks in the first three rounds of the 2024 draft.
In other words, the Packers can expect an infusion of talent this offseason to complement the young talent already on the roster. If they play their cards right, Green Bay will be well positioned to challenge the 49ers, Eagles, Lions and others for NFC supremacy in 2024 and beyond.
