The Green Bay Packers have undoubtedly been a successful organization under general manager Brian Gutekunst's watch.
They're coming off an 11-win season and their fifth playoff appearance in six years. They've navigated the awkward transition from Aaron Rodgers and have one of the youngest rosters in the 撸先生AV.
But Green Bay is Titletown. The Super Bowl trophy is named after Packers legend Vince Lombardi. In the end, this franchise -- and its fans -- tend to define most seasons as "championship or bust." When asked about the current state of the Packers, who haven't made a Super Bowl in 14 years, Gutekunst didn't push back against the idea that they've come up short of their ultimate goals.
The Packers' challenge for this upcoming offseason? Gutekunst believes it's cranking up the urgency level for adding another Lombardi Trophy to the team's collection.
"You always have some disappointments in the year," Gutekunst told reporters on Thursday. "I think, for me, the thing that's been on my mind as we've concluded this season is we need to continue to ramp up our sense of urgency. These opportunities don't come (very often). The life of a player in the National Football League is not very long. We've got a bunch of good guys in that locker room, got a bunch of talented guys in that locker room, and yeah, I think it's time that we start competing for championships, right?
"I think they're ready. Like I said, I think they are wired right. I think that group is the kind of guys that can do that. At the end of the day, you've got to go do it. ... I'm excited about the group, but the sense of urgency, not getting complacent鈥 Some of these guys have now proven themselves to be 撸先生AV football players and have attained that, but what's out there for us as a team that we're willing to commit to and sacrifice for?"
Some notable questions face the Packers this offseason on each side of the ball.
On defense, even as the pass rush lagged at times, the Packers made tangible strides under new coordinator Jeff Hafley. But one lingering unknown is with cornerback Jaire Alexander, who was limited to seven games for a second straight season. His knee injury knocked him out of nine of the final 10 games, leaving the corner's future with the team in question.
Alexander, 27, is due to hit the Packers' salary cap for nearly $25 million in 2025 and more than $27 million in 2026. The long-term extension he signed in 2022 was well-earned, and Alexander backed it up with a Pro Bowl season that year before struggling with injuries the past two seasons. They also suspended him one game last season for detrimental conduct.
Can the Packers afford to keep him?
"Yeah, I think we're working through that," Gutekunst said. "Certainly we can (keep him)."
Gutekunst admitted that not only has Alexander been frustrated with his lack of availability, but so have the Packers.
"I know it's been really, really frustrating for not only him as a player, but (also for) us as a club," Gutekunst said. "When you have a player who's done what he's done for us in the past and then not being able to get him out on the field consistently, that's tough. That's tough on the player. That's tough on the organization. 鈥
"When he's healthy and when he's ready to play, he's a pretty good player."
The Packers also made a franchise-changing decision with Jordan Love, signing him to a massive extension last summer. After Love suffered an early-season injury, he returned to the lineup but struggled to gain the same consistency he did during the second half of the 2023 season.
Following Love鈥檚 struggles in the wild-card loss to the Eagles in which he threw three interceptions, head coach Matt LaFleur spoke of some "tough lessons" Love has experienced and that there would be "a lot of learning" prior to the start of next season.
But Gutekunst also made sure people knew that he remains a big supporter of Love going forward.
"I think we're very, very excited about his growth, not only as a player but what he's doing in our locker room as a leader," Gutekunst said. "I've talked many times about how even-keeled he is. I think his growth and how he's managed our football team has been pretty impressive.
"Obviously, he went through some things this year, battled through some injuries. He hadn't done that before, came out the other side of it. I was really proud of him, how he went through that. He's leading our team exactly how we want him to do it, so I'm excited about it."
How the Packers' championship urgency melds with the impending Alexander decision and Love's growth as a quarterback remains to be seen. But Gutekunst said he doesn't believe in teams having open or closed "windows" for winning and remains committed to the process and vision they've set forth with.
"No, we're pretty process-driven over here, being in this thing every single year," Gutekunst said. "You try not to look too far down the road more than two, three years out. But I'm not a big believer in windows."
Just titles -- and he's itching for the next one.
