2021 Aftermath: Where Do The Packers Go From Here? -

2021 Aftermath: Where Do The Packers Go From Here?

And just like that, the Green Bay Packers season comes to an end in gut-wrenching agony. The playoffs and most likely the Aaron Rodgers era can be summed up into one word: heartbreak. On Saturday night in a frigid Lambeau Field, the Packers fall to the San Francisco 49ers in epic meltdown fashion by a score of 13-10.

In a game where the defense played championship-caliber football, head coach Matt LaFleur, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and the offense curled up and played scared. In a game that a leader and MVP were needed, Packer Nation got a dud performance. Harsh words? Yes, but the truth is on the biggest stages since the 2010 Super Bowl season, the Green and Gold have not seized opportunities and thrown away great teams. At times when heroes are made the Packers have found ways to fall short.

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Speaking of teams, this game doesn’t solely fall on the offense but a special teams unit that found ways to give away this match. The special teams have been bad all season but the Saturday night showing could be one of the worst in modern NFL history. From a blocked field goal, blocked punt for 7 points, big returns to not even having 11 players on the field on the winning kick, this group sealed the fate of the last decade. Make no mistake, Green Bay has fielded championship-level rosters but has laid eggs when it mattered most. Like the great Ron Wolfe said, this era is now a “fart in the wind.”

Cap Complications

Now heading into the 2022 offseason the future is murky. The 2021 season was as all-in as a team can get. Moving forward, Green Bay is in salary cap trouble and most likely losing parts of the coaching staff. Still, the elephant in the room is what’s the future at quarterback. Is Rodger’s going to try for one more run or is it time to hand the keys to Jordan Love and turn this roster over?

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Rogers has said he doesn’t want to be part of a rebuild, but unless the Packers brass can rework a ton of contracts there will be key contributors gone. Starting with Davante Adams who wants and deserves to be the highest-paid wide receiver, Green Bay simply doesn’t have the cap to do this. They could franchise tag him, but that is not in the players’ best interest. If Green Bay really wants to run it back again, guys like Rodgers, David Bakhtiari, and maybe Za’Darius Smith need to move their money around to lighten the load. Overall this is nearly impossible to field the same team.

End of an Era?

The other option is to turn the page and begin a new era. The Packers could trade Aaron Rodgers to net some draft picks and/or some young cheap talent. There will be teams willing to pay a premium for the services of #12. Going this route, Green Bay still could move on from seasoned veterans and get aggressive at a mini rebuild. This would also change the team’s identity and strategy. They would be tasked to play great defense and run the ball effectively. It would really test Matt Lafleur’s system and short passing attack to get the most out of a young inexperienced quarterback.

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The first option is the safe one but the hardest to pull off. Option 2 is risky but could make for a wild next few years. If the Packers can get average play out of Love and hit on picks they could have a young competitive roster with not a lot of downtime. If the plan fails however we could be in for some dark seasons.

It will be an interesting offseason and for all the frustration Packer nation has endured, it is, as always, Go Pack Go.

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– Jesse Hall is a writer for Full Press Coverage Packers. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @hall_jhall1212 Follow @FPCoverage and Facebook.

– Kyle Senra is the managing editor for Full Press Coverage Packers. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @SenraSays Follow @FPC_Packers and Facebook.