PHOENIX – Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst spoke to members of the Green Bay media on Monday afternoon at the NFL Annual Meeting.
Here are five things we learned:
- The Packers tried to acquire Zaire Franklin years ago.
Franklin emerged as an All-Pro linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts in 2024, but the Packers' interest in the ninth-year veteran goes back much longer than that.
Drafted in the seventh round out of Syracuse in 2018, Franklin played primarily on the Colts' special teams during his first three NFL seasons before becoming a full-time starter in 2021.
Once Franklin was in the starting lineup, he didn't leave. The 6-foot, 235-pound linebacker started all 67 games for the Colts the past four seasons, leading the NFL with 179 combined tackles two seasons ago.
With Quay Walker signing with Las Vegas as an unrestricted free agent, the Packers had a vacancy at middle linebacker and a second chance at trading for Franklin.
"We kind of tried to acquire him then, so been a really good player for a long time," said Gutekunst, who sent defensive lineman Colby Wooden to Indianapolis for Franklin.
"He was a really good special teams player. Obviously very good leader, as well, captain there, so I think as we kind of went down and we realized it was gonna be really tough to get Quay back, I wanted to make sure we had an answer at middle linebacker, particularly one that might have some veteran presence, and I think we were excited to accomplish that."
Despite losing Walker, the Packers remain deep at middle linebacker with Edgerrin Cooper, Ty'Ron Hopper, Isaiah McDuffie and Kristian Welch all set to return in 2026.
Gutekunst is excited to partner a veteran like Franklin with an ascending prospect like Cooper, who's compiled 205 tackles (17 for a loss), four sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception in two NFL seasons.
"Edge is such a unique player. He is and he's so versatile with his ability," Gutekunst said. "He can play off the ball, in the run game, to cover, to rush the passer. He's really a complete linebacker, as is Zaire, so those guys, it'll be interesting to see -- obviously Quay and Edge had a nice working relationship."
- Franklin wasn't the only new defensive addition the Packers coveted.
Green Bay was thrilled to add two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and cornerback Benjamin St-Juste to the mix, as well.
Hargrave has amassed 432 tackles and 49 sacks in a 10-year NFL career that's seen the 6-foot-3, 304-pound defensive tackle start 130 of his 146 games played.
The 33-year-old defensive tackle saw his stock surge in 2021 while playing for new Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon in Philadelphia. Gutekunst said he spoke with Gannon before signing his former pupil.
"All that stuff is really valuable," Gutekunst said. "Again, our scouting staff does a great job, too, with the yearly kind of tracking of these guys, but whenever you have coaches come in, for us it's a nice way for us to debrief them from all their players they've been around and that always helps."
St-Juste is another player Green Bay kept a close eye since he entered the league in 2021 as a third-round pick out of Minnesota. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound cornerback was a three-year starter in Washington but had perhaps his best season as a rotational corner with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2025.
St-Juste was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded zone cornerback in the NFL last season, finishing with 37 tackles, seven passes defensed and an interception in 17 games.
"Whenever he got his opportunity to really play, I thought he played a very, very high level," Gutekunst said. "We liked him a lot coming out of the draft, his size and length on the outside is something we didn't have a lot of, something we wanted to get. He was kind of a target for us. Took a little longer than I would've hoped but nice to finally get that down right as we started on Wednesday (of free agency)."
- Packers believe Skyy Moore can give special teams a boost.
Green Bay made a play to fix its issues in the return game with the signing of the 25-year-old Moore, who ranked sixth in the NFL on kickoff returns (27.5-yard average on 33 returns) and seventh on punt returns (11.6 on 25 returns) last season.
The Packers ranked 23rd on kickoff returns (19.6 ypr) and last on punt returns (5.6 ypr) while finishing with different returners (Romeo Doubs and Bo Melton) than they started the year (Matthew Golden and Savion Williams).
The Packers hope Moore may be able to solve both issues with a single signing.
"Last year was one of the first years he really had an expanded role as a returner and he did an outstanding job," Gutekunst said. "He was one of the better guys that did both in the league last year and just as we went through that and had an opportunity to get him, that was something last year with our special teams that we needed to kind of add to, so excited to get him and see what he can do for us."
- Packers would love to extend Christian Watson.
As the price of NFL receivers skyrockets, Gutekunst still would love nothing more than to keep Watson around for the long run.
The 6-foot-4, 208-pound wideout signed a one-year extension with Green Bay last September, roughly a month before he returned from the torn ACL that ended his 2024 campaign.
Watson showed little sign of rust once he was back on the field, catching 35 passes for 611 yards (17.5 yards per catch) and six touchdowns in 10 starts. It was the third straight year Watson averaged at least 15 yards per reception.
"Certainly, we would like Christian around," Gutekunst said. "He did an amazing job with his rehab process and just a true pro. He's a unique individual as well and did a lot of really good things for us the second half of the season. That'll be something, I think, that would be good for both of us if we could do that. We'll kind of see how that thing goes."
- Sean Rhyan and Jordan Morgan are ready for more.
A major shift occurred on the Packers' offensive line this offseason, as Rhyan and Morgan step into larger roles following the departure of Elgton Jenkins and Rasheed Walker.
A former college left tackle who started at right guard for Green Bay in 2024, Rhyan made the switch to center midseason after Jenkins fractured his ankle against Philadelphia in Week 10.
The 6-foot-3, 324-pound offensive lineman proved to be a reliable fit, leading to a long-term deal prior to the start of free agency in March.
"He's such a stout, powerful man in there. And then the little intricacies of playing center, I thought he got better at each week," Gutekunst said. "We knew he could play guard at a high level and in the second half of the season, we realized he could play center at a very high level. We were really excited to get him back. I think Jordan (Love) having that consistency there is going to be important for us to do some of the things we want to do."
Morgan played almost exclusively at left tackle during his five seasons at Arizona but started at both tackle and guard positions last year for Green Bay due to injury.
It's Gutekunst's hope the 2024 first-round pick might be able to settle in at his natural position of left tackle, recently vacated after Walker signed with Carolina as a free agent.
"Excited for his opportunity," said Gutekunst of Morgan. "Quite frankly, his first couple years in the league, we've had to move him around and do what's best for the team, probably not what was best for him but it was what was best for the football team and I appreciate him in that regard."
