GREEN BAY – During his nearly 40-minute news conference on Wednesday, General Manager Brian Gutekunst provided key comments on several Packers players.
Here are some updates from Gutekunst as Green Bay embarks on a crucial offseason.
Quarterback Jordan Love didn't require post-season surgery.
For the most part, the Packers' starting quarterback finished the season healthy despite spending most of it on the injury report.
Love missed the second half of training camp after undergoing a procedure on his left thumb. He then injured his non-throwing arm against the New York Giants in November before sustaining a concussion against Chicago on Dec. 20 that knocked him out of Green Bay's Week 17 game vs. Baltimore.
Despite that, Love had his best statistical season throwing the ball. He fashioned a 101.2 passer rating with the best touchdown-to-interception ratio of his career (3.8-1). Love also tied Brett Favre's franchise record with 20 straight completions against Pittsburgh in Week 8.
Love was also a bright spot in the Packers' disappointing 31-27 wild-card loss to the Bears, completing 23 passes for 323 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers (103.8 passer rating).
"I thought Jordan played really, really good football; some of his best football, especially down the stretch," Gutekunst said. "He continues to be an unbelievable leader for our football team. Couldn't speak more highly of what I think about Jordan and where he's headed. As good as he's been for us, I do think he'll continue to get better because it's important to him and he works at his craft. He's always looking for another edge."
Micah Parsons' impact went well beyond his All-Pro season.
The Packers acquired Parsons in a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys in hopes of securing a generational pass rusher to build their defense around.
They wound up getting much more than just that.
The 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end not only racked up 12½ sacks in 14 games en route to his fifth straight Pro Bowl year, but Parsons also became a respected voice in the locker room.
Even after undergoing surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered against Denver in Week 15, Parsons was still in attendance for the Packers' playoff game in Chicago.
"He's super impactful to our football team," Gutekunst said. "The thing that was really nice to see was how he fit within our group, because you never really know how that's going to work. We knew the player. We knew when we put him out there the difference he would make on the field. But seeing the difference he made in our locker room and how he fit into our culture here and really enhanced our culture I think was really a pleasant surprise for me."
Zach Tom's knee injury shouldn't affect his 2026 availability.
The Packers' right tackle told reporters after the season he was leaning towards having surgery to repair the partially torn patellar tendon he suffered against Denver in Week 15.
Tom, who signed an extension with Green Bay in July, proved difficult to replace. The Packers won just one of the six games they played without Tom, who also missed two September starts with an oblique injury.
The fourth-year veteran gutted it out to make 12 starts before the knee injury ended his season. Despite the surgery, the Packers believe Tom will be ready for the 2026 regular season.
"Really proud of Zach and how hard he fought to get out there and play with what he was dealing with," Gutekunst said. "He's gonna be on the shelf here for a little while during the offseason, but I wouldn't really expect it to impact his 2026 season."
Packers have already started talks with Tucker Kraft on a potential contract extension.
The third-year tight end was well on his way to his first Pro Bowl season before tearing his ACL against Carolina on Nov. 2.
Prior to the injury, Kraft was Green Bay's leading receiver with 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns in eight games.
With Kraft entering the final year of his rookie contract, Gutekunst said the Packers have already spoken with the 6-foot-5, 259-pound tight end regarding his future.
"Obviously, he's a really important part of this football team," Gutekunst said. "Certainly, the impact that he has on our football team, not only as a player but as a leader, is very important to us. We've obviously already been in contact with him and just let him know how we feel and we'll kind of see how it goes."
Jordan Morgan proved something to the Packers during challenging 2025 season.
Gutekunst was impressed with how Morgan handled a tumultuous sophomore campaign in which the 2024 first-round pick made starts at four different positions (seven at right guard, two at left guard, three at right tackle and one at left tackle).
A three-year starting left tackle at Arizona, Morgan competed for the starting job there during training camp before incumbent Rasheed Walker kept the job.
With Walker set to become an unrestricted free agent in March, Gutekunst was asked whether it would be preferable to insert Morgan at his natural position instead of moving him around. Ideally, Gutekunst agreed, that would be the plan, but it's also somewhat unrealistic given the challenges of keeping a starting offensive line intact.
"I do sometimes think if you can keep a guy on a side, left or right, it's helpful for him a little bit," Gutekunst said. "But his versatility has helped us, and it was one of the reasons that drew us to him in the draft, and his ability to play all those spots has been a benefit to us, but certainly he's going to get a lot of opportunity.
"I thought he played really well in the preseason at that (left tackle) spot, probably did enough to win that job, but then we had some injuries and had to do what was best for the team."
Packers are looking to add cornerback depth this offseason.
Perhaps no position on the Packers' roster was stressed more by injuries than cornerback, with Nate Hobbs, Bo Melton and Kamal Hadden all finishing the year on injured reserve.
Gutekunst praised the unit's performance despite the injuries, commending Keisean Nixon for first Pro Bowl season and Carrington Valentine for stepping up in Hobbs' absence. He also left the door open for a Hobbs return in 2026 after knee injuries derailed his first season with the Packers.
In the big picture, however, Gutekunst acknowledged the need to deepen the coffers at a position with a high risk of injury.
"I think again we had some injuries there," Gutekunst said. "Do we need wholesale changes? No. I do think it's an area – those guys can get hurt. They're the smaller guys on the field. We ask a lot of those guys in run support. The depth there, for me, is important that we have answers."
Matthew Golden made the most of his opportunities.
The 5-foot-11, 191-pound receiver finished his rookie season on a high note, catching four passes for 84 yards and scoring his first NFL touchdown during the playoff game against the Bears.
It wasn't always easy for the rookie first-round pick to get on the field, especially once Christian Watson and Jayden Reed returned from injury.
But after watching Golden catch 29 passes for 361 yards in the regular season, Gutekunst sees big things ahead for the receiver in Year 2.
"I thought he did an excellent job," Gutekunst said. "Like all players, when you go through tough times when you're losing games and maybe you're not getting as many opportunities as you want, that's going to be frustrating, but I thought he handled it like a pro and, when his number was called on, he performed."
The Packers have the latitude to be active in free agency.
Despite inking Love, Parsons and Tom to top-of-the-market deals over the past 18 months, Gutekunst still feels he has ample room to be active in March if the right players are available.
"I feel really good," Gutekunst said. "A lot of that will be dependent on the decisions we make with the roster right now and what we do. But I believe we have all the flexibility to do what we need to do."
