Jon from Temecula, CA

So after Monday I assume Spoff is going to Dallas and Wes is heading to Miami. Or is it vice versa? Or are they expecting you two to fill in at linebacker? Good grief was Monday a hard one on the fans.

The Dolphins couldn't offer Wes enough money.

Scott from Vining, MN

I don't get why the NFL has this "legal tampering" period. If deals are announced within an hour of the start of the period, then conversations had to have happened prior to the start of the tampering period. Am I missing something?

My prominent comment on this very topic last week?

Rick from Shawano, WI

Explain to me how you feel about all the changes the Packers are going through, with many more to come, despite all the whining to stay the course.

Who was whining to stay the course? It's been a busy few days but this doesn't feel like too abnormal an offseason to me, honestly. Maybe more movement with Green Bay's veteran players than in some past years, but nothing crazy. At least not yet. The only constant in this league is change.

Zach from Grafton, WI

With the early free agency decisions and trades how does the team view its defensive priorities for the draft and rest of free agency? Feels like defense will once again be a top draft priority.

With Rashan Gary, Kingsley Enagbare and Colby Wooden all departing, the spotlight shines even brighter on the defensive line from here. Stay tuned I guess.

Matt from Waunakee, WI

If the reports are correct, a fourth-round pick for a player who appeared to be a cap casualty seems like a nice deal.

Very nice deal.

Dave from Edina, MN

In a matter of months the Cowboys have acquired two of our future first-rounders AND two of our past first-rounders. What are the cap implications of trading Rashan Gary?

Trading Gary and releasing Jenkins has cleared roughly $30M in cap space. More on Gary in a moment, but I want to say this about Jenkins: He was an uncommon player for his ability to line up anywhere across the front and play reliably well (if not better), he always looked to and criticized himself first when anything with the O-line didn't go right, and he never made an excuse. Ton of respect for Big E and I hope he recovers fully from last year's nasty injury.

Bruce from Travelers Rest, SC

It seems that rarely do the pre-draft prognostications match subsequent performance, but it seems they did with Gary. At the time of his drafting, it was said that his production at Michigan never seemed to rise to his potential and the pundits wondered whether the same thing would happen in the pros. I would say that is exactly what happened in his time at Green Bay.

For whatever reason(s), Gary was a hot-and-cold player, and when he was hot he was borderline dominant, but he could never sustain it. He had a monster game in the 2021 postseason and then six sacks in the first six games of 2022, but got hurt three games later and was out the rest of the year. He had a pair of three-sack games in 2023, but just three total sacks in all other games. He had 5½ sacks from November on during 2024 (plus another in the playoffs), but just two sacks in September and October that year. He had 7½ sacks in the first seven games last season, then none the rest of the way. The pay matched his production at times, but not enough of the time. I'm not surprised the Packers moved on.

Alan from Fresno, CA

When I saw the Packers traded Rashan Gary I was a little bummed and questioned why. The best reason for the trade I read was it saved money. I understand this is a business, but as a fan I don't see how getting a 2027 draft pick in return helps on the field this year. Can you help me to see the light?

The cap savings will allow the Packers to pursue, or re-sign or extend, other players, and the '27 fourth-round draft pick becomes part of a stockpile developing in the middle rounds next year with the comp picks Green Bay is expecting. Or it serves as a hedge for a comp pick the Packers might lose if they sign a UFA in the coming days.

Scott from Reno, NV

Masterful job by Gutey to salvage a mid-round draft pick for a player we would have had to cut. If the projections of our compensatory picks after this year are correct, we could end up with a boatload of third- and fourth-rounders in 2027. Lots of flexibility. I love it.

If none of those comp picks gets canceled out, the possibilities in next year's draft become highly intriguing.

Robbie from Hingham, MA

With a flood of compensatory picks likely to come in for next year's 2027 draft (Malik Willis, Quay Walker, etc.), what is the likelihood of Gutey trading some of next year's capital to gain more picks for this year's draft? Gotta uphold our "win now" mentality in all facets of player acquisition.

We shall see. But next year's comp picks can't be traded until they're awarded next spring, so any trades now of future picks would involve the Packers' "regular" picks for next year. Plus the comp picks are at the end of each round, so the regular pick in that round is always the better one, and comp picks can be a little unpredictable and shift around. The Packers were projected to get two sevenths this year but wound up with only one with some late computation adjustments by the league.

Mark from Canada

I can't be the only one thrilled for Malik Willis, can I? $45M guaranteed from the Miami Packers? I hope he kills it in the AFC East!

Except when he returns to Lambeau next fall, of course, ha. Happy for Willis. He's getting the opportunity he's been working for and has earned. When Sullivan and Hafley both landed in Miami, this seemed like a distinct possibility and it happened. It's also not a break-the-bank contract for the Dolphins, who have cap issues with Tua's dead money.

Joe from Swansea, IL

With Malik Willis gone, do you think the backup QB is on the roster? Do we need someone with some experience in that room? We learned the last two years how important a fill-in quarterback be. Is MLF comfortable putting that responsibility in a kid's hands?

I don't know the answer to any of your questions. I think it's important to remember Willis didn't arrive in Green Bay as the backup QB in 2024 until days before Week 1.

Doug from Neenah, WI

Good morning, Mike. With jersey No. 2 suddenly available, is it still possible for Matthew Golden to make a change again?

He could make a change anytime, but I have no idea if he's interested in the inventory buyout of all the No. 0 jerseys.

John from Dakota Dunes, SD

Among all of the roster moves, is it true that Jordan Love is now the oldest-tenured player on the Packers?

Longest-tenured, yes.

Jim from Prairie du Chien, WI

Good morning all! So happy for Eric Stokes. The best quality human being out there. GPG!

Congrats to Eric. As I said yesterday, it's wild how things can work out sometimes. He got a chance to restart his career and made it work, cashing in.

Justin from Thousand Oaks, CA

I know he's a more accomplished player, but seeing Linderbaum's three-year, $81M deal with the Raiders makes me feel better about re-signing Sean Rhyan for $11M per year. Yowzers.

Linderbaum's deal exceeded every projection I saw, and his elevated market may have boosted the entire position, yet no other free agent center has come close to his $27M APY. He topped the previous highest-paid center, KC's Creed Humphrey ($18M APY) by 50%, which is crazy. Whatever the case, it's a nice payday for Rhyan, whom the Packers clearly believe has a lot of upside at that spot after his half-season as the starter.

Dale from Sedona, AZ

Have the Colts just set the market for re-signing Christian Watson with the contract for Pierce?

Probably. Pierce's contract at $29M per blew me away for a guy who's never had 50 catches in a season. He's averaged at least 21 yards per catch each of the last two years, which tells you the premium being paid for explosive plays. Watson's one-year extension for 2026 looks like a massive bargain now, but his future may have just been altered, considerably.

Jake from Greenfield, WI

Can you please explain more on how tenders work? With Dallas putting a second-round tender on Aubrey it sounds like they either get a chance to match another team's offer or they get a second-round pick if they lose him. What's the downside? Why wouldn't a team just put tenders on every player to confirm they get something back immediately?

Those "protective" tenders apply only to restricted free agents, essentially undrafted players (who didn't get the standard four-year rookie contract that goes to a draft pick) who have three accrued seasons and an expiring contract. Once a player has four accrued seasons and an expiring contract, he's an unrestricted free agent and there is no protective tender except the franchise and transition tags, which come with major financial implications.

Scott from Issaquah, WA

It occurred to me that the Packers' resurrection in the early '90s happened not just when free agency was expanded but when the salary cap was created. Were the Packers disadvantaged in the NFL prior to the advent of the salary cap and free agency and did this play a role in decades of poor performance? They had no rich owner, but teams also couldn't bid against each other for players. My understanding is a player was with whoever drafted him for his whole career almost always.

The short answer is the Packers were disadvantaged because the entire franchise was mismanaged, including having too many non-football people influencing football decisions. Cliff's history anthology covers all that. When the cap and free agency entered the picture together, the prevailing thought was the cap would certainly help the Packers, but free agency would hurt because Green Bay wasn't a destination for top talent. Reggie White changed that perception.

Herb from Mosier, OR

Here's a question for both of you. What stadium (baseball or football) took your breath away the minute you walked inside? Mine is Coors Field. When I walked in (at street level) and saw the Rocky Mountains in the distance over center field, I froze and couldn't move until the folks behind me got irritated. A close second stadium is Lambeau…first time I walked on the field (during the stadium tour) I got choked up. There must have been dust in the air because my eyes watered.

I can't pick one nor say my breath was ever taken away, but the neatest feeling I've ever had walking into a professional stadium for the first time was probably at Wrigley Field, just for the history and nostalgia of it. Other strong first impressions in baseball stadiums for me go to San Francisco, Denver, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, St. Louis, Kansas City and Cincinnati. I've never been to Fenway in Boston, so that one's still out there. In football, I'd say Seattle, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Minneapolis and L.A. (SoFi), plus London (Tottenham) and Sao Paulo (Arena Corinthians).

Al from Green Bay, WI

Spoff, I refer you back to Friday's Inbox. In the same day you mentioned how blessed you are to be in your current role, while also alluding to how quickly you will flee the building once your two-week break begins later this month. While I understand both ends of this thought process, perhaps you can enlighten your readers that may see this as diametrically opposed concepts?

My two-week break in March is the only time of year I truly disengage. From August through January, this job is six days a week (seven if you count travel days for road games), and while taking a few days off here and there in the winter/spring is helpful, there's so much going on you still can't totally disconnect. In mid-March, when I take two straight weeks, I do. All jokes aside about big news happening when I'm away, I don't read a single Inbox submission, post anything on X/Twitter, answer a single email, edit a single article. I immerse myself in March Madness and the start of the baseball season just as a spectator, without having to write about any of it, and then I come back ready to gear up for the draft. I love my job, but I also love being able to truly forget about it all for two weeks to focus on other things.

Mike from Socorro, NM

I was at the World Series game between the Brewers and Cards when Joaquin Andujar was hit in the shin with a line drive. I was seated a couple of rows up from the third base dugout and I would have sworn the impact sounded like a gunshot. I was very surprised to see him pitch the final game of the series after that.

That liner off Andjuar's leg occurred on my 10th birthday. I'll never forget it, for many reasons. Happy Tuesday.

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