Inbox: It's not that simple

Craig from Brookfield, WI

Wouldn't it make more sense for the Packers to trade up and draft Georgia's Jalen Carter...to go with Nixon and Ford? Carters are easier to find than Agnews. And a Carter would give fans someone to blame for the inevitable stretches of malaise. I'm still upset that the Pack blew an opportunity to do more in 2004 when they had a Davenport and a Couch on the roster.

This just won't go away, but nicely done.

Ben from Pensacola, FL

Maaaan, I wanted Hack back as like an offensive consultant or something like that. Good luck to him with Saleh (One of ML's besties?) and the Jets. He's gonna have some pieces to play with on offense. Question though...Who is his QB?

That's what the entire league is waiting to find out. Regardless of the answer, best of luck to Coach Hackett and the new opportunity. Glad, and not at all surprised, he landed on his feet quickly.

Dan from Toledo, OH

An AFC team with loaded offensive weapons and a perceived stout defense hires Nathaniel Hackett and is seen as a top destination for Aaron Rodgers. The Jets? No, this is what was said about Denver last offseason, funny how things repeat themselves.

Some offseasons never change.

Shawn from Kissimmee, FL

I saw that Rich was interviewed by the Colts for the HC position, nice to see him considered by someone.

Agreed, but I haven't seen him mentioned as getting a second interview with Indy. I'd love to see him get a legitimate chance as a head coach, but I'd also love to see him back in Green Bay.

Patrick from Ashland, WI

Could you guys please explain what "tolled" means in regards to contracts?

It just means the contract is frozen in time because the contracted individual is off the job, and it would resume under its current terms if/when the individual returns to work.

Robb from Brookfield, WI

When you explained Sean Payton's contract situation to Lee from Sullivan, IN, yesterday, it got me thinking: Could a team ever trade a coach and receive a player or draft picks in return? I assume not, so let me ask a theoretical follow-up question. How much draft capital would an in-demand head coach fetch?

Coaches have been traded for draft picks many times. Mike Holmgren got the Packers a second-round pick from Seattle back in 1999. In '97, the Jets gave the Patriots four draft picks over two years (one first-rounder) for Bill Parcells. Three years later, the Patriots gave up three picks to the Jets (one first-rounder) for Bill Belichick. In 2002, the Buccaneers gave the Raiders two firsts, two seconds and $8 million for Jon Gruden. There are other examples, but those are the most notable from the last 25 years or so.

Grant from Green Bay, WI

People keep raving about how the younger class of QBs has taken over, and they really have. But as good as they are, I realized this was mainly a product of just how bad QBs were between 2006-2016. The best of that decade was Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Matt Ryan, Matthew Stafford, Andrew Luck, and Cam Newton. Hardly a murderers' row of generational talent. Perhaps all this is, is the last set of greats retiring before a drought, and now there's water bubbling up from the QB spring again.

You lost me for a minute until I realized you were framing the time in terms of when the QBs were drafted. I'd have to add Joe Flacco to your list with him winning a Super Bowl, but you have a point. That decade (11 years, technically I guess) is bookended by the draft selections of Rodgers in '05 and Mahomes in '17. Your list in between is a good collection of QBs, but no slam-dunk Hall of Famers. It puts in perspective just how long Peyton, Big Ben, Brees, Brady, Rodgers, Rivers, etc., have lasted.

Tim from Greensboro, NC

Hey Mike, you stated concerning Cowboy fans, "You'd certainly be hoping Prescott would have more than two playoff wins by now." Remind me how many playoff wins we have had in the same time frame. We are constantly told we have the "best to have ever done it." As far as the regular season I agree. Playoffs, not so much. Thank you!

The Packers have four playoff wins during Prescott's career, if that's what you're asking.

Aaron from Phoenix, AZ

I've been a Packers fan for 35 years (and AR12's self-proclaimed biggest fan for 15), and for the first time my heart is prepared for anything that happens at QB1. Part of me relishes the thought of AR12 turning back the clock yet again to compete for a SB at an elite level. The other is eager to see what the JL10 experience has in store. Rather than dreading the imminent decisions, I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I hope.

This is probably too dispassionate for most, but I quelch any potential anxiety by knowing the Packers will have a quarterback for next season and they'll play at least 17 games. I guess I've just learned over 17 years of doing this that every season is its own entity, and any circumstance impacting that season can change in the blink of an eye. I simply wait rather than worry.

Paul from Ledgeview, WI

Mike the one storyline I am not interested in next season is Rodgers retired. If he goes to the Jets (or somewhere else) I would watch both teams. If he's in Green Bay, interesting to see that play out. Retired? Bummer.

My gut says retirement, though not off the table, is the least likely of the three options right now.

Erich from Sheboygan, WI

Why does Rodgers keep referring that he doesn't want to be part of a rebuild? The Packers' roster is and always has been built for the long haul. I wouldn't consider next year a rebuild whoever is taking snaps.

Neither would I.

Gordon from Newport Beach, CA

Mike, from a seasonal observation I felt the Packers had a lot of dropped passes. Lo and behold, when you check the statistics, they were the league leader in "dropped passes" at 30. Seems like a fixable problem, no?

The Packers can certainly throw it better and catch it better than they did in 2022.

Brock from West Lafayette, IN

Good morning, lots of chortling, head shaking and disbelief about the Cowboys' last play of their season. But if it had worked, would Coach Mike have kicked the extra point or gone for two and the win? Having kicked the PAT earlier in his history (at Arizona with the Packers) resulting in a loss, and a questionable kicker these playoffs, he might have leaned towards going for two.

That was the ultimate question a friend asked me via text when the Cowboys got the ball on their previous possession, with about three minutes left. It would've been a fascinating decision.

Bob from Ocean View, DE

You mentioned that you felt that Andy Reid's body of work in KC will get him into Canton but, as I continually remind my Eagle fan friends, Andy is the winningest Eagles coach in team history.

He has more than twice as many wins as the Philly coach in second place, the indomitable Greasy Neale. Reid also will join Dick Vermeil as a Hall of Famer whose head coaching career started with the Eagles before winning a Super Bowl elsewhere.

Nathan from Manitowoc, WI

What are the odds that Rashan Gary gets a contract extension this offseason? I know he has the injury but the pass rush just doesn't have much juice without him.

I expect the Packers to look at Gary's situation much like they did Jenkins' this past year. If he comes back and proves he's the same player, an extension likely gets done before the end of next season.

Brian from Visalia, CA

I think one of the most important games of the year was the Packers-Bills game. How you ask? Yes, the Packers lost but every team in the league watched that game. The Packers gashed the Bills and exposed to the league that they couldn't stop the run! Every team after ran on the Bills, aka the Bengals with four reserve lineman playing, thus keeping Josh Allen off the field and limiting their touches. You can't score if you don't have the ball. Your thoughts?

It's not that simple. After the Packers had the big rushing night in Buffalo, the Bills' next two opponents – the Jets and Vikings – also rushed for a bunch and beat them. But over their last seven regular-season games, the Bills gave up more than 110 yards on the ground only once, to Miami, and then the Dolphins had just 42 rushing yards in the first playoff game. The Bengals just got into a rhythm offensively and Buffalo did nothing to disrupt it. With a 17-7 lead at the half, two-thirds of Cincinnati's yards were through the air.

Kevin from Fishers, IN

I know during the season, there is a lot of self-scouting and watching tape of upcoming opponents. Is there a time (maybe the offseason) where the coaches look at what other teams have done, e.g., Detroit, SF, KC, etc., in terms of scheme, toughness, etc., that they look to add to the team or what they may need to change to get over the proverbial "hump"?

A lot of time in the offseason is spent on that, not so much about getting over the hump as always needing to evolve and see how other teams have had success in ways that might fit your personnel. Not everything fits what/who you have, but some stuff certainly can.

Tom from Two Rivers, WI

Mike, if you had to choose your No. 1 receiver between Davante Adams and Sterling Sharpe, discounting Sharpe's injury-shortened career, who would you choose and why? "Please don't make me choose" is not an acceptable answer. ;)

Wow, that's really tough. I think I'd lean toward Adams due to his unparalleled releases off the line of scrimmage, but that's the only separator that immediately comes to mind.

Patrick from Folly Beach, SC

On the Ja'Marr Chase TD, I thought that the rule was different for catching and going out of bounds. In bounds, the receiver just has to maintain possession (and perhaps make a football move). Going out of bounds he has to have possession all the way to the ground. He did not. So it was not a catch. That was the explanation given on TV.

Correct, and it was the correct application of the rule in my view. The real question is whether having to maintain possession all the way to the ground for a reception is a good rule.

Joshua from Milwaukee, WI

As long as we're belaboring the Ja'Marr Chase catch… Replay should overturn obviously incorrect calls supported by irrefutable evidence. For a time, it did just that. Now it exists to create unnecessary scrutiny and reversals that are just as subjective and no more accurate than the original call. At this point, I say get rid of the whole "gosh darn" thing. It reeks.

Your concluding thought will never happen. Keep dreaming. The original point is valid but a product of the increase in camera angles and improvement of technology. The networks pay billions to broadcast the games and are going to show fans every last detail, so getting the results to match what's seen at home continues to be a challenge without a perfect solution.

Tony from Davenport, IA

Monday Mike said that the Pack would probably get three compensatory picks. What rounds would they be in and how is that determined?

The latest projection from overthecap.com has the Packers getting a fifth-rounder and two sevenths. The awards are based on a team's net loss in free agency, going primarily by the APY in the contracts of the free agents lost vs. those signed. The projection has the Packers getting a fifth-rounder for losing Marquez Valdes-Scantling, while the departure of Lucas Patrick and signing of Jarran Reed cancel one another out. Then the two sevenths come from the losses of Chandon Sullivan and Oren Burks. But nothing's final yet. Once all the calculations are completed, it's possible Burks' contract won't qualify and the Packers won't get a pick for him. It's also possible Pat O'Donnell's contract will qualify and cancel a seventh-rounder.

Tucker from Temple, TX

In regard to Mike mentioning that "the wrong team went to the SB" because of bad officiating, his point is taken but I would add a caveat. That play didn't end the game and the Saints possessed the ball again with the chance to win, post atrocious non-call. I think that is part of the reason it didn't lead to whole-scale change.

You're right the Saints got a possession to start overtime, but if the obvious DPI call is made, there is no overtime. The Saints would've had first-and-goal with 1:45 left, and the Rams had just one timeout. New Orleans could've drained the clock to under 20 seconds and kicked a chip shot to win. Instead, they had to kick right after the non-call and the Rams got 1:41 to go tie the game and force OT.

Eddie from Minneapolis, MN

Regarding the Rams-Saints "pass interference" game, I think we all agree it was a missed call. But I also think it's much better to see a team's season end because the refs let 'em play than it is to see a team's season end on a questionable flag (cough, Kevin King, cough). I'll take under-officiating rather than over-officiating every time.

Point taken.

Ed from Windsor, CO

In further response to Steve from Lake Stevens and II regarding how it only all comes together for one team each year and winners have to have a little luck, with respect to the coaching and hard work, the Patriots could have lost four or five Super Bowls. We could be talking about multiple Seahawks or Falcons SBs given one more or less flux capacitor.

The most remarkable thing to me about the Patriots' and Brady's championship history is they lost two Super Bowls on the incredible catches by David Tyree and Mario Manningham, and they won two on the Malcolm Butler goal-line INT and crazy Julian Edelman grab. If that doesn't provide some perspective on the whimsical nature of the end results, nothing will.

Markus from Aurora, CO

Guys, conference championship weekend is ahead of us. Chiefs or Bengals? Eagles or 49ers? Who's gonna go to the dance?

Bengals-Niners, and whichever QB needs a two-minute drive to win the Super Bowl will spot a famous actor in the stands to break the ice in the huddle. Happy Friday.