Inbox: One helps feed the other

Rodney from Gladstone, OR

Does Bo Melton have to change his number if he becomes a DB? If only this was ever discussed here before.

So glad I'm back.

David from Janesville, WI

Gents, I wholeheartedly agree that visiting Lambeau is about so much more than a football game. You can't beat a crisp fall day, just enough breeze to wave the flags over the tailgating setups and spread the smoky aroma of fresh brats on the grill. You can hear different music, pre-game radio, and the thump of bags games as you wind your way toward the gates. Good hearted ribbing for opposing fans, who banter with the locals as they soak up the atmosphere. It's the physical poetry of game day.

I'm good with physical poetry. The printed kind, not so much.

David from Independence, MO

What do you think is the weakest link and strongest link for the team?

Ask me when the roster is down to 53.

Chase from Diamond Springs, CA

A GM can't make decisions for fear of what might happen, and BG has routinely shown he's up to the task. I imagine last year's defensive performance helped give him some confidence in making the decision.

The Packers have nothing to fear from losing Alexander based on the way this defense performed without him. Two versatile corners in Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs, plus a boundary guy in Carrington Valentine and another slot guy in Javon Bullard make for a solid front-line group. The question is who comes after them? Kalen King, Kamal Hadden, Micah Robinson, Johnathan Baldwin, Gregory Junior and Isaiah Dunn, among others, all have a massive opportunity to earn a place on the cornerback depth chart. As I mentioned on "Unscripted," the Packers are going to need more than those first four when injuries inevitably strike. Who will be next up to answer the call?

Ben from McFarland, WI

As to Jaire knowing his value...wasn't he involved in trade talks in that other teams also wanted to rework his deal, so his agent would have known his value? And now he can negotiate with all of the teams instead of just the Pack. It makes sense from all points of view, unfortunately.

The business side of this game never goes away. We allow ourselves to forget about it sometimes as we learn these players' stories and document their accomplishments, but it's still a business, for both the teams and the players.

Mike from Ottawa, Canada

Good day II. As always, thank you both for adding a dash of spice to the dead zone. How much of an impact do you believe the Bakhtiari experience had upon Gutey's decision to cut ties with JA? The parallels are extensive.

I have no idea how much, but I sincerely doubt the answer is zero.

Jon from Andover, MN

I don't think I will ever understand how it is "cheaper" for a team to release a talented player, pay him a large amount of money owed to him, then watch him sign for a smaller amount, and proceed to help another team. I just don't get it.

You're confusing cap charges for money already paid to the player with paying him money after he leaves. There's a dead cap hit for money the player already received that hasn't counted against the cap yet, but if the player had no more guarantees in his contract, he gets nothing when that deal is terminated.

Martin from Port Washington, WI

I read somewhere that releasing Ja post-June 1, it would not count against comp pick against other teams signing him. Is that true and how does it affect us in that regard? Any other benefits of a post-June release vs. pre-June release?

By releasing him after June 1 (or had they released him earlier and designated the most post-June 1), the Packers could spread out the dead cap hit on Alexander over the next two years. But it sounds like they've chosen to take the full hit this year and just get it off the books.

Brian from Chicago, IL

Hey II, is there any possible benefit in pushing Jaire's dead money hit all into this year? With the ability to roll over unused cap space into the next year, it seems like if they didn't want to use it, they wouldn't lose it. It just seems to limit what they could do this year if something unexpected happens, like a run of injuries that requires them to take on more contracts. Unlikely, but I am just trying to understand if there is any benefit here.

I'm not sure of the rationale. They're clearly comfortable with the room they still have for this year, which remains substantial. It's possible (and I stress possible because I don't know and haven't done all the math) if the Packers create too much cap space this year and end up not spending enough – say, for example, any delays arise in new contracts or extensions being worked on – they'd risk falling short of the minimum spend, which is either 89% of the cap over four years or 90% over three years; I've seen both published and referenced. Regardless, I believe the Packers have rolled over about $24M total in cap space from the last two years, which is roughly 5% of the combined 2022-23 cap maxes. So maybe that had something to do with the accounting.

Kurt from Freeport, IL

On Monday we saw another big player move take place. Curious how a lot of these announcements are leaked before the Packer organization officially makes a statement. What is the process?

Reporters find out the information from the player's agent, who is told before the organization makes an official announcement.

Nicholas from Washington, DC

Packers have a pattern of offloading great players a year early for financial reasons: Aaron Jones, Jordy Nelson, Rasul Douglas (midseason trade), the list goes on. I get that it's a business, but are these cut-throat, "sensible" decisions the kind of things that hold us back? You need veterans and experience, and I worry that the front office's continual rebuild and reload mindset is preventing us from competing. Thoughts?

My thoughts are it's about risk assessment in this case, and $34M in base salary over the next two years is a massive gamble for a player who missed 13 games in '21 and 10 each of the last two years. Add the fact that spending that money this year and/or next would likely force the Packers to let at least one of their maturing '22 or '23 draft picks walk at contract time, and it's hard to argue with the decision.

Mark from Rochester, MN

With the Packers now around $46 million under the cap this year. I would assume most of that cap rolls over to 2026. Short term pain for losing Jaire but long-term gain with upcoming extensions for others on the team, specifically Zach Tom.

I consider a sizable portion of the cap space created for this year and next by Alexander's release to be already targeted for big-money extensions for certain players I don't expect the Packers to let get away.

James from Eagle, ID

Do you see renewed effort to extend contracts for Zach Tom and Quay Walker soon? On another note, do you think Romeo Doubs will have a season that will make him too expensive for the Pack to keep him?

What happens at receiver is much harder to forecast, but Gutekunst has minced no words in his view that Tom and Walker are in the team's long-term plans.

Dennis from Seal Beach, CA

I have photos of Alexander and Justin Fields after the '23 finale against the Bears. Photos of Aaron Jones as well. I thought that would be the last time I would see Justin Fields as a Bear. Did not think it would be the last time I would see Jones as a Packer. Nor did I think just a year later we'd say goodbye to Alexander. How things change. I won't ask the question, but I can't help wondering who we will be saying goodbye to in '26.

As an old friend often said, it's a game of replacement.

Monty from Velva, ND

Lots of talk about the CB room and much negativity. Irrationality is running wild. Give these guys a chance people. My prediction is the pass rush will improve this making the CBs look better. What do you think?

I've always thought (preached?) that rush and coverage go hand in hand. One helps feed the other.

Bill from Clive, IA

Greetings, editors. With all the talk about the depth in the WR room and the difficult roster decisions that lay ahead, I got curious: How small can the TE room be and still be functional? How many TEs do we need in addition to Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave? Could those TEs simply live on the practice squad instead of on the 53 if we decide to maximize the number of WRs we protect from poaching off the PS?

I'd say three is the bare minimum at tight end and the number will likely be four. For my money, a fourth tight end is likely to provide more overall value than, say, a seventh wide receiver.

Robert from Provo, UT

Hey II, I got to thinking about our pass rush. With Edgerrin Cooper's bulked-up frame do you think we would ever put him on the outside? Especially in obvious pass downs. Wouldn't his explosion be something to fear coming around that corner for a tackle to cope with?

I could see that, but I suspect Cooper's suddenness becomes most effective as a pass rusher if the offense doesn't know for sure whether he's rushing, and from where.

Dave from Waterford, OH

No. 12, historically, is a football champion's number. Of the 59 Super Bowls played, the winning starting quarterback wore No. 12 in 18 of them, or 31% of the big games. That jersey number is far ahead of any others worn by the winning quarterback; seven times each No. 15 and 16, five times each No. 7 and 8, four times No. 9, two times each No. 10, 11, and 18. These numbers were donned a single time each: 1, 3, 4, 13, 14, 17, and 19. We have yet to see the following numbers win a SB: 2, 5, 6.

Two things I find interesting there. Take away Tom Brady's seven Super Bowl wins and No. 12 is still the most-worn winning QB number by a healthy margin. And I didn't know Favre is the only winner who wore No. 4.

Dustin from Kansas City, MO

Which current or recent Packers player do you think will be more appreciated by future fans than they were during their time in Green Bay? Kind of like how guys like Cullen Jenkins and Marco Rivera seem to get more love from fans now than they did back when they actually played.

It's always the guys in the trenches, right? Jon Runyan and Dean Lowry are two who come to mind.

Anthony from Madison, WI

Just a comment re: John from Rhinelander. We owners and others love our team. I guess the fan base numbers really don't mean much if you can't take five minutes? to ask a question and fill a mailbag. No, I'd rather call in to some crap talk show and talk about nothing, like I'd know what the hell I'm talking about. Utterly ridiculous. I *listen* and *learn* from you two so I *know* what I'm talking about in front of others. Thx for ALL you do to educate us. Better than any talk show.

Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks. I'll almost always choose writing over speaking, and reading over listening. And that's coming from someone who's done a podcast for almost a decade now. But thanks for the kind words.

Robert from Sandy, UT

More on the Fairies. Growing up in Beloit in the '50s and '60s, we went to the tiny corner grocery store three blocks from our house run by the jolly old German butcher. Years later my father told me he played for the Fairies. When I found Cliff Christl's history files, I looked up the 1919 game and there he was on the roster. Amazingly, he was the one who scored the winning touchdown! Here's to the fond memory of Harold Schiebel.

And that … is the rest of the story. Happy Wednesday.

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