Inbox: The ticket market knows

Rudy from Rhinelander, WI

Al from Green Bay beat me out on the "schedule schmedule" comment, and he got to be "da man," and deservedly so as he had tenure. Can I at least be the "water boy" for coming up with the same idea?

Rudy from Rhinelander is a pretty good moniker already, no?

Steve from Marinette, WI

Does it seem strange to you that the Packers play on Thursday night in Week 2 and then have a Week 4 bye?

It's Week 5 for the bye, and yeah, that setup is less than ideal. If you're going to have an early bye and play two Thursday games, it would be beneficial for both Thursdays (and subsequent mini-byes) to come later on. But so it goes.

Douglas from Parker, CO

Scheduling question. Taking out our division games, and games with the other two set divisions, how are the remaining games decided on who hosts whom? We have played the Broncos several times, including preseason, and with a couple of exceptions, it's always in Denver. They owe us several games at home.

As far as the scheduling formula, preseason games have nothing to do with how the regular season gets put together. Regarding what I call the "placeholder" matchups, where the opponent from another division finished in the same place in the standings the year prior – which for the Packers in '25 are the matchups at Arizona and Denver, and home vs. Carolina – the home/away is a rotation. That extra AFC matchup simply rotates which conference hosts each year, and the AFC is the host for '25. So the Packers playing at Denver in '23 (when everyone in the NFC North faced everyone in the AFC West) and again in '25 (as a cross-conference placeholder game) aren't actually related. They fall under different portions of the scheduling formula. Denver will be playing in Green Bay in '27 when the two divisions are paired up again. The NFC placeholder games are hosted on a two-year rotating/overlapping basis. So the NFC North has hosted the NFC South for placeholder games in '24 (New Orleans for the Packers) and '25 (Carolina this year), the NFC North travels to the NFC West in both '25 (Arizona) and '26, the NFC East travels to the NFC North in '26 and '27, then it flips to the NFC North traveling to the NFC South in '27 and '28, etc.

Ben from McFarland, WI

The Lions have won enough games at Lambeau now. That wasn't a question, was it?

No, but it prompted me to look up that Detroit has now won six of the last 10 at Lambeau after not winning a game in Wisconsin (Milwaukee or Green Bay) for more than 20 years prior to 2015.

Josh from Fort Myers, FL

Guys, I abhor the idea of any rule that says players have to sit for X number of games as was suggested. Basketball, in my mind, has been immeasurably hurt by players resting. I get extending career longevity and whatnot, but if the NFL went there, it's just further devaluing the regular season. I know 18 games is coming, and as a fan, I have no problem with more football, to a point. But if you start saying that resting our O-line is good for the health of our QB, or RB, you've lost the plot.

Couldn't agree more, and I don't want to see the NFL go down the NBA or NHL road. The playoff seasons in both of those sports can certainly be compelling, but when it takes 16 postseason wins (in potentially as many as 28 postseason games) to win a championship because half the league (or more) makes the playoffs, what are they playing 82 regular-season games for? Cut it to 60 and get on with it. I have the same problem with my personal passion, baseball, now that the playoffs have expanded so much. If that many teams are getting in, the 162-game grind isn't worth it. Whack the season to 120 and get to the playoffs. It'll never happen because of the financial ramifications, but the pro leagues are doing themselves no favors in terms of regular-season interest. It won't be long before the NFL will have half the league in the playoffs, eight in each conference with no byes (that'll be next, count on it), while playing 18 regular-season games – 4½ months of grueling physical brutality to eliminate only half the teams and decide nothing more than home field, all so some mediocre 10-8 squad can sneak in, get hot for a month and win it all. At some point fans are just going to say wake me up when it matters. Sorry, I'll get off the soapbox now.

Matt from Fitchburg, WI

If I paid hundreds of dollars to go to an NFL game, only to miss out on seeing certain stars play because it was "their turn" to sit out, I'd be furious.

Bingo.

Grant from Green Bay, WI

I'm with you guys – 17 is more than enough games. But what are your thoughts on a longer season with adding a couple more bye weeks? Maybe give every team two regular-season bye weeks, plus a bye week before the start of the postseason. You expand the length of the "active season" to sell more merch and TV commercials during pregame shows while giving players more time to recover and fewer games decided by injuries. I think most fans don't necessarily want more games, just a shorter "dead zone."

But that's not what the players want. For every bye week or break added to the season, the players are on the clock and not getting paid anything more. Look at it however you want, but that's their reality. The players have never complained about not having enough bye weeks. They just don't like playing games four days apart, though that massive Thursday Night Football contract signed by Amazon has certainly added to their bottom lines.

Chuck from Gold Canyon, AZ

Good morning Wes, Mike and II. If Gary won the marriage date lottery I got the opposite. In February, I book airline and event tickets for the Austin F1 race on Oct. 19. Out of 18 potential dates for the Packers to play in Arizona my lottery went bust. As ML likes to say, "Nobody cares."

Ouch.

Kenton from Rochester, MN

In regard to Elgton Jenkins moving to center, I was surprised to learn that it would have an impact on his compensation. Is center really valued less than guard? It would seem to (naive) me that center should be the most valued position on the line. Not only do they have to block and protect but also recognize and call out protections as well as snap the ball accurately and on time. In fact, center is the only position that touches the ball on every play. Why isn't it valued as such?

The skillset required is more varied, for sure, but the market says high-level centers are more easily replaced than guards. Based on contract APYs, there are 21 guards but only seven centers making at least $10M per season, while the highest-paid center would rank tied for eighth among guards. I can't speak to why exactly, but those are the facts.

Bill from Menominee, MI

Kitan Oladapo was the guest at a fundraiser in this past weekend. He seemed very humble. It's a similar event each year and he definitely spent more quality time with the attendees than previous players. My curious 8-year-old had to ask if he's ever picked off Jordan Love in practice. He looked up from signing his autograph and smiled in response, "a couple of times." My kiddo will be paying closer attention to No. 27 this season.

KT, as he's known, earned his share of respect last year for everything he went through injury-wise, and you're not the first person to tell me he had his moments on the scout-team D. He's at a crowded position and just has to be ready when his number's called, because it will be at some point.

Bret from Hertel, WI

Dear Mike or Wes, what players not rookies are you excited to see when the pads come on after a promising 2024 season? My choice is Brenton Cox Jr. The former five-star athlete showed he belonged as a rotational player and could start in the future.

As far as guys who provided maybe just a glimpse of what they've got to offer, Cox is as good a choice as any. Karl Brooks is another one I'm very curious about in Year 3.

Doug from Neenah, WI

Good morning. We sure haven't heard much about safety/nickel Javon Bullard this offseason, especially since he was a second-round draft choice last year. Maybe those positional lines are getting blurred in the defensive backfield. Is he healthy?

I haven't heard otherwise. When I talked to him in the final locker room session the day after the Philly loss, he mentioned possibly having his injured ankle cleaned up in the offseason, but those procedures are pretty routine.

Diane from Hot Springs Village, AR

Can we expect Tucker Kraft to play more this year?

He played 85% of the offensive snaps last season, so I wouldn't look for a huge jump there. But I'd expect him to catch more than the 50 passes he caught last year.

Fred from Escanaba, MI

Do you think Josh Jacobs will have another great year?

Yes.

Steve from Eau Claire, WI

I was surprised (and disappointed) that the Packers haven't done more via draft or free agency to strengthen the pass rush. With each pass rusher that became unavailable, I felt my heart drop lower. Trey Hendrickson was always the Big Prize, and still is. If it were me, I'd make the deal for him no matter the cost – even offering a current defensive starter plus a first-rounder. I believe he's worth it, and would put the D "over the top," much like Reggie White did. Go big, win now!

I understand the sentiment, and I'll never say never. But White's acquisition 30-plus years ago being the exception, it's just not in the Packers' MO to make a huge commitment to another team's player on the wrong side of age 30. The only such investment Gutey has made, I believe, was signing Jimmy Graham in 2018, which didn't pay off. And in Hendrickson's case, it would cost player/draft capital as well as a massive contract.

Kyle from Los Angeles, CA

Forgive me if you've answered this before, but will we ever be able to see assistant coaches' press conferences again? Ben Sirmans was Christl-grade educational. Are they no longer posted for technical or competitive reasons?

It was a manpower decision. The work required to shoot, edit and post every assistant coach press conference was getting to be too cumbersome for the video and technical folks involved, so the decision was made a while back to continue posting the coordinators' media sessions but no longer do so with the position coaches. A sampling of their comments is still posted in written form, though.

Josh from Seattle, WA

Watched a great YouTube video by the WSJ on the architecture of new stadiums and how they are designed differently to maximize profit than in the past where you crammed as many seats as possible in. It's worth a watch. Also, I think MM did a great job of thinking expansion all around the stadium to maximize profit rather than give up seats in the stadium. Have you noticed any changes in press boxes that you visited after a stadium remodel?

Only their locations. In both Kansas City and Buffalo, the press boxes used to be along the sideline, between the upper and lower decks. Beautiful views. After those stadiums were remodeled, the press boxes moved to the upper corners of end zones. The old domes in Atlanta and Minneapolis were the prior way, too, until their new stadiums were built. The previous locations are prime real estate now. I'm not complaining. I totally get it.

Tom from Nolanville, TX

Holy guacamole Batman, I was thinking I could drive up to AT&T Stadium or fly back over to Phoenix and catch one of the Packers' road games this season but after checking out ticket availability and prices, I am shocked and chagrined. The secondary market for those two games and the Denver game are in the stratosphere. I think it's a sign that more and more casual fans have become more dead serious fanatics. Playoff ticket prices for regular-season games.

I think it's more a sign that when Packers fans – be they transplanted elsewhere or travelers – make a commitment to attend a particular road game, they're truly committed. The ticket market knows and will take advantage.

Barton from Tulum, Mexico

As we are completing the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, it's impressive that our Packers made it to the NFC Championship Game six times! Unfortunately, we are 1-5 in those games. Do you agree that quality depth and player position flexibility to better deal with injuries is key to winning our next NFC Championship Game opportunity, hopefully this year?! GO PACK GO!

I don't look at it that way. When I look back on the five NFC title game losses in my tenure, I see two games when the opponent was simply superior (Falcons in '16, Niners in '19), and three games that came down to a play or two here or there. I don't go much further than that, honestly.

Nick from Gresham, WI

That is a pretty tough schedule guys, hoping for 11-6 or 10-5.

And once again the audience proves why the no math rule exists. Wes is back for the next couple days. Happy Tuesday.

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