Inbox: They're not inclined to forgo the opportunity

Chuck from Neenah, WI

Hey Mike, come again? Has the summer of Spoff started yet or are you still decomposing? One of the best lines from Seinfeld episode "The Summer of George." And you call yourself a fan?

My bad. Missed it.

Jeff from Green Bay, WI

Hello guys, just drove past Lambeau and saw the hands of the Lombardi clock on the back of the north scoreboard are missing. Do you know what's going on with that? Thanks!

I believe it's just routine maintenance/repairs.

Jeffrey from Eveleth, MN

Spoff, you stated the other day that the Packers have a $600M reserve fund. Do you know how or if they invest this? Surely it must be earning some interest? A reasonable return of 5% would bank them $30,000,000 a year, not bad at all. Oops, I broke an Inbox rule, sorry.

There's an investment committee within the board of directors that manages the corporate reserve fund.

John from St. Albert, Canada

Hey Mike, love the new "Prospect Primer" format. It's short, sweet, and just enough to tantalize. But the real gem is that it covers several players at each position, making it less likely us fans fall in love with anyone. Past Primers had me wanting the Pack to draft them all.

Ha. Felt like we had to take a different approach this year with the Packers not owning a first-round pick. Maybe we'll stick to this new format in future "normal" years, too. Who knows.

Todd from Plover, WI

You mentioned the years that the Pack went into the draft without a first-round pick. But I seem to remember that we gave up a first-round pick in 1992 to get Brett Favre from Atlanta. Or am I misremembering?

Ron Wolf had two first-round picks that year, which takes some of the boldness out of the Favre trade, though he did have the courage of his convictions that Favre was his top-rated player in the '91 draft (when Wolf was with the Jets, didn't have a first-rounder, and missed getting him early in the second round by one pick). The year prior to Wolf's arrival in Green Bay, Tom Braatz had traded down 11 spots in the first round with Philly and picked up the Eagles' first-rounder in '92. Wolf traded that pick, No. 17 overall, to Atlanta for Favre and drafted Terrell Buckley at No. 5.

Dennis from Parrish, FL

Mike covered three tight ends as potential mid-round picks for our squad. The first two attended three schools and the last attended two. As a little bit of an old goober, if someone attended three schools, to me that's a red flag? My theory is they couldn't finish what they started. As a scout in today's world, this would eliminate probably three-quarters of draftable prospects in 2026! Is this a variable that is considered?

Not anymore. College players are chasing paychecks, and I don't blame them.

Doug from Neenah, WI

Good morning, Mike. While researching this year's draft class, it quickly became obvious that many of the prospects are older and have played for three or four teams in college. The transfer portal, NIL and a Covid year are all impactful. How might this change a team's assessment of the well-traveled rookie? Thanks.

In the off-field/character part of the equation, it becomes harder to find a trusted source who really knows the player well, because relationships are shorter. On the field, teams can learn how well players adapt to and learn new schemes.

TK from Grafton, WI

Yeah, so I'm hearing one way to evaluate a team's draft success is to note how many players from a particular class get signed to second contracts: "draft and replace" vs. "draft and develop." However, is it just me, or does it seem that the cost of a second contract at nearly any position has skyrocketed?

The cap has risen from $208.2M per team in 2022 to $301.2M per team in 2026. That's an extra $93M per team to spend on the same number of players compared to just four years ago.

Paul from Glen Tock, NJ

Hello II. I'm a big football (Packers) and baseball (Orioles) fan, and I marvel at how well the NFL's salary cap works in creating parity. Not so much in MLB. Both my teams have smaller markets than the big city teams. Just wondering if that's more a result of the owners' sway in both sports, or to the sway of the respective players' unions?

The MLBPA has long been the most powerful players' union in professional sports and has staunchly resisted overtures toward a salary cap for decades. That resolve will be tested next winter and beyond.

Brian from Urbana, IL

I like ABS so far. Which is good, 'cause I'm a ChiSox guy, so there's not a lot to root for otherwise right now. Anyway, Spoff, do you also like ABS or is the jury still out for you?

It was long overdue, and I believe it's just an intermediate step to a fully automated strike zone.

Mike from New Orleans, LA

I don't understand the 4-point field goal people. You're rewarding teams for moving the ball a shorter amount, plus you'll end up with teams taking 5-plus-yard losses on purpose just to get into the 4-point territory. All bad.

Agreed.

Jay from Woodstock, GA

I agree with "Please, no" on the question of the 4-point 60-yard field goal. In fact, I'd go the other direction...I think it would add some drama if, inside the last two minutes, the offense would be required to drive at least to the 35-yard line to attempt a field goal.

I wouldn't mind if that were the rule for the entire game, but nobody at 345 Park Ave. has asked my opinion. Shocker.

Doug from Salem, OR

Tim from Jupiter, FL, wants to reward 60-plus-yard FGs with 4 points. I agree with Mike. Instead of rewarding a team for not being able to move the ball, how about only giving 2 points for a long FG? That should discourage long attempts unless it's end of the game and needed for a tie/win.

I could potentially get on board with that idea, too.

Richard from Madison, WI

Mention of the John Hadl trade reminds me of the only reason I've ever had to appreciate the Vikings. I'll always be grateful to them for mortgaging their future to trade for Herschel Walker after he was all washed up, because it let people forget that the Packers had done the same for John Hadl only a couple of years earlier.

Couple of years? I believe the Hadl and Herschel trades were 15 years apart.

Bob from Abilene, TX

In response to JD from Madison, in the NFL the umpire's position is in the offensive backfield opposite the referee. That was done both for protection and for better views of the OL. I was an umpire for 25 years for HS, JC and Div. 3 so believe me I know how difficult it is. As for replacement officials, I believe that this year, if needed, the NFL is planning to start training them well in advance of the season, which they did not do in 2012. Hopefully, that will help.

More hopefully, it becomes a moot point.

Dan from Cross Plains, WI

Add me to the bucket of fans excited to see how Hafley does in Miami. It got me thinking, when was the last time one of the Packers' coordinators left for a head coaching gig?

Nathaniel Hackett got the Denver job in 2022 but lasted only 15 games.

Paul from South Yorkshire, UK

So we lost WYMM due to lack of a sponsor, no outside broadcasts due to lack of winter clothing sponsor (although that may have been a snarky answer) and presumably we'd lose Inbox if those sponsors walked away. For those of us in less commercialized parts of the world can you explain how external funding, or the lack of it, has such an impact in a business with billions of dollars flowing through it?

The Packers didn't give me a job 20 years ago out of the goodness of their heart. They wanted to start turning their website into an asset for the franchise's bottom line, and the evolution remains ongoing. To be clear, the sponsorship deal is not why this column exists. But it's why we post it five days a week in the offseason and six during the season.

Matt from Fitchburg, WI

To ask Keith's question a little more bluntly, do you think LaFleur and the offense take into account whether our defense is gassed when deciding whether to take a "shot"? Or do you think it's mostly the look the opposing defense is giving?

The latter. Teams game plan all week to dial up certain attacks when they get defensive looks they're anticipating in a particular situation or against a specific personnel group. When that look presents itself, they're not inclined to forgo the opportunity.

Craig from Sussex, WI

Looks like our head coach, GM, and cap guy are signed for several years. Does having security in one's contract status change the way they approach their jobs? For instance, a coach and a GM on the hot seat may make different decisions because of lack of security.

Hence why Ed Policy made it clear upon taking the reins, and in continuing how Mark Murphy operated, that the head coach and GM would not enter lame-duck years.

Steven from UK

How much of a young team's improvement is natural growth versus coaching adjustments?

Player development trumps scheme adjustments by a factor of five or 10 if you ask me. It's a players' game.

Tom from Keota, IA

Hi II crew. My read on "best player available" is that there's going to be multiple players who are BPA at any time. It's odd to think that anyone has a completely linear chart of everyone in the draft, such that DT14 is ranked two spots above CB18, etc. BPA means you won't look past the clump of 6 or 7 guys who are BPA right now just because you need a CB and they aren't CBs. But those 6 or 7 will be at different positions, giving you options, so "need" is still a factor even with BPA. Yeah?

Bingo.

Randy from Westminster, CO

I've seen a few questions about the cost to move into the first round of the draft. What if there is a player Gute loves about 10 spots ahead of the Packers in the second round? What would draft capital would it cost to make that move?

The chart says Green Bay's third-rounder would be too much, but the fourth-rounder wouldn't be enough. So it'd probably involve the Packers trading their second and third for the other team's higher second and fourth. Something like that.

Gary from Tompkinsville, KY

What do you think is the chance that Green Bay plays Chicago in primetime opening weekend?

I fully expect the Packers and Bears to play in primetime at some point in 2026, but I'm leaning more and more toward Chicago playing in Seattle for the Week 1 kickoff opener.

John from Palmdale, CA

Re: the Bears winning the division with a 2-4 record. WE owned the division. We were 4-2 and if Rome covers the onside kick and we didn't start every backup player we could against the Vikings we're 6-0. The Bears had lots of good fortune last year.

And yet came an overtime away from going to the NFC title game. Exhibit No. gazillion as to how crazy this league is.

Jeff from Foothill Ranch, CA

Hi Mike, since we're in a bit of a lull here, I wonder if you might indulge us with five players from your time on the beat here that you'll never forget. Not five best, or five favorite, just five memorable, unranked, and why. Could be because of shared interests, their story, the way they treated you and the media, anything. Just five players you'll always remember and why.

Charles Woodson – a true pro in everything he does, and always the coolest guy in the room. Aaron Rodgers – uncanny recall of plays/details/moments. Eddie Lacy – incredible toughness on the field, all laughs and smiles off it. Morgan Burnett – were both trying to figure out which bottle of wine to buy for our wives in the same liquor store. Frank Walker – wore snowmobile suits to team meetings and sent everyone in the organization a Christmas card.

Rob from Brooklyn, NY

Wes, Spoff, so help me God, if you continue to post more insubstantial II in this dead zone, I will READ it and I will be UPSET about it. Thanks.

We aim to please. Happy Wednesday.

HAVE A QUESTION?