The shortest distance to the QB is through the middle

Len from Muskego, WI Jordy being cut was almost as deflating as Montana leaving the Niners or Favre leaving Green Bay. It's happened before, it'll happen again. As Grandma Hod used to tell me, “All good things eventually come to an end.” Or, if you prefer something more uplifting, as Dr. Suess once wrote, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” Good morning. Brady from Wrightstown, WI With all the moving parts of free agency, wouldn't it make sense for the Packers to wait a bit on the secondary? Maybe even as far as the first cuts of training camp. There are always a few decent veterans put out on the market. Have you seen the contracts these cornerbacks are getting? Good for them, but holy cannoli. I agree it’s worth exploring lower-priced veteran options. I also believe Brian Gutekunst put it perfectly in Indianapolis – you need a blend of speed and experience at cornerback. What is the most direct avenue to acquiring speed? The draft. It’s a QB league, which in turn makes it a CB league. Paul from Ellensburg, WA Hey fellas, I’m trying to wrap my best to be positive head around why Jordy was released and essentially replaced by Graham. Both are once speedy now aging greats with good hands and dangerous red-zone capabilities. Whatever Graham has in height/weight Jordy negates with chemistry. Graham isn’t known for blocking, isn’t beloved of the fan base and isn’t a close personal friend of Rodgers. What are we gaining? I know heavily what we’re losing. You know what you’re losing because you’ve watched Nelson make play after play for the past 10 years. You don’t know Graham because you haven’t seen him very often. The Packers needed help at tight end. Graham has become a legitimate threat inside the red zone and is still a matchup nightmare in the middle of the field. Even at 31, he’s still one of the best in the league. Erik from Sisters, OR With the addition of Wilkerson, do you think an inside rush is the future in GB? I think there are more ways to get an inside pass rush player-wise than on the edge. True edge guys are rare. The occasional CB edge blitz keeps the outside honest while the dime-a-dozen elephant end holds up the edge in running downs. **Winning inside is the future of the entire league in my opinion. Why else is Andrew Norwell now the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman? The shortest distance to the QB is through the middle and the Packers have several guys who can get there.* Vinny from Arlington, VA Not sure I fully understand this “legal tampering” period. Why is there this window to negotiate with a player but unable to officially announce? To me, free agency started as soon as players/agents were allowed to directly talk to teams about contracts. The league installed the two-day negotiating period a few years ago over concerns about “illegal” tampering in the days and weeks leading up to the start of free agency. They initially had a “look-but-don’t-touch” policy where agents and teams could speak, but not throw out figures. However, that became an issue a few years ago when the Dolphins signed Ndamukong Suh. It’s intended to even the playing field and also create some additional suspense. Steve from Benson, AZ With all the speculation and outpouring from fans, why do we not hear anything about Morgan Burnett? I would think he's just as important in free agency as Jordy. Is there something in the works with the Pack that we may not know about? Free agency isn’t always fireworks. Sometimes it’s quiet. Either way, the deals will get done. A year ago, I didn’t have any inkling of Nick Perry re-signing until it happened. Silence doesn’t mean anything. Silence is just silence. Scott from Sauk City, WI My only Jordy-related question is why his release is considered him being a cap casualty. I feel like we've read time and time again (here and other places) that the Packers have plenty of cap space. So, why cut Jordy? Did we not have that much cap space? Did the Graham and Wilkerson signings push us over with Jordy staying? Are there more moves pending that will put us near the top? I don't follow the cap, but I was blindsided by this cut. *I can’t speak for “other places,” but we haven’t written the Packers have “plenty of cap space” to the best of my knowledge. I think we’ve been realistic about the challenge Gutekunst faces in his first offseason. Green Bay was in the bottom third of available cap space entering this offseason. And yes, it likely would have pushed the Packers over the cap to keep Nelson, and sign Wilkerson and Graham.* Tom from Kenosha, WI Not a question but an interesting point. If Jordy is still with the Raiders in 2019 they are scheduled to play in Green Bay that year. Everything hopefully works out for Jordy Nelson in Oakland and we get to see that matchup next year. It would be nice to see him get one more game at Lambeau Field. Joe from Menomonee Falls, WI Gute's plan for the offense has now become clear. Swapping Jordy for Graham does two things. First, you fill the obvious need at TE. Second, we now have a spot open on the WR group for a burner. When you line up Jordy, Adams, and Cobb on all of your three-WR sets, you have too many possession guys and nobody who stretches the field. I think Gute is now going to look for a burner either in the draft or FA. Sure, but there’s more to playing receiver than just being really fast. It has to make sense. I’d rather have fit and feel over rubber and wheels. Kevin from Rockton, IL I have to believe Aaron feels like the old guy at the nursing home who outlives all his contemporaries. That’s the life of every starting quarterback if he plays this game long enough. Ray from East Hartford, CT With Tyrann Mathieu saying he cares more about going to a team with a winning culture rather than the money: Do you think GB will reach out to him? Or would the sacrifices to sign him not be worth it? *I know a lot of people in Arizona, inside and outside of the building, who absolutely loved the Honey Badger. Whatever his reputation was at LSU, Mathieu was beloved inside the Cardinals’ organization. He falls below the preferred height for a Packers DB at only 5-foot-9, but his talent is remarkable. The tricky part is I’d expect him to have a huge market given his production and age (25).** Art from Wilmington, NC Why don't the Packers get better offensive linemen? Each year we watch Rodgers run for his life, then hold our breath when he is slammed to the ground. Look at the Patriots, and the other top teams from last year. Brady has time for lunch on pass plays. If Aaron had that much time, he would be known as the NFL's best quarterback ever. Yes, I’ll take lazy takes for $200, Alex. Travis from Houston, TX Matt from Lansing's questions got me thinking. What is the primary objective of the Packers organization? Is the main goal to win championships or to make money? Obviously, these two goals should overlap 99 percent of the time, but I can't help but feel they can diverge from time to time. Shouldn't maintaining the Packers brand be part of good business decisions? I agree that pandering to fans won't get you very far in this league, but when it comes to close calls and great players like Jordy it should still be factor. There is a huge blind spot in this question. The Packers could have afforded to pay Jordy Nelson. The money is not the issue here, dude. The problem is fitting Nelson’s contract underneath the salary cap with everything else Green Bay wants to do in free agency and the draft. Those are two completely different things. Nick from Chicago, IL So glad Jordy ended up in Oakland. From the Frozen Tundra to sunny California. Oakland landed a phenomenal player and I couldn't be happier that he went to the AFC. We'll be cheering for him from Chicago. That’s a great fit for Nelson and reunites him with Edgar Bennett, who’s the new receivers coach for the Raiders. I’ve said it here before – I think Nelson can have a productive second life in the NFL, particularly in the slot. I hope it works out for him in Oakland the next two years. Paul from Hartford, WI Given Jordy's knowledge and love of the game along with his charisma, do you see the potential for him to appear on the sidelines one day as an assistant coach? I know it's wishful thinking but it would be awesome to see him back in Titletown one day in this capacity. If Nelson wants to coach, I think he’d be great at it. But I see him farming…a lot. Ron from Tama, IA With the release of Jordy does Michael Clark make a big move as a wideout this season? Spoff and I have each addressed this the past two days and my answer remains largely the same. This is a massive opportunity for Clark, Geronimo Allison and Trevor Davis to emerge as offensive playmakers. There has been a logjam at receiver for so many years. This is the first time in seemingly forever the Packers will enter camp with the WR3 spot up for grabs, with likely a rookie draft pick figuring into that battle, as well. Dave from Lake Zurich, IL Will the Pack receive a comp pick for Jordy? Sorry if I should know the answer. They will not because he was released. The only way you’re eligible for a compensatory pick is if the player leaves as an unrestricted free agent after his contract expires. Dalton from Springfield, IL How do you think Aaron Rodgers feels about his current group of receivers? I know the draft is yet to come, but this batch of pass catchers is probably the "least desirable" group that No. 12 has had to attempt to make something happen with. The Packers have had an embarrassment of riches at receiver for years, but that doesn’t make this group “the least desirable.” With all due respect to Jarrett Boykin, I will remind you Rodgers had stretches where he needed to get by with undrafted players and late-round draft picks. There’s still plenty of talent in the Packers’ receiver cupboard. VC from Las Vegas, NV I'm impressed with Marwin Evans as a solid, hard-working playmaker on special teams. Hoping to see more of him as a regular force on a younger, faster, more athletic defense. When he's in, he makes plays. Evans was arguably the Packers’ best all-around player on special teams last season. Now, he needs to carry that over to defense. We talk so much about cornerback, but safety is what helped the Packers cover their injuries in the secondary. You need to run five or six deep at that position in today’s NFL. Doug from Cape Coral, FL Hopefully GB will draft a TE from the upcoming draft. How do you rate Wisconsin’s Troy Fumagalli? What round would you guess he falls into? Fumagalli impressed me at the combine. I know people probably will overanalyze the fact he has only nine fingers, but he’s a big, physical tight end with a background in a pro-style offense. That’s valuable considering how many tight ends coming out of college don’t have in-line experience. My best guess right now is Fumagalli winds up as an early pick on the third day of the draft. Ben from Albuquerque, NM So if compensatory picks are primarily based on salary amount the player gets with their next team, did the Vikings just win the 2019 draft? It’s based on a net-loss formula. So while Sam Bradford, Case Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater all signed for big money elsewhere, the contract Kirk Cousins signed will largely negate that mass exodus. Tom from Minneapolis, MN With Kirk Cousins signing with the fully guaranteed contract, what happens if he has a bad injury? Like an ACL tear? Or God forbid a career-ending injury? What happens then? There are two types of guaranteed contracts – guaranteed for injury and guaranteed for skill. The former is more common than the latter in the NFL. Without seeing the fine details, I’m going to guess it’s guaranteed for injury and Cousins would receive his full compensation. Jared from Manassas, VA Is it uncommon for a player to negotiate his own contract with a team? I read an article suggesting Richard Sherman could have gotten a better deal from the 49ers had he worked with an agent. It’s fairly uncommon. Sherman and Russell Okung are the two biggest names who represent themselves. You see one in Green Bay every so often. Right now, I think Clark is the only player who represents himself. Alexander from Tegucigalpa, Honduras Sherman and Butler were looking for big contracts, Trumaine Johnson is injury-prone. Do you see Rashaan Melvin to the Packers as a real possibility? What are your thoughts on Melvin? What other interesting veteran CBs are out there right now? There’s an injury history with Melvin, too. However, he doesn’t have the resume of Sherman and Butler and also is a tad older (he’ll turn 29 in October). All those things contribute to Melvin lasting into this second wave of free agency. He played well last year before injuring his hand. Nick from Prescott, WI Because the Packers did not make the playoffs last year and they do not have a new head coach, wouldn't they be one of the teams that could be "forced" to be on “Hard Knocks”? I imagine McCarthy's head would explode, but it would be must-see TV for Packers' fans. You need to miss the playoffs in consecutive seasons to be eligible to be forced. Josh from Port Richey, FL I am moving back to Wisconsin after 22 years of being located in Florida. I was curious about draft-day events at Lambeau. Does the Atrium get pretty crowded on draft day and is it a kid-friendly, family environment? I would assume so but, I have 3- and 5-year-old sons. Thanks in advance! Welcome back. The Atrium is busy on game days, but it’s also spacious and comfortable. Like most of the stadium, it’s incredibly kid-friendly. My godson came to Lambeau for the first time two years ago at 5 years old and loved it. Dayv from Hustisford, WI Did you ever get around to watching “The Disaster Artist”? If so, what'd you think? I loved it. Creating something that's not very good is better than never creating anything at all. “Richard, whatever happens, you tried to do something on your own, which is more than most people ever do.” – Little Miss Sunshine Unfortunately, it never came to Green Bay. The theater here strangely ran “The Room” one night, but no “The Disaster Artist.” I’ll just have to wait for it on Netflix, I suppose. “Little Miss Sunshine” is one of my favorites, though. Brian from Columbia, MO Don't forget the Packers put Jim Taylor in the expansion draft. Or when the Bulls exposed B.J. Armstrong in the expansion draft. My heart still aches over that decision. HAVE A QUESTION?

The shortest distance to the QB is through the middle

This is a massive opportunity for the Packers' young receivers