The Green Bay Packers surpassed expectations last season. Head coach Matt LaFleur helped his squad quickly reload following the departure of franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers. LaFleur's goal for the 2024 campaign will be to sustain that success while clinching another postseason spot.
Green Bay's messy breakup with Rodgers dominated offseason headlines last year. Rodgers' timely exit finally catapulted former first-round quarterback Jordan Love into the starting role. Love had attempted 83 regular-season passes prior to 2023, making the Packers an unknown heading into the season.
Expectations weren't high following an 8–9 showing, one that concluded with missing the postseason following a Week 18 defeat to the Detroit Lions in a win-and-in scenario. The Packers entered the 2023 campaign as the youngest team in the league. It showed initially, with them beginning the season a disappointing 3-6 following nine contests.
That's when everything changed.
The Packers rounded off three consecutive victories to get them back to .500 (6-6). After dropping back-to-back contests, Green Bay embarked on another three-game winning streak to finish 9-8 and gain entrance into the postseason. The seven-seed Packers then stunned the Cowboys in the wild-card, defeating them 48-32. LaFleur's unit became the first seven-seed in history to claim playoff victory. Love completed 76.2% of his passing attempts en route to throwing for 272 yards and three touchdowns as the Packers executed the most shocking result of the 2023 playoffs.
No quarterback threw more touchdowns or had a higher QBR in the second half of the season than Jordan Love 👀
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) July 15, 2024
If Love continues this upward trend, he could find himself on the top-10 QB list next year ✍️ pic.twitter.com/yYUUTc6oPf
The Packers then lost 24-21 to the Super Bowl-contending San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. They were mere plays away from an unexpected run to the NFC Championship Game. The challenge for LaFleur is to follow up that success with another standout campaign.
The Packers remain the youngest team in the league heading into the 2024 season. Brian Gutekunst's youth movement continues taking center stage. After cutting ties with David Bakhtiari, Aaron Jones, and De'Vondre Campbell this offseason, the Packers miraculously have one player on the current 90-man roster over 30 (Preston Smith, 31). No other team has fewer than four players who are 30 or older.
That's not to say the Packers are rebuilding and not positioning their roster for more. Gutekunst got a little uncharacteristically aggressive this offseason, signing two high-price free agents in running back Josh Jacobs ($48 million) and safety Xavier McKinney ($67 million). Gutekunst is attempting to push his young roster over the top.
As dreamy as Green Bay's 2023 campaign was, the best development was arguably Love establishing himself as the franchise QB. Love finished second in touchdown passes (32) and seventh in passing yards (4,159) among all quarterbacks. Signing him to a long-term extension beyond 2024 should occur during training camp.
Competing in the NFC North won’t be easy. The Detroit Lions advanced to the NFC Championship Game last season and should be considered strong contenders to repeat that success. The Chicago Bears have rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and new expectations. The Minnesota Vikings are unknowns with Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy at quarterback, but the 2023 Packers proved that shouldn’t mean you write them off.
The Packers staved off a multi-year rebuild by being prepared for Rodgers' eventual departure. Gutekunst has done an outstanding job building this young roster through the draft. Love's supporting cast consists of Jayden Reed (24), Luke Musgrave (23), Christian Watson (25), and Romeo Doubs (24).
Building blocks for long-term sustained success are present.
