PackersNow

The Packers have officially released Jaire Alexander. Was it a smart financial move—or a decision that could come back to haunt them? Host Ben Kurkowski breaks down the logic, the risk, and the real story behind the surprising cut.Then we shift to the Top 5 Packers set to either bounce back or break out in 2025, from Jordan Love and Lukas Van Ness to rising stars like Tucker Kraft.But there's a problem—the offensive line might be in serious trouble. With injuries, contract holdouts, and a lack of depth at center, the Packers could be risking it all in 2025.Is this a championship-caliber roster—or a house of cards?

-The Packers are in a difficult spot financially-Elgton Jenkins is refusing to show up to offseason practices, this could've been avoided. -The Packers lack the star talent to win a Super Bowl-The positives and negatives of the 2025 schedule-Why Continuity is the biggest driver of the Packers 2025 Super Bowl hopes

I don't work full-time in the front office for the Packers, but I think with knowing this NFL Draft class now, it's easy to say the Packers made a slew of mistakes over the course of the offseason, that will put our 2025 success in jeopardy, and really force our hand as we deal with salary cap implications in 2026.

Last year right now we can say that Brian Gutekunst had 2 successful draft picks, Edgerrin Cooper and Evan Williams, there may be more, only time will tell. If I was in charge and we look back at last years draft I would have had 2 successful draft picks as well, Edgerrin Cooper and Cooper Dejean. It's important to truly evaluate how our front office is making decisions, because right now it's pretty easy to say that we wish we had Cooper Dejean over Evan Williams. That's what we do today is breakdown how I would have done the draft differently taking advantage of trade down opportunities, and using the consensus board to get steals which Brian Gutekunst never did in this entire draft.

In today's episode we give you a full breakdown of this alien like draft class from Brian Gutekunst, where there is hope that these players could be special players in the NFL, but also valid reasons that they won't.

In the first round the Packers break their streak of not selecting a first round WR by drafting WR Matthew Golden out of Texas, who I'm honestly not to fond of. The Packers messed up an incredible opportunity to trade down with the Giants with so many similar talented players, trading down would've been the best bet. We finish by identifying the best players the Packers should go after on Day 2.

In today's episode, we used our data which proved that using the consensus board to stay away from reaches and find steals within the draft is the best way to find success. Listing out every player and move the Packers will make over a 7 round mock draft for the Packers. These are based off consensus projections which means this mock draft is plausible even if I don't think the Packers would pull the trigger on a lot of these moves.

NFL teams love to trust their gut. But the data says... maybe they shouldn't. In this episode of PackersNow, Ben Kurkowski dives into four years of draft results to explore a simple but powerful idea: what if teams just followed the Consensus Draft Board? Using Arif Hasan's rankings and the NFL Mock Draft Database, Ben breaks down:Why "steals" hit way more than "reaches"How the Eagles used this strategy to build a Super Bowl rosterWhich 2025 prospects are being overlooked right nowHow the Packers can win the draft by letting value come to themIf you care about a long-term winner in Green Bay, this episode is for you. Data-backed strategy. Real draft examples, Practical Packers insight

If there is something I'm known for over the years, it's finding value, and here we begin to understand the value in the NFL Draft. Where are great players, being ranked fairly low considering what they could become in the NFL. So we go position by position to figure out some of my favorite players in this draft class, and where we could target them in the draft.

Which prospects are actually worth trading up for? Who the Packers should sprint the card in for if they fall to us? Why certain edge rushers scream "trade back"? A dream scenario where Green Bay turns pick 23 into 42, 67, and 73. Whether you're Team Tetairoa, building for depth, or want Gutey to make a splash-this episode's for you.

Free agency is mostly finished at this point in the calendar, making it pretty clear the biggest gaps left on this roster. Today we break down and rank the biggest needs for the Packers considering both the 2025 season and beyond.

While this wasn't the most star-studded free agency the Packers had a chance to really upgrade this roster, but failed to do so, we talk about those missed opportunities on today's episode.

The Packers go out and sign two average free agents to fairly large deals in a disappointing Day 1 of FA. Money that should've been spent on our OTs 2 weeks ago, which now will make things very difficult for the Packers in 2026. We finish today's episode going through our first mock draft where I break down some of my favorite value prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Free agents are about to get super overpaid, as we saw with the Zack Baun signing and so many more. The Packers resign two players, one a smart move and another not so much. I break down to me the best free agency path the Packers could take which includes NOT trading away Jaire Alexander, and trading for one elite player. Maximizing our 2025 Super Bowl chances, and maximizing our 2026 assets as we move on from several veterans to create cap space for the future.

We finish up our free agency series by talking about some of our weakest position groups going into 2025. Our WRs can't be relied upon, and our edge rushers are just not even close to hitting their ceilings. So we find some options in free agency and we also name one more free agent OL that is one of my new favorite options for the Packers to fix the C position with a weak C draft class.

In Part 2 of our free agency series, we take a look at our current offensive line situation, and while there is promise at the most important positions, there is still a lot up in the air on the interior. So we identify a few key free agents we should acquire in order to provide potential upgrades for this upcoming season and even long-term.

While many would say if the Packers move on from Jaire Alexander, CB has to be one of the biggest positions of need on this roster, but is it? We breakdown some options to improve the position group in free agency, but we take an alternative look at a potential way to improve this back 7 and find an elite player for cheaper then signing any major CB would be on today's episode.

Without an elite QB, the Eagles have provided a formula to build a Super Bowl caliber team, the Packers need to replicate that formula. We break down what they do so well, on today's episode.

As we move forward to build the best team in 2025, we need to learn from the best teams in 2024, and take a good look at the Packers and reflect on what we need to change to be the team playing in a Super Bowl in 2026.

In today's episode we breakdown the 2024 Green Bay Packers if I was in charge vs. the one that Brian Gutekunst put together, and while none of this is set in stone, it's frustrating that we as fans are being kept from having the best roster possible in order to have the best chance at winning a Super Bowl which is the ultimate goal.

Exit interviews to end the season revealed the Packers had some serious issues in the locker room when it came to the lack of leadership from a lot of players on this team, Which makes me double down on the idea that signing veterans in free agency, on cost effective deals, is a must moving forward, and could've completely changed this season for the Packers.

While the Packers had a terrible performance, a few inexcusable calls + just a boneheaded mistake make this blowout actually anybody's game at the end. But the injury bug hit the Packers all in one game and truly revealed the lack of quality depth this Packers team has. And while this defense held the Eagles to just 15 points, the inability to make the correct choices on the defensive line led to zero ability to make a game changing play.

While it might seem unbelievable at this point, the Packers are still playing incredible football over the course of the year, and truly can beat this very talented Eagles team on Sunday. We break it all down on today's episode.

Almost everything went wrong for the Packers in Sunday's disastrous loss to the Bears, most of those mistakes coming from the Packers coaching staff. These mistakes highlight not only mistakes on game day, but in how to handle the injuries the Packers have faced this season, which has been a complete debacle. The Packers might have messed this season up all on their own.

It's official Jaire is out for the year with a season ending surgery. With this news there's 5 things I want to see the Packers do on Sunday and beat the Bears to give us the most promise possible going into the playoffs. Finally we finish with talking through which teams we want to win to get the best playoff matchups possible.

The Packers have a disappointing loss which really shed light on some of the Packers biggest flaws, we speak into how the Packers should address these issues, and finally discuss playoff scenarios to finish the episode.

Packers do what no team has all season and shutout the Saints winning that game 34-0! And over the last 6 weeks, guess who has been the best team in football according to DVOA? We breakdown who we should be cheering for the best playoff outcomes. And finally we preview this incredibly difficult, but winnable matchup vs the Vikings on Sunday.

Not often can you upgrade your roster at this time of the year, but there's one major player who might become available as soon as Monday who could be the big boost this Packers defensive really needs. With the Packers having little to no affect on their playoff seeding moving forward, the Packers need to prioritize health over everything to be their edge for the playoffs. We finish up by previewing this Saints game.

The Packers finally beat a good team dominating the Seahawks 30-13 on Sunday, we break down this game, and more on today's episode.

The Packers lost a game they really shouldn't have on Thursday night knowing how depleted this Lions defense was. But this game came down to failure on crucial downs by the Packers, and some obvious missed calls sadly. What this game did do is expose some of the many mistakes this Packers team made in the 2024 offseason, that had been addressed correctly would have made the Packers easily the best team in the NFL right now.

The Lions are easily the best team in the NFL, but I believe the Packers can still beat them. We break down the biggest game of the year for the Packers on today's episode.

With the Packers 30-17 win on Thanksgiving, that gives the Packers a 3 game win streak, with one of the most complete games of the year for the Packers. Our offense was led by a safe Jordan Love, and defensively we stopped the run, + the Packers might have a secret weapon defensively that could completely change our defense moving forward.

Packers blowout the 49ers on Sunday, which was awesome to see the Packers dominate a team that was decimated by injuries like they should. But a tougher test comes on Sunday when the red hot Dolphins come to town on a short week, but have to play in the frigid cold. We break it all down on today's episode.

Packers catch a break big time as the 49ers will most likely be without both of their best players on Sunday, edge rusher Nick Bosa & starting QB Brock Purdy, giving the Packers a good chance to win this game, and take the 49ers out of realistic chance to make the playoffs.

The Packers got lucky and blocked a kick to move to 7-3 in an exciting but disappointing win on Sunday. But after a deeper look this offense was actually quite incredible. But this defense has got to make some changes if we want to compete with the best.

While Preston Smith's time was done in GB, it truly reveals a systemic issue that Brian Gutekunst has failed to address adding quality defensive lineman specifically at edge rusher for years. And this issue at arguably the most important position on your defense, may be a part of the reason the Packers ultimately can't truly compete to win a Super Bowl this season. We finish by previewing the Bears game, which the Packers should truly dominate on Sunday.

The Packers beat themselves on Sunday with costly mistake after another, but to me proved they can play with the best teams in the NFL, like the Lions, if they can just clean up their self-inflicted mistakes. This bye is coming at the perfect time for the Packers, and should help ensure our team is the healthiest and most prepared of any in the NFC North. Then what can we do to upgrade our team after the Lions upgraded theirs by trading for Za'darius Smith?

With the Packers injury list beginning to pile up, is it worth it to put major players back out on the field on Sunday, if it means a chance of reinjury? And while there may be some players who should get healthy and not play on Sunday, this game is still totally winnable. This Lions team has a lot of holes especially on the defensive side of the football that I believe we can exploit, specifically with Malik Willis at QB.

The Packers get the win and move to 6-2 on the season, but at what cost? As many Packers players went down with injury, most notable was Jordan Love who suffered a groin injury. Eric Wilson and Edgerrin Cooper continue to impress and have proven themselves to be the legitimate starters at LB for this team. Our defensive back depth was tested again, and almost lost us this game, and sadly the Packers could have handled this differently. And knowing the point swing, and all the injuries the Packers endured this past sunday, especially to Jordan Love, how should the Packers move forward specifically with the division lead on the line this Sunday vs. the Lions?

Packers start the week by improving on the coaching staff, by hiring former Jets HC and defensive mastermind, Robert Saleh, who will make an incredible addition to our coaching staff. We preview this Jaguars game on Sunday, a game in which I think the Packers can really dominate. And we finish by talking about how with this late trade deadline, there might be some deals worth considering for many reasons.

The Packers literally squeak a win through as new Kicker Brandon McManus makes the game winning FG at the end. We breakdown this game in full, and talk about how if this is the Hafley Defense 2.0, the rest of this year will be very promising for the Packers.

The Packers have a marquee matchup as they face off against the Texans. Can we win this game? We break it all down on today's episode.

The Packers crushed the Cardinals on Sunday thanks in large part to the depth of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. Our rookies on defense are proving they should be out there more and more. Packers should consider one player at outside CB to fill out this Packers secondary. We finally upgrade at kicker, and potentially save our season. Then we talk about why the NFC North is the best division in football.

In today's episode we preview this upcoming matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, that I fully expect to become a shootout on Sunday.

The Packers survived the Rams game on the west coast, but a couple things are known at this point in the season. One being, the Packers coaching staff is going to have to better then what our players are currently doing in a couple big areas. This defense could be improved though by simply playing more zone, we talk about why. And should the Packers trade Doubs for Adams?

The Packers head into Week 5 to play a Rams team that if we are going to beat, we should lean back on our running game that helped church out both of our wins this season. Talking about running game, we break down how we truly should have handled the RB position this offseason. This Rams team has a very talented young DL to be excited about, but that's about it. With as much injuries the Rams have faced, the Packers should have their way on Sunday.

While the game started off slow, an intense comeback by the Packers down 28-0 falls short as the Packers lose this one 31-29. Some huge issues arose for this team on Sunday, including a lack of depth at CB, a non-existent pass rush, and a huge kicking issue again...Gutekunst has to answer for these issues, he can't just be patted on the back for landing Malik Willis. And the mistakes continue to pile up for the Packers, and it's being made very obvious that even with the success we had last year, this is still the youngest team in the NFL.

The Packers have their toughest matchup so far as they face the 3-0 Vikings, but thankfully it seems like Jordan Love should be healthy for this game. Today we break it all down on why I think we have a real shot to win this game.

Packers without Jordan Love stun the Titans, and Malik Willis really has proven to be the real deal. How this Packers team has won using the running game is what makes this Packers offense different then ones in the past. Our defense is having this kind of output in its beginning stages which is exciting, but some of our best players still aren't playing well, and if that doesn't change I don't like our chances when we begin to face high powered offenses moving forward.

Jordan Love is healthier than we thought, which is great news, but the fact that he might play on Sunday is concerning, considering we thought he might miss 6 weeks 2 weeks ago. He shouldn't be playing, mostly for his health, but also this Packers team has a chance to beat the Titans even without Love, and I think we should bet on that possibility over betting the fact we can keep Love from making things worse by playing on Sunday.