This is a fantastic time of year in the NFL. Sure, it's a little depressing that we no longer get to turn on our TVs to see football every Sunday, Monday, and Thursday, but boy, does the rumor mill fill the void to keep football on our minds. But with those rumors, we still received some truths as teams resigned players they wished to retain, and a few franchise tags were handed out. So, let's get into it, shall we?
Mason Crosby
First, Mason Crosby's retirement deserves its front and center acknowledgement. Why is it that sometimes I can't remember what I did a few days ago, but I remember random Packers memories like they were yesterday? When Mason Crosby was drafted in the sixth round of the 2007 draft coming out of Colorado, everyone talked about how he was used to kicking in the snow and the cold weather, so he'd be perfect for Green Bay. Well, they were right. Money Mason went on to become arguably the best kicker in Packers' history. He holds the record for most points in Franchise history (1,918), as well as the record for the most consecutive games played in a Packers uniform with 258. But it wasn't without its dips in the road.
Crosby struggled throughout the 2012 season with misses, having the lowest success rate of his career, 63.6%. That offseason, the Packers brought in some kicking competition for Crosby in Giorgio Tavecchio. That season, I attended my first Family Night practice, and at the end, Coach McCarthy decided to hold a little kicking competition between Crosby and Tavecchio. Despite his struggles the previous season, I was still on Team Crosby as he'd been solid for us before, and I figured he'd return to form. But I was taken aback by how many fans were not. There were fans around me who booed Crosby and cheered Tavecchio. When Crosby missed one of his practice kicks, I was floored by a young woman nearby screaming profanities at Crosby that I dare not repeat here. But despite this tough time for him, Mason Crosby prevailed and went on to win that kicking competition and followed it up with one of the best years of his career.
Any player who had a great career in Green Bay, I believe, deserves their chance to retire with the team, whether it's a one-day contract or whenever they decide to hang it up still on the team. I'm glad Mason Crosby got his chance as one of the best Packers of all time. Thanks for all the memories, Mason.
Brandon McManus and Isaiah McDuffie
This week, the Packers announced the resigning of kicker Brandon McManus and linebacker Isaiah McDuffie.
We go from one kicker to another. The Packers are definitely hoping their kicker woes post-Mason Crosby have come to an end, as they've signed Brandon McManus to a three-year deal. McManus joined the team for a week 7 match against the Houston Texans and nailed his first field goal attempt for the team, a 45-yarder, which gave the Packers the victory in the final seconds of regulation. McManus went on to go 20/21 in FG attempts the remainder of the season and 30/30 in extra point attempts. Needless to say, the Packers couldn't let him go and go back to kicker purgatory, especially if they have championship aspirations. So, signing the 33-year-old kicker was a no-brainer.
Isaiah McDuffie was also resigned to a two-year deal, bringing the linebacker back for a 5th and 6th season after he was drafted by the Packers in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. At first glance, many Packer fans may think this is no big deal. But Isaiah McDuffie is a major depth piece for the Packers' defense. In 2024, he was second in total tackles for the defense and filled in very nicely when Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper were unable to play. Not every move is going to be glamorous, but signing players like Isaiah McDuffie keeps your team afloat when starters go down.
And now, the rumors.
DK Metcalf
This could perhaps be the biggest rumor Packer nation is invested in. It's been floating around for weeks, and we seem to get closer and closer to something happening. But at the same time, that something still seems to be far away. At first, it was just a rumor that Seattle was shopping DK Metcalf, but now that idea is out there in the wild and is running free. The problem is that Seattle is rumored to be looking for too much. Way too much. So far, according to reports, Seattle is looking for a first-round draft pick, a young receiver, and possibly an early day 3 pick.
It's hard to believe they will receive that compensation when whoever trades for Metcalf will undoubtedly have to pay him a new, costly contract. Brian Gutekunst has said in the past mentioned in the past that when you trade a high pick for a veteran, you're trading a young contract for a proven player, but probably an expensive player, so not only are you giving up the pick, you're giving up salary as well. So, I don't see the Packers ever meeting Seattle's asking price.
A third or fourth-round pick for Metcalf, and that's it? That I could see, but technically, three players on rookie deals? Not a chance.
Trey Hendrickson
I was intrigued by Hendrickson earlier in the offseason. He's been a player that's flown under the radar but played at a very high level as an Edge Rusher. He would be perfect to play opposite Rashan Gary and possibly take some of the heat off of Gary to allow him some more shots at the QB, but he has age working against him.
Hendrickson is 30 years old, and while that certainly doesn't mean he won't perform, it calls into question if he does perform, for how long? Brian Gutekunst has no interest in trading high draft capital for a player who may only have 2 years left playing at a high level. So, while Hendrickson is a popular and intriguing candidate who could make an impact, I just don't see the Packers making that deal.
Free Agency
Monday starts the legal tampering period for the NFL. A lot of deals will be struck on Monday, but how many by the Packers? They have the money to spend, but how much should they spend and on what position?
Last year at this time, I was incredibly high on Xavier McKinney becoming a Packer. I would've picked X up from the airport and taken him to Lambeau Field myself if given the chance. My wish came true and I'd say it worked out pretty well. This year, I don't have a player that I absolutely need in Green Bay.
This year, I don't have player predictions for signings, instead, I'm just going to go with predictions of position and type of player.
Edge Rusher - As I said under Trey Hendrickson above, the Packers need someone to play opposite of Rashan Gary and take a lot of heat off him. I could see a veteran pass rusher on a 1-2 year deal. I think the Packers are still on the Lukas Van Ness hype train, so I don't think they want to stunt his growth by paying a lot of money for a younger pass rusher. They need someone Van Ness can watch and learn from a bit while splitting reps. LVN has at least one more year before the Packers need to decide his future, so burying him behind someone on the depth chart who's pay alone will get him more reps than Rashan Gary is not the answer. A veteran on a short deal, I think, is the likely direction.
Cornerback - With the inevitable departure of Jaire Alexander and also Eric Stokes, the Packers need corners. I'd see them spending on a younger to mid-career CB and then drafting one in the first two days.
Wide Receiver - There's no one I would spend big money on unless Ja'Marr Chase somehow hits the market. Otherwise, there's just no receiver worth a big payday. Perhaps that's why Metcalf and other receivers are in high demand as trade targets. I will say, though, that I could see the Packers signing a kind of middle-of-the-pack receiver to be a hit or miss this year.
This should absolutely be an exciting week for NFL fans. Hopefully, we will come out of it with a very positive outlook on the season ahead. Go Pack Go.
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Greg Meinholz is a lifelong devoted Packer fan. A contributor to CheeseheadTV as well as PackersTalk. Follow him on Twitter @gmeinholz and Bluesky @gmeinholz.bsky.social for Packers commentary, random humor, beer endorsements, and occasional Star Wars and Marvel ramblings.
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