Kevin from Hermansville, MI

Don't sell yourself short Wes, you're a tremendous slouch!

I wish I was golfing with Judge Smails.

Chris from Stratford Upon Avon, United Kingdom

So, the draft discussion and II questions have started. I respect all opinions (well, most). All I would say is that no matter what people may consider our greatest positional need, you can't have too many blue-chip disruptors on a team in my opinion. Pressuring the opposition's OL and QB gives the secondary a leg up. It also frees other defenders to prioritize the run. If there isn't a disruptor when we pick, I'd go for a proven cover corner from a top school. It's supposedly a deep draft for corners.

I stand in full agreement. NFL teams need as many good pass-rushers as they can find. One only makes the rest better. And who knows? Maybe it turns out to be the next Danielle Hunter, Maxx Crosby or Trey Henderickson. If there isn't a pass-rusher to be had at No. 23, maybe there's a solid corner or difference-maker elsewhere. That's the beauty of the draft. When one player goes, another falls.

Grant from Green Bay, WI

Is it me or is it kind of crazy that the Packers got Josh Jacobs, Xavier McKinney, and Brandon McManus as free agents – arguably the Pack's respective offensive, defensive, and special teams MVPs – as well as a backup QB that won games at a moment's notice. Outside of one Reggie White, I'm struggling to think of a comparably impactful FA class in Packers history, or even the NFL. 2007 Patriots, maybe...that's about it?

It was a tide-turning offseason (and in-season, really) for the Packers. It may not have been a seven-win turnaround like 2019, but I'd probably put 2024 ahead of that year's free-agent class. The best part is McKinney and Jacobs should have their best football ahead of them, too.

Rudy from Rhinelander, WI

How many draft picks do the Packers have this year? It seems in the past several years it has been 10-12 picks. Brian Gutekunst seems to find "gems" in the later rounds and the Pack can use all the "gems" they can find (e.g. Carrington Valentine).

I believe it's only seven right now, but OverTheCap has the Packers getting a seventh-round compensatory pick despite the McKinney and Jacobs signings.

Benjamin from Bear, DE

Here goes my attempt for three posts in a row, is it possible? Can you please explain the benefits for both the team and the player regarding salary cap implications when they're cut? I don't understand why the cap number goes up so significantly after designated June 1 cut. What's the difference?

June 1 has always been the date the NFL uses for when teams can start pushing money into the following year's salary cap. If I cut a player, a portion of his salary goes on the next year's books. In the 2006 collective-bargaining agreement, the league and NFLPA made a change to allow teams to designate up to two veterans as post-June 1 cuts. It freed cap space for teams while also allowing players to sign immediately rather than having to find a new team in June when most of the available cap space has dried up.

Ray from West Des Moines, IA

Now that the season is over, how did the Packers penalties compare to other teams and the league in general?

It wasn't as bad as you might think, according to NFLPenalties.com. The Packers finished 10th in penalties against (119), 16th in net penalties (plus-two) and ninth in net penalty yards (plus-88). Green Bay tied for ninth-most in pre-snap penalties (49). Also, the Packers had the seventh-most beneficiary yards (1,004) on 121 opponent penalties.

Douglas from Parker, CO

Building on the "self-inflicted" mantra, where did the Packers rank league-wide in penalties during their Super Bowl runs of the 1990s and 2010? I believe (WMBW) they were some of the least penalized teams. How many free yards (first downs) does that equate to?

NFLPenalties.com doesn't go back to 1996, but the 2010 Packers finished third in net penalties (plus-28) and fourth in net penalty yards (plus-180). Green Bay had 984 beneficiary yards that year, sixth-most in the NFL. The Packers also tied for 10th fewest pre-snap infractions (36).

Graeme from Tucson, AZ

Lots of conversation that it will be a while before a three-peat is accomplished. Seems to me that the AFC (and to a lesser extent the league) needs to find a consistent way to beat the Chiefs or we could be talking about it again in three years' time. Patrick Mahomes remains in his prime and with one of the best coaches in the league. They've been to five of the last six Super Bowls and won three. I wouldn't bet against them getting to the big game over the next three years.

Perhaps that proves to be the case. I just felt Kansas City took a step back each of the past two years relative to its Super Bowl LVII team.

Adam from Wausau, WI

Hey Wes, with all the talk about Mike Holmgren's coaching tree, is there another QB that has had so many good backups than Brett Favre? I know Favre isn't in charge of finding his backup like a head coach is finding his assistants, but come on: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Hasselbeck, Mark Brunell, Doug Pederson, Aaron Brooks and Ty Detmer. I think Kurt Warner didn't make the roster but was in camp. And I am sure I'm forgetting a few others. Talk about a QB tree.

Favre's run probably takes the cake. The best I could come up with is Drew Brees between his time in San Diego (Philip Rivers and Doug Flutie) and New Orleans (Brunell, Teddy Bridgewater, Taysom Hill, and Jameis Winston). Maybe another Inbox reader can find a better example, though.

Chuck from Richfield, WI

Very happy for Sterling Sharpe's HOF induction. On Christmas Eve 1994, I listened to his final game from Wiesbaden Air Base on Armed Forces Network. We had night ops duty with Irwin and McGee on our transistor radio listening to Sharpe score three TDs vs. Tampa Bay. I just read that his injury occurred a week prior to this game; is this correct? Did he play that entire Tampa game with a major injury?

Thank you for your service. Sharpe first injured his neck against Atlanta on Dec. 18, 1994, but played the next week against Tampa Bay. Further tests determined Sharpe required fusion surgery of his C1 and C2 vertebrae. To this day, I don't know of any NFL players who have returned from a fusion surgery that high on the spinal column (Nick Collins was at the C3/C4 level). It's stunning all Sharpe's NFL accomplishments occurred before his 30th birthday.

Jessi from Sterling, KS

Wes, if your job never interfered, what is the father/son trip you would like to take Little Hod on?

Took him to Disney World after last year's league meetings in Orlando. That was a big one off the bucket list for me. I don't really have any others. Hopefully, he likes golf when he gets older and we can take a trip somewhere.

Mike from Geneva, IL

ACMR (WCBW) - Team 1 – 136 receptions, 1,755 yards and 13 TD. Team 2 – 133 receptions, 2,046 yards and 15 TD. Team 3 – 122 receptions, 1,364 yards and 12 TD. Team 4 – 130 receptions, 2,078 yards and 12 TD. Those are the stats for the three leading WR for the Bills, Ravens, Chiefs and Packers respectively this past season. All of this talk about needing an upgrade, but the three best AFC teams seem to be OK without a true number one. Allow the current players to grow and develop. Thoughts?

Receiver is a pricey position. I'm not saying don't pay wideouts, but football is a game of resources and allocation. Pragmatism is needed. You have to be smart if you're bringing in someone from outside your building. You can't just sign any available free agent at any price.

Steve from Ellison Bay, WI

Wes, I think I was bitten by the web gremlin the other day. I just learned Micah Hyde has retired, great for him and his family. Do you have any favorite personal recollections from his time in GB?

Hyde did some incredible things on the field, but my favorite story originated in the locker room, and it tells you exactly who Hyde is as a person. While working at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, I was responsible for producing a player Q&A for the Packers Preview section every Saturday. I asked Hyde if he had a few minutes, but he was scrambling to get to the training room. He could've easily blown me off but instead asked for my phone number and told me he'd call after his day was over at Lambeau. Sure enough, Hyde was a man of his word and called later that day for what turned out to be a 25-minute interview. In four years, I can't recall Hyde turning down an interview. He was a real one.

Jake from Decatur, GA

Locking in my predictions. With a reportedly thin draft at OL, free agents are going to be expensive. Gutekunst isn't going to let any of our guys walk and will pick up a handful of guys on Day 3. Deeper draft at DL and CB means we're signing and drafting high at those positions, plus another Day 2 pick at WR with an eye on the future. Malik Willis isn't going anywhere for anything less than a second-round pick. Thank you and goodnight. Wake me when the schedule is released.

Duly noted. We'll reassess after your alarm sounds.

Bob from Kennesaw, GA

Wes' answer to Dustin from KC was "Spot" on, but he left out the fact that the Kenosha/Racine area is awash with world-class Italian restaurants and Danish bakeries. The first 3/4 of the last century, that area was a heavy manufacturing powerhouse with several world-renowned corporations headquartered there. The resulting influx of European immigrants seeking employment brought a lot of family restaurants with it. There is better pizza in that area than anything to be had in New York or Chicago.

Any suggestions on the pizza front, Bob? I'll be sure to give it a try next time I'm in town.

Lynn from Somers, WI

To Dustin from Kansas City who is coming to Kenosha for a wrestling tournament, make sure you stop by Tenuta's Deli. Pick out some of their fantastic Italian meats and cheeses, then head down to one of our many parks along the Lake Michigan shoreline for a great view for your picnic lunch. Here's hoping it's a beautiful spring weekend for your visit.

More options, more views!

Shane from Saxon, WI

Good morning. In response to Rhonda and stamps in passports, in March 2022, I flew to Poland to assist with transporting refugees and supplies in and out of Ukraine. I went back in May 2022. The stamps filled half my passport. The only country to not stamp was the United States when I returned, although customs in Chicago had plenty of questions for me regarding my travels.

If you have descendants, that passport sure will tell a story someday.

Raymond from Marquette, MI

Hey guys, I tried submitting this the other day but couldn't when your site was down, so I'll try again. Referring to Cody from De Pere's comment on the Saturday hockey game between teams USA and Canada. It reminded me of an old Rodney Dangerfield joke: "I went to the fights last night and a hockey game broke out." With the same teams playing again tonight (Thursday), I wonder if there will be a Round 2? Anyway, I guess Rodney finally got some 'respect'...

The man's a menace.

Ryan from Sheboygan Falls, WI

Will we make the playoffs next year?

Hopefully more than that, Ryan. Have a good Thursday.