Inbox: So many possibilities

Lane from Columbus, OH

Mike, I regret to inform you that Wes has opened the can of worms that is the Gold Package discourse while you were away. No rest for the weary I'm afraid.

Some topics have run their course. The delete button is even easier to find on the first day back.

Dale from Prescott, WI

Mike, we played nice with Wes all last week! Do we get some kind of prize?

You get me again tomorrow, and then uninterrupted for two weeks straight after I return from Indy, so you've got that going for you, which is nice.

Richard from Telford, TN

When I retired 20 years ago I thought about what to do with my passports covering 30 years of international travel. I scanned the 200-plus pages filled with 1,000-plus stamps and made three collages totaling 30 square feet packed solid with stamps. Great memories including the Colombian entry stamp marking the day I met my wife on a plane 42 years ago.

If that one didn't get its own frame and you still lasted 42 years, I'm even more impressed.

Shane from Philadelphia, PA

I find it almost poetic that Favre may have the best backup QB list of all time while being the QB who needed a backup QB the least.

Funny how that worked out.

Craig from Cortland, NY

On Friday, Wes mentioned that a portion of De'Vondre Campbell's dead cap will count against the 2025 cap because GB used the post-June 1 designation to release him. At present, what other dead money will hit the 2025 cap?

At present, the only other significant sum is attached to Preston Smith. But for perspective, the combined dead cap hit on Campbell and Smith for '25 ($18M) pales in comparison to the dead money from last year ($65M, mostly Bakhtiari, Jones, Smith, Savage and Douglas), and the year before ($67M, mostly Rodgers, Amos, Douglas and Lowry).

Sam from Monona, WI

Just to piggyback off of the answer to Paul from Northglenn, CO's question: Which receiver(s) do you think had the best second go-around in Green Bay? I remember being absolutely thrilled to have James Jones back in the green & gold.

JJ's return in '15 absolutely takes the cake there – 50 catches for 890 yards, eight TDs and two illegal hoodies in 2015. Cobb's production in '21 and '22 was more modest but still noteworthy. Freeman's return in '03 barely registered.

Dave from Hollywood, MD

Heritage Auction House has what appears to be a black 1957 Paul Hornung game jersey that will be up for sale. While the Packers wore dark blue, I can't find any references to black jerseys. Perhaps the blue dye faded to black. Can Cliff Christl shed any light on this?

It appears the black is legit and was a heretofore unknown piece of history, though in a Press-Gazette story Cliff wasn't willing to confirm or deny it without doing his own research. He knows there was no newspaper account of a uniform change in '57, but he surmised it might've been overlooked by the beat reporters with the team moving into its new stadium.

Caleb from Knoxville, TN

With the discovery of Paul Hornung's rookie jersey, what are the chances we get a black and gold Packers throwback jersey?

I have no idea if the organization would be interested in anything black as a throwback. I'd have to see a whole uniform mock-up to figure out if I am.

Jeff from Elderon, WI

The No. 84 needs to be retired now. Right?

Why? The Packers have plenty of guys in Canton whose numbers aren't retired. Sharpe will be the 26th Packers individual inducted into Canton for his accomplishments as a player (29 minus Lambeau, Lombardi and Wolf). Six numbers have been officially retired, with Lambeau's No. 1 and Hornung's No. 5 unofficially shelved. Rodgers' No. 12 will be next, and I suspect it'll be a long time after that before another number goes up on the stadium façade. The Packers have made that honor the most selective of any the franchise bestows, and they'll be keeping it that way. In contrast, the Bears finally decided they had retired too many numbers, announcing when Ditka's No. 89 became the franchise's 14th retired number (most in the league) in 2013, that would be their last one. Full disclosure, two of the Bears' retired numbers are not for Hall of Famers, but for players whose lives were tragically cut short – Willie Galimore (No. 28) and Brian Piccolo (No. 41).

Gary from Bear Valley, WI

We didn't count Jim McMahon because he wore his Bears Jersey to the White House for a Packers Super Bowl celebration.

Ha, of course. I thought that was actually a clever move by McMahon. The '85 Bears didn't visit the White House following their triumph because the Challenger space shuttle tragedy occurred two days after Super Bowl XX. Jimmy Mac was just trying to represent for his boys. I can dig that.

Joe from Tucson, AZ

With all the talk about the Holmgren coaching tree it is important to remember the words of Andy Reid when asked about that exact subject years ago. He said that to be honest almost all the head coaches on Holmgren's tree owed their job to one man, Brett Favre. I've always admired Andy's humbleness.

They may have owed their opportunity to Favre, but they built their own legacies beyond him. Reid has been to Super Bowls with two other QBs. Holmgren took another. Gruden, too.

Adrian from Chula Vista, CA

My thought on the dynasty discussion: I agree with including KC as a dynasty. Why? Free agency. Not throwing shade on the Packers, but our two three-peats happened before free agency when it was easier (not easy) to keep championship teams together. The fact that KC has been able to contend, and win numerous SBs in today's era is worthy of dynasty recognition. If next Feb. we are talking about KC winning the SB, the argument has been won.

The Chiefs are absolutely an NFL dynasty for having reached the Super Bowl five times in a six-year span, even if they had lost every Super Bowl rather than won three of them. I consider the early '90s Buffalo Bills a dynasty in their own right, too, for reaching the Super Bowl four straight years even though they never won one.

Mary from Pewaukee, WI

Will the current Packers players attend the NFL Draft at Lambeau Field?

I don't know. We'll have to see I guess. For what it's worth, most of them will be in town, because offseason workouts start in mid-April.

Kathryn from Greenville, WI

Now that we've seen the layout for the draft around the Lambeau Field area, where will you guys be hiding?

Away from the madness.

Sandy from Green Bay, WI

Good morning! Due to being a major part of the team that is hosting the NFL Draft this year, how will your responsibilities (editor, senior writer, and all things Insider Inbox) be different during this year's draft cycle from other years when you are not part of the hosting crew? Will you be asked to assume additional responsibilities on top of the exhaustive body of work that you reliably provide for all of us?

Wes and I will be covering the Packers' draft picks the way we always do, which is an exhausting three days and nights as it is. We'll be hunkered down focused on the team, not the event. Our social media and video departments, I imagine, will be spread out to cover both.

Craig from Weare, NH

I miss football on weekends, but I also miss II on weekends. Glad you get a five-day week again, though. Do you think Rasheed Walker is a dominant left tackle? I've heard he is adequate, but haven't heard dominant. Big difference.

Walker has developed from a seventh-round project into a solid left tackle, and that's a huge credit to both him and Green Bay's coaches. You can't label anyone "dominant" who hasn't earned a Pro Bowl or All-Pro honor yet, but I believe Walker is a darn good player who's still on the rise. How the Packers handle him from here will be worth watching. He's eligible for a contract extension this offseason, if both sides are interested. Maybe the Packers want him to play out the final year of his rookie deal. Maybe he wants to take the injury risk and test free agency a year from now. Maybe the Packers envision Jordan Morgan assuming that spot eventually, or another tackle they might draft this year. So many possibilities. It's one question among many regarding the offensive line Gutey will be asked in Indy this week. Whether he provides any clues as to his current thinking remains to be seen.

Peter from Wauwatosa, WI

Since it takes a few years to truly grade and assess a draft class, how would you grade the 2022 and 2023 draft classes?

I believe '22 has to be Gutey's best in terms of depth and impact at the three-year mark ( Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, Christian Watson, Sean Rhyan, Romeo Doubs, Zach Tom, Kingsley Enagbare, R. Walker). That's a boatload of contributions from one draft class. Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft are currently the crux of a '23 group that could gain on '22, but there's still so much left to learn about Lukas Van Ness, Luke Musgrave, Colby Wooden, Dontayvion Wicks, Karl Brooks and Carrington Valentine.

Steven from Eau Claire, WI

I have always wondered how scouts can effectively gauge a rookie draft prospect's abilities. However, it seems reasonable that one way to do that is to invite a draft prospect defensive tackle or defensive end to demonstrate their abilities by squaring up with Zach Tom or Elgton Jenkins? You know, ask an active star player to evaluate talent one-on-one? It's kind of how All-Pros are selected. Is that permitted, practical, or pragmatic?

You're saying conduct an actual workout against an established NFL player? That's absolutely off limits. The only workouts done are at the combine and pro days, where the player assumes the risk, and all drills are non-contact. But that's why a huge part of the scouting process is evaluating a prospect against the best college opponents he faced. In other words, not all game film is created equal, and most scouts couldn't care less about the "highlight packages" on YouTube. It's also why the Packers put a lot of stock in the Senior Bowl practices, because that's where draft prospects go head-to-head in a pressurized, evaluation environment. It's not draft prospect vs. redshirt frosh injury replacement down there in Mobile.

Russ from Red Wing, MN

Are the Packers playing a game in another country this year?

Not yet known. There are two possibilities. The Steelers are the designated team for the Ireland game, and the Browns are designated for one of the London games. The Packers are slated to play at both Pittsburgh and Cleveland in 2025. Whether or not the NFL would have Green Bay play internationally for a third time in four seasons isn't clear.

Gary from Burkburnett, TX

I feel like the Packers almost NEED to go CB in the first round of the draft if Jaire Alexander departs. This class is loaded with defensive line talent so I believe there would still be a very solid edge rusher or interior defensive lineman available in the second round. We also need a wide receiver though, which makes things difficult. I feel like one of these positions is going to have to be addressed in free agency if the Packers want to try to take the next step. What do you guys think?

David's got a great idea to handle that.

David from Janesville, WI

Gents, I hear we need a corner in the first round. Or an edge rusher. Or a defensive tackle. Or a receiver. No, definitely O-line. It goes round and round. The only solution I see is to have five or six first-round picks. Can you talk to Roger about that maybe?

Happy Monday.