Inbox: Timing is really their only option

Dan from Rothschild, WI

Just to be clear: I wrote II early last season mentioning the Josh Jacobs Jingleheimer Schmidt joke. It wasn't published. Thought maybe the joke was a little too "high brow" for you guys.

We're open to all levels of brow around here.

Jeff from Ogden, UT

Are there really tons of wide receivers coming out of college? My impression is there are plenty of smaller "wiggle" slot receivers coming out of college. The larger, runs like a gazelle, boundary wide receivers are entirely a different breed.

Indeed they are, and they're certainly harder to find. But in all these college spread offenses, they're out there and they get their shot. Over the last decade, an average of 33 receivers have been drafted every year. That's almost five per round. They aren't all "wiggle" slot guys.

Cindy from Minneapolis, MN

I'm curious about the physical that a player must pass before being signed. How comprehensive is it? More than an annual Medicare wellness visit I bet.

I've never witnessed what it entails, but I don't think it's just a few taps on the elbows and knees with that little hammer.

Mike from New Orleans, LA

Thank you, Cliff, for the article on Sammy Baugh. Something I noticed in one picture is how Mr. Baugh is jumping while appearing ready to throw a pass. I've noticed that same pose in other older football images. Do you know what that is all about? Was the jump-pass a bigger deal back in the day?

It seemed to be a common way for players to pose for dynamic photos back then. I don't know if there's any more to it than that. If you haven't checked out the start of Cliff’s oral history series on the NFL Draft, be sure to do so. Those articles are treasure troves of history. The series is running every weekday for four weeks.

Kyle from St. Charles, MO

The illegal formation discussion got me thinking, was ineligible man downfield a point of emphasis this past season? It sure seemed to be called more than any other season in recent memory. Is there an easy way for the linemen to know when to release other than timing? It was always one of the most frustrating and seemingly inconsequential penalties at times after a significant gain.

It did seem to be a point of emphasis and I agree it was called more. Timing is really their only option, because if they turn their head to look, their target is beating the block.

Roger from McGrath, AK

BG, true to form, set the table so he can reach all the fixings. He also said the NIL has created a deeper late-round field, so no shock if he trades back for more swings. Do you anticipate future deep/older classes because players staying longer keep underclassmen sitting longer, too?

Hard to say. Underclassmen who sit usually transfer these days so they can play, and there are no more extra years of eligibility from Covid. I anticipate future draft classes staying older, for the most part, due to NIL, but maybe not as deep as with this year's confluence of circumstances.

Joe from Shirley, NY

With all of the talking heads and garbage "news writers" posting 98% false content, is there anyone in your opinion that has a pulse as to whom the Packers are looking at in any year during free agency? I have to wonder where these people get their info, or is it just their wish list as if they were the GM.

Mostly the latter.

Chris from Bozeman, MT

Not trying to be rude, just genuinely curious. When we read that the Packers are linked to Davante, or DK, and then we read that they in fact didn't make any offers or let alone even contact them, how are we supposed to fasten any credibility to future stories from the same outfits? It all seems like a game for maximum attention with no real commitment to accuracy. I'm not an expert on these things, though.

It's up to the media consumer to remember who lied to them. Who had it wrong? If people would remember, and not click on their crap anymore, they wouldn't be in business. But alas.

Paul from Ledgeview, WI

Mike, as the 2025 season unfolds I am most interested in watching Jordan Love and Luke Musgrave on offense, and Ty'Ron Hopper and Lukas Van Ness on defense to see how they perform. Are there particular players you intend to track closely next year? Or have you identified some players who you believe can significantly impact the team with a leap in performance? Do you have a player in mind with a high ceiling and unrealized potential?

I have several. If I were to list the players off the top of my head I'm most curious about in '25, they'd be Morgan, Lloyd and Hopper from last year's draft class; Van Ness, Musgrave and Dontayvion Wicks from the year before; and Devonte Wyatt and Sean Rhyan from the year before that.

Dennis from Parrish, FL

I heard Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom are down this way looking for beach condos? Good for them, they certainly earned it!

Those were some nice performance-based payouts for them, and both got a substantial Year 4 salary bump through the proven performance escalator as well.

Joe from Duffield, Canada

Good morning, making an assumption on the starting five this year shaking out as Walker, Banks, Jenkins, Morgan and Tom, I like the odds of both Jacobs and Love cooking with gas. That is a lot of big men all 6-5 to 6-6, with the left three all being north of 320 pounds and very athletic right side in Morgan and especially Tom. This is assuming no additional competition but on paper this group has a TON of potential, and I trust Luke Butkus to get the most out of them.

I'm not counting out Sean Rhyan, and maybe Morgan pushes Walker at left tackle. We'll see.

Philip from Hobart, WI

Speaking of former Packers offensive lines, I remember Tauscher and Clifton were great offensive linemen. I think I recall good running years when they were around. How did their whole units compare to today's and to 2014-2015, in terms of effectiveness and relative cost?

Figuring relative cost would take too much time and research. But for what it's worth, I've always felt the best offensive line of the Holmgren era was (left to right) Verba, Taylor, Winters, Timmerman, Dotson; the best of the Sherman era was Clifton, Wahle, Flanagan, Rivera, Tauscher; and the best of the McCarthy era was Bakhtiari, Sitton, Linsley, Lang, Bulaga. Covering the last 30 years, for me the 1-2 ranking is a coin flip, with the Holmgren group a close third.

Chip from Bev Hills, MI

Has Jenkins ever talked about playing center? Like "Yeah, I'd be fine playing center?" Am I wrong to assume he was in on the conversation?

I don't know if he was consulted or not. We'll find out at some point. He's started five games at center in his career, including three in a row in '20 when Linsley was hurt. He started more games at center in college (26) than any other position.

Josh from Arvada, CO

With the addition of Aaron Banks, and the possible shuffling of an increasingly talented O-line, what are your thoughts on the possibility of seeing more formations where the Packers go big and bring in an additional lineman? Seems like they would have the players to do so, yeah?

Sure, but remember, you go big, they go big. Outside of specific short-yardage situations, I'm happy sticking with Tucker Kraft as a dual threat and forcing the defense to have to respect that.

Venny from Montgomery, AL

I thought these initial free agent moves by the Packers were signature Gute. Players with promise off rookie contracts given cap-friendly deals. Gute has a phenomenal track record with FA signings. However, I would like to know how non-guaranteed money impacts the cap if a player is released? Does it only count against the cap if they play and meet the required incentives?

They aren't incentives per se. There can be offseason roster bonuses that count on the cap immediately once they're paid, and they force a decision point by the club to either keep or release the player, usually right before or after the start of the new league year. Non-guaranteed money that goes unpaid never counts against the cap. Once the season starts, a vested veteran is guaranteed his full salary for the season if he's on the roster Week 1. That's why you always hear about "cap casualties" in March and at final roster cutdowns.

Peter from Wauwatosa, WI

Hi Mike, yesterday you said if a "Justin Jefferson was sitting there you're not passing him up." It got me thinking about the Vikings' ability to find a star receiver late in the first round. Here are some of the names they found in the first round over the years: Randy Moss 21st pick, Percy Harvin 22nd pick, Justin Jefferson 22nd pick, and Jordan Addison 23rd pick. What a wide receiver room! Do you think this is the year the Packers adopt their strategy of finding a gem late in the first round?

It depends on the player, the Packers' evaluation of him, and how the board unfolds in the first round. If Gutey has a receiver rated as one of the top 10 players in this draft, that guy is available at 23, and the other nine are all gone, he'll take him. I firmly believe that.

Mike from Baraboo, WI

Why do I get the suspicion that the Packers will trade back out of the first round?

That wouldn't shock me either.

Greg from Perkasie, PA

Is it fair to say the 2021 draft class was one of the worst in Packers history? Only one player ( Isaiah McDuffie, picked in the sixth round) got a second contract with Green Bay. The first seven picks were either defensive backs, offensive or defensive linemen, or receivers, which just happen to be most of the team's biggest needs in 2025.

It wasn't Gutey's best, but worst in team history is a bit over the top. The Packers got a lot of good football out of Myers and Slaton, and some from Newman, too, early on. Stokes showed a ton of promise as a rookie, the injuries hit in Year 2, and he was never the same. I'll always wonder. The biggest error in that draft, though, was trading up for Amari Rodgers. Burning two picks on a player who doesn't work out is forever costly. Regardless, as an old friend used to say, it's a game of replacement.

Randy from Mora, MN

Not that Gutey needed me or anyone from the fan base to praise him, but I am sure glad he is a Packer. We could have the Giants GM or any number of questionable GMs. They lose Xavier McKinney and Barkley (two of the best free agent acquisitions last year) due to $$ or poor judgment, then pay Jevon Holland three years/$45M this year to fill a void. Likely still need a RB as well. Jettisoned their QB with no immediate viable replacement. Now rumored to be waiting for a 41-year-old QB to make a decision. Wow.

All GMs make mistakes and have regrets. It comes with the territory. But for the Giants, the McKinney-Holland swap, along with allowing Barkley to leave for three years/$37M and then one year later re-signing WR Darius Slaton for three/36, is about as bad a look as it gets.

Clipton from Pasadena, CA

Mike, regarding draft picks comps for lost free agents, does a team need to make an offer to the lost FA in order to qualify for a comp pick, or do we get them even if we let them walk, like Myers and Stokes?

No offer need be made. There's no system for tracking such a thing anyway. Offer sheets/compensation pertain to restricted free agents, not unrestricted.

John from Byron, MN

As team employees, have your salaries jumped proportionally to the players' salary cap rise? If so, I'd like to apply for an unpaid internship.

Ha, no. I have no problem with what I get paid, but the rising cap is not tied to my paycheck.

Mike from Winchester, TN

Hi Mike, in regards to name suggestions for that "Inboxer to be named later" from Helena, MT, can I suggest "Miss Gradenko"? I was going to suggest "Zenyatta," but that apparently violates the Synchronicity rules of the Inbox.

This has officially gotten out of hand.

Graydon from Menomonie, WI

In case you haven't noticed, and judging by the selected submissions you haven't, the days are ticking away, and now are only 42 days away from the draft.

And counting. Happy Thursday.