The Green Bay Packers may be getting treated like the forgotten team in the NFC North heading into 2026, but inside the locker room there’s a different kind of buzz. The roster is young, it’s still growing, and one of the team’s newest veterans thinks that age gap is more of a weapon than a weakness.
That veteran is Javon Hargrave, and he made his point plainly when asked how this Packers group compares to teams he’s played on before. Via FOX11’s Vince Lovergine: "From Sunday's locker room.
I asked Javon Hargrave what's the difference from this team to the other teams he's played with previously. He said the youth which gives him energy.
They call him two things... "Unc" or "OG.""
It’s a telling detail about where Green Bay is right now. Hargrave is 33, so he naturally stands out on a roster built around younger players.
Even at kicker, the Packers are leaning on rookie Trey Smack to steady a spot that fell apart last season after Brandon McManus struggled. Across the offense, the secondary, and the defensive line depth, the same theme keeps showing up: youth.
That doesn’t mean the Packers are short on veteran presence. It means the players who matter most are either just entering their prime or are already in the middle of it. That gives Green Bay a different kind of runway as it heads toward 2026.
The optimism also comes with context. Last season ended in painful fashion with a postseason collapse against a division rival, but that kind of finish tends to hit older teams harder. With this group, there’s a case to be made that the younger core can absorb it, reset, and come back stronger.
Hargrave’s point fits the bigger picture in Green Bay. The Packers got a glimpse of their ceiling early last season when they looked like one of the league’s top contenders before injuries started to stack up. If those pieces return healthy and the young players keep climbing, this is a team that could take a real step forward.
That’s why the Packers feel positioned to be overlooked again. The attention in the NFC North is going elsewhere, but Green Bay has a roster full of players who are still ascending. Hargrave’s message was simple: this team has a lot of youth, a lot of energy, and a chance to turn that into something bigger.
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