It was a busy offseason in Green Bay, and the Packers didn’t just make moves - they made statements.
Trading for Micah Parsons was the loudest one, the kind of swing that tells the rest of the league the Packers are done acting like a team that needs to be patiently rebuilt around a young quarterback. That push didn’t turn into the kind of finish Green Bay wanted last fall, with Parsons’ season-ending injury and the team becoming the league’s youngest roster for the third straight year before the playoff collapse. Even so, Brian Gutekunst responded with a flurry of decisions that touched nearly every corner of the roster.
Some were about adding experience. Some were about cleaning up mistakes.
Some were about stocking the future while trying to win right now. Taken together, they made for one of the most important Packers offseasons in a while.
Here’s a look at the seven best moves, ranked.
The biggest win might not have come on the field at all. Green Bay somehow turned Rashan Gary into a fourth-round pick from the Dallas Cowboys, and the timing made it even more striking.
On March 6, Gary posted a farewell message to Green Bay on social media, then quickly deleted it because the Packers had not yet released or traded him. That all but telegraphed his exit, and Gary later said his X account had been hacked.
At that point, the Packers had lost leverage. Everyone knew a release was coming, so the idea of getting anything back looked unlikely.
Yet Dallas stepped in, apparently unwilling to gamble on Gary reaching free agency. For Green Bay, landing any compensation after that premature goodbye was a win.
That trade also fed into a broader theme of the offseason: the Packers kept building draft capital, especially for 2027. The Wicks trade brought back a 2027 sixth-round pick, and Over The Cap projects four compensatory picks as well - a Round 4 pick for Malik Willis, a Round 4 pick for Romeo Doubs, a Round 5 pick for Quay Walker, and a Round 6 pick for Kingsley Enagbare.
Even while adding help, most notably Javon Hargrave on a $23 million contract, Green Bay managed to keep stacking future assets. Since Hargrave was released by the Minnesota Vikings, his signing did not count against the compensatory formula.
That future-minded approach didn’t stop Gutekunst from addressing a glaring need in the present: cornerback. The Packers signed Benjamin St-Juste in March, then used the draft to add Brandon Cisse and Domani Jackson.
Cisse, a second-round pick, looks like the prize of the group after an excellent season at South Carolina. Pro Football Focus says quarterbacks completed just 47.4 percent of passes thrown his way for 361 yards, one touchdown and one interception, with a passer rating of 78.9.
He also posted an 89.2 PFF run defense grade, eighth among 499 NCAA cornerbacks.
There’s no guarantee he starts right away, but the upside is obvious.
Green Bay also made sure the defensive line got real attention. Last season, the pass rush leaned heavily on Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt, and those two combined for 45.8 percent of the team’s sacks despite missing a combined 10 games.
That wasn’t sustainable, so the Packers attacked the position with veteran and young talent alike. Hargrave joins after two of his best seasons came under Jonathan Gannon in Philadelphia, and Hargrave said of the move, "(Gannon) saying he wanted me was all I really needed, honestly," via Bill Huber of Packers On SI.
Then came the draft additions. Chris McClellan arrived in the third round as a versatile interior lineman who should help against the run and had six sacks for Missouri last season. Dani Dennis-Sutton was taken in the fourth round and gives Green Bay another edge option with the chance to outplay his draft slot.
At receiver, the Packers finally cleared up the clutter. Romeo Doubs left in free agency, and Dontayvion Wicks was shipped to the Philadelphia Eagles in a move that brought back a fifth-round pick this year, which Green Bay used on Jager Burton, plus that 2027 sixth-rounder.
With the room thinned out, the Packers handed extensions to Jayden Reed and Christian Watson. They’ll be joined by second-year receivers Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, with Tucker Kraft at tight end.
The result is a group that feels more defined and less crowded.
The Packers also made a practical move at backup quarterback, signing Tyrod Taylor after losing Malik Willis to Miami on a $67.5 million deal. Rather than chase a developmental arm in the draft, Green Bay chose the veteran route.
Taylor brings 16 years of NFL experience and 62 starts, and that matters for a team that wants stability behind Jordan Love. The Packers hope they never need him for long stretches, but they’ll value what he can offer in the room and on the sideline.
Finally, there was the decision to move on from Nate Hobbs. Gutekunst had signed him to a $48 million deal last year, and it didn’t work out.
He could have tried to talk himself into another season, blamed the injuries, and hoped for the best. Instead, he cut bait.
It was a blunt acknowledgment that the move had failed, and a sign that the Packers weren’t interested in dragging a bad bet into another year.
For a team trying to make the leap from promising to dangerous, that kind of offseason matters.
In Other News...
Packers Suddenly Linked To Veteran Pass Rush Help They May Need Fast
Micah Parsons is expected to open the 2026 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list while he works back from a torn ACL, and that creates an obvious problem for a Packers defense that was counting on him to change the edge in a hurry. With Parsons sidelined, Green Bay may have to lean on less proven options to hold the line early, which is exactly the kind of hole that tends to send front offices scanning the veteran market for a quick fix.
One name now being floated in that conversation is Von Miller, whose own future has become a talking point after he said he regrets his previous signing and could be looking for a new team for 2026. For a Packers club trying to stay in the Super Bowl mix while sorting out its pass-rush depth, the appeal is easy to understand, even if the timing and fit still leave plenty to sort through. [Read more 🡒]
DJ Moore Goodbye Came With One Last Shot At Packers
DJ Moores exit from Chicago brought a familiar mix of appreciation and edge, with his wife, Rae Moore, posting a heartfelt Instagram goodbye to the city and its fans after the wideout was dealt in March. The move closed the book on a short Bears run for Moore, who stayed on the field for all 17 games last season and finished with 50 catches, 682 yards and six touchdowns.
For Packers fans, the more interesting part is how the farewell landed beyond the usual thank-you note. Chicago supporters got the gratitude, the memories and the reminder that Moores time with the Bears had plenty of moments worth revisiting, but the message also carried one last piece of old rivalry energy before the family turned the page on his next stop. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Addition Earns Leaguewide Recognition As Depth Debate Heats Up
Green Bays offseason push to thicken the roster has already started to draw notice beyond Lambeau Field, and one of the newer faces is getting a pretty useful kind of attention. Benjamin St.-Juste, signed by the Packers as part of a broader effort to add reliable depth, was included on ESPNs NFL All-Backup Team after his work at cornerback with the Chargers, a nod that suggests he can be more than just an emergency option if Green Bay needs him in 2026.
The Packers have also brought in Zaire Franklin in another targeted move aimed at making the roster sturdier from top to bottom, and that is where the real interest lies. Depth is often the difference between surviving a long season and being forced to patch holes on the fly, so recognition like St.-Justes only adds to the sense that Green Bays front office is trying to build something more resilient, even if the biggest questions about how those additions fit will have to wait. [Read more 🡒]