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Packers: 3 2021 free agency mistakes Brian Gutekunst regrets

By Scott Rogust

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAR 01: Brian Gutekunst, general manager of the Green Bay Packers speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 1, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAR 01: Brian Gutekunst, general manager of the Green Bay Packers speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 1, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Kevin King, Green Bay Packers
Kevin King, Green Bay Packers. (Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports) /

The Green Bay Packers had the best record in the NFL this past season. Despite this, general manager Brian Gutekunst did make some mistakes last offseason.

The Green Bay Packers have had themselves quite the eventful offseason, highlighted by the club trading wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. This was following a 2021 season where the Packers had the best record in the entire NFL, finishing 13-4. But, their run in the playoffs was short-lived, as they fell to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.

So what did the Packers do last year that produced a 13-win team? General manager Brian Gutekunst did make some savvy moves throughout the year, such as signing linebacker DeVondre Campbell to a one-year contract prior to training camp, and signing cornerback Rasul Douglas off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad in the middle of the season. Both players are now under contract for multiple years after successful 2021 seasons.

Despite those two great moves, Gutekunst did make some mistakes in free agency that he must regret. Here are three of them.

Packers 2021 free agency mistakes the front office should regret

3. Re-signing Kevin King

When looking at the 2020 NFC Championship Game, cornerback Kevin King was spotlighted for all of the wrong reasons, as he made multiple mistakes throughout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ passing attack. That included giving up multiple touchdowns in the 31-26 loss.

Gutekunst decided to bring King back for one more season, as their positional depth chart was far from stacked. The team did bolster it at that year’s NFL Draft by selecting Georgia cornerback Eric Stokes in the first round.

King initially was a starter at the beginning of the season, but he was eventually relegated to an option off the bench. He dealt with injury, and the Packers had players step up, such as Douglas, to help the defense.

Through his 10 games (six starts), King allowed 20 completions for 258 yards and two touchdowns on 28 targets, per Pro Football Reference.

In hindsight, the Packers would have been better off bringing in another option last offseason.

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