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Packers: 3 free agency mistakes Brian Gutekunst should already regret

By Rucker Haringey

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst speaks to media after trading quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets on April 25, 2023, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.Gpg Gutekunstpresser 042623 Sk26
Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst speaks to media after trading quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets on April 25, 2023, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.Gpg Gutekunstpresser 042623 Sk26 /
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The Packers were right not to overpay Allen Lazard but they failed to replace him in the offseason. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The Packers were right not to overpay Allen Lazard but they failed to replace him in the offseason. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Failing to replace Allen Lazard

The Jets put the Packers in a tough spot with Allen Lazard’s free agency. It’s hard to say he’s worth the four-year, $44 million deal he signed with New York. On the other hand, his departure leaves a massive hole in Green Bay’s wide receiver room.

Specifically, Love is going to miss out on the opportunity to throw to such a big-bodied wide receiver on the outside. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs both have above-average height for the position but neither is the physical presence that Lazard provided the team last season.

That’s going to put more pressure on Green Bay’s ground game to produce yards consistently. Love will be best suited when he’s allowed to throw the ball down the field via play-action. That won’t work if the ground game doesn’t get going.

Losing Lazard just takes away a potential safety blanket for Love. That’s a dangerous roll of the dice for a quarterback who hasn’t played a ton of NFL snaps. Giving Lazard the contract the Jets gave him would have been a mistake for the Packers, but failing to acquire a like-for-like replacement also represents a front office failure.

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