4 Green Bay Packers who won’t be back in 2025 after awful playoff failure

The Green Bay Packers' season ended with a whimper, falling 22-10 to the Philadelphia Eagles in a game that felt even more dispiriting than the final score suggests. Jeff Hafley's defense did yeoman's work to keep Green Bay hanging around despite a dismal first half from Jordan Love and the offense, and just when that offense started to show signs of life, the dam finally broke.

But even beyond the numbers, this was a troubling performance, both from the players and from Matt LaFleur's coaching staff. Key injuries on both sides of the ball didn't help — already down Jaire Alexander and Christian Watson, the Packers lost guard Elgton Jenkins, receiver Romeo Doubs and center Josh Myers, while running back Josh Jacobs and linebacker Quay Walker were both visibly banged up — but even allowing for that adversity, Green Bay simply didn't show up ready for a playoff fight.

All of which begs the question: What now? This was supposed to be the year the Packers broke through, but rather than building on last year's Divisional Round appearance, the team took a step back — particularly Love, who played one of his worst games as a pro on Sunday. It's clear now that Green Bay has a lot of holes to fill before they can consider themselves true Super Bowl contenders, and that starts with figuring out which players shouldn't be back in 2025.

4. LB Isaiah McDuffie

McDuffie is easy to like and has worked his way from late-round draft pick into the starting lineup through sheer force of will, but enough is enough. While able enough against the run, he's a downright liability in coverage, with teams picking on him over the middle of the field time and time again and exploiting his lack of athleticism. The Packers can find an upgrade here either in the draft or via free agency as they look to build around Walker, Edgerrin Cooper and Eric Wilson moving forward.

3. CB Eric Stokes

Speaking of the 2021 draft class: It's safe to say that first-round pick Brian Gutekunst spent on Stokes hasn't worked out. While injuries limited him over the last two years, Stokes was largely healthy in 2024; he just wasn't very good, getting benched late in the season for the similarly uninspiring Keisean Nixon. Green Bay declined his fifth-year option for a reason, and cornerback is among the biggest needs this team faces over the offseason (more on that in just a moment).

2. C Josh Myers

Myers' inconsistent play was likely going to lead to his departure in free agency this offseason anyway, but the fact that he was forced to leave Sunday's game on a cart after getting his leg rolled up on likely makes Green Bay's decision a little bit easier. Myers simply hasn't lived up to his lofty draft status, and the Packers can and should look to do better whether via the draft or free agency. He was easily the weak link on the offensive line this season; who knows, maybe Jordan Morgan can pivot to center once he returns from injury?

1. CB Jaire Alexander

Here's the big one: Will the Packers cut Alexander and get out from under his cap hit, or will they bring him back and hope he stays healthy? Or maybe there's a middle ground in which the corner agrees to a restructured deal with performance incentives that will reward him for staying on the field more than he's been able to over the past couple of seasons?

When healthy, Alexander is a real playmaker on the outside, but you could make the argument that he's a bit more trouble than he's worth at this point given his increasingly extensive injury history. He's due a lot of money as things stand in 2025, and Gutekunst might opt to fill that void with several moves and rely on Valentine's growth instead.