3. The Packers are expecting a lot of fans on their side in London.
There will be a lot of logistics for the job once the Packers know their date and opponent for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium match next season, but one relative certainty will be the energetic audience abroad.
“There are some unique challenges we haven’t had,” said Gutekunst, referring to the Packers as the last NFL team to play an international game of the regular season.
“But at the same time, I know it’s going to be very exciting for our fans. Everyone was quite excited about it. I received many messages when the news came out. Everyone was making plans. So, you know, the Packer nation is going to be strong. “
4. With the challenge of wage ceilings, Packers are working to balance efforts to win now without compromising their ability to continue to compete in the future.
It’s hard to go, given how much money Packers has to pay for future pay ceilings while on the brink of a Super Bowl for several seasons.
Gutekunst and executive vice president / director of football operations Russ Ball want to keep the current team fighting for the championship without leading to a drastic decline, financially speaking or otherwise, later.
“I think we realize what kind of football team we have and the opportunity that lies ahead,” Gutekunst said. “But you always make sure you can present a competitive team year after year.
“You have to keep in mind what we are doing in the future, although sometimes it seems to you that all this matters. You always have to keep that in mind. “
So far, the Packers have restructured the contracts of David Bahtiari, Kenny Clark and Aaron Jones to create relief for the 22nd year, with more moves ahead. These first three were obvious, which Gutekunst knew would work independently, and others would depend on how “things fall”.
5. The Packers want, like Vondre Campbell, Rasul Douglas back in defense, but whether they can both fit under the pay ceiling remains to be seen.
Campbell and Douglas had big seasons in 2021 in their only year (so far) with Packers and they are both expecting free agents looking for big pay raises given their output – Campbell was named first team All-Pro as home defender while Douglas led the team with five catches, including two returned for touchdowns.
The way Gutekunst talked about them, if there was any way to fit the puzzle of the wage cap, the Packers would like to do it.
Gutekunst named Campbell as a resilient defender who took “our defense to a new level” with “numbers that were out of the charts.”
He also categorized Douglas as a full player who helps special teams and as a running defender from the defender’s place.
“He did things that may not be in the headlines,” Gutekunst said.