The start to the 2022 NFL season for the Green Bay Packers hasn’t been good at all.
The team lost their top receiver in a trade they made with the Las Vegas Raiders.
They also released players to get under the salary cap for 2022.
The moves were necessary, as they would have been over the cap if they didn’t do these things.
Cowboys and Packers only teams to work so hard to get over the cap for no other reason than to say they are over the cap
— Tre (@LaSquadra625) March 22, 2022
Most of the Packers woes came from the contract of Aaron Rodgers.
While he reworked his contract, it wasn’t until after Green Bay already lost some of their top players.
Free Agency Gutted The Packers Offense
While the headlines will talk about Davante Adams going to Vegas, that isn’t the Packers’ only loss on offense.
The team lost linemen Lucas Patrick and Billy Turner to free agency.
Both were a part of the offensive line tasked with protecting Rodgers from defensive powerhouses.
They also lost receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, one of Rodgers’s other favorite receivers.
The Kansas City Chiefs have picked up former Packers Marquez Valdes scantling
— Green Bay Packers reporter (@JacksonKrause8) March 28, 2022
Without these pieces there for Rodgers, he will have a hard time finding success going forward.
All one needs to do is look at how Rodgers fared against the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs last year.
At home, he could only score seven points for the team.
For someone that won the MVP last season, that’s not a very MVP-like performance.
Packers Let Za’Darius Smith Go In Free Agency
One of the biggest hits for the team on defense was when they released Za’Darius Smith.
While Smith missed last season because of a back injury, his previous two seasons with the team were impressive.
He had 26 sacks in those two years and had 60 hits on the quarterback.
That means he is a player that can get to the quarterback and apply pressure when needed.
The pressure from Smith led quarterbacks to make mistakes.
Those mistakes won’t happen now with Smith out of the picture.
Not only is Smith out of Green Bay, he signed with NFC North rival, the Minnesota Vikings.
Now Rodgers will feel the pressure from Smith as the team snubbed him with his release.
Packers Haven’t Made Any Big-Name Signings In Free Agency
Strike one against the Packers were the number of top players they released in the offseason.
Strike two against the Packers came when they traded away Adams, the best receiver in the NFL.
The third and final strike against the Packers this offseason is the lack of talent they have signed in free agency.
The only moves they have done is pick up three new players.
The only well-known player of the three is punter Pat O’Donnell.
When he was with Chicago, he had the biggest role in helping the team whose offense was lackluster.
If you make a name for yourself based on how bad your offense is, there are problems.
O’Donnell was called on a lot by the Bears in his time with the team.
If that is any sign of where the Packers are going this season, 2022 is going to be a horrible year for the Pack.
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