Big Swing Makes Packers A Contender

In partnership with

It Took Guts For Gutekunst To Pull The Trigger

A move like this, a big swing so uncharacteristic of the way the Green Bay Packers usually do business, is an indication that Brian Gutekunst knew that his team was not quite good enough to realistically compete for Super Bowls. When the 2025 roster was finalized after the Tuesday afternoon cutdowns, you could examine the roster, position by position, in great detail. It was a solid team. No glaring weaknesses. A young team but not an inexperienced one. A young, potentially star quarterback was in place. One of the league's best running backs behind him. A tight end ready to break out into stardom, a squadron of pretty good, but not great, receivers, bolstered by an exciting first round draft pick. A defensive line that was showing signs of improvement. A budding star at linebacker in Edgerrin Cooper, an all pro safety, and a so-so cornerback room. Put it all together, and this team figured to be good. Pretty good. But not great. Not championship caliber. Probably not able to overcome the other top teams in the conference, just as they couldn't last year.

In 2024, Green Bay won eleven games. They finished as the seventh and final seed in the NFC. They were good. They were not great. Good was good enough in 2023, when Aaron Rodgers had departed, and the team was rebuilding with Jordan Love taking over. Expectations were low. The Pack finished 9-8. Made the playoffs. Even upset the Cowboys in the post season and took the Niners to the wire. They were good. They were not great. Good was even good enough last year. The record was improving. Eleven wins. But 2-6 against playoff teams. A convincing loss to the Eagles in the first round. Glaring vulnerabilities in the pass rush. Greatness eluded them.

To fans, the decision might have seemed like a no brainer. Go for it, man. But for Gutekunst, he knew the acquisition would come at a tremendous price. Not only will Green Bay not draft in the first round for the next two springs, but they give up Kenny Clark, a three time All Pro, and one of the locker room leaders. A guy every human being on the team looked up to and respected. The move also essentially cripples all salary cap flexibility for at least the next two years. That's a heavy price to pay. The kind of earth shattering move that can cost you your job if it fails. Then again, they call it Titletown around here. The Super Bowl trophy is named after our legendary coach. The standard is championships. Barely squeaking into the playoffs and then getting run out quickly was not going to continue acceptable.

Perhaps Gutekunst could see, over the long haul, he wouldn't keep his job that way either. Ultimately, he went for it. Made the biggest decision of his eight year general manager career. Now he may well lay in bed at night asking himself questions, such as, were the Packers really just one superstar player away from the Super Bowl? Can a defensive player really make that kind of a difference on a team?

Give him credit. It took cajones to pull this trigger. Sometimes big swings work, as it did for the Rams when they brought in Matthew Stafford and won a Super Bowl. As it did for the Packers themselves upon signing Reggie White. Sometimes big swings fail miserably, as it did for the Browns when they traded the farm and emptied the bank vault for Deshaun Watson. Being an NFL general manager is not for the faint of heart. For now, I say thanks Gutey. Thanks for taking the excitement and anticipation of the coming season to an astronomically higher level for us fans. If it all goes down in flames, I respect your guts and dedication to win championships. But if you and Matt Lafleur are holding the Lombardi trophy over your head in February, maybe you should get your own statue out there, right next to Vince.

How Micah Parsons Fits In Green Bay’s Defense

How will Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley utilize newly acquired defensive playmaker Micah Parsons? Justis Mosqueda joins CHTV co-founder Aaron Nagler to preview the fit in Green Bay.

Kenny Clark Leaves Behind a Strong Legacy

The Green Bay Packers pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, acquiring Micah Parsons, one of the best pass rushers in the game, in exchange for two first round draft choices and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. While the trade boosts the Packers Super Bowl chances and has excited the Packers fan base, Clark leaves behind a strong legacy in Green Bay and will be missed as he heads to Dallas to play for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys.

The Packers selected Clark in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. The UCLA alum was the final player on the Packers roster drafted by the late Ted Thompson. Clark became a starter in his second season with the Packers. He started out as the nose tackle in the team’s 3-4 defense. At various times in his career, he did move to a more traditional defensive tackle role. He played well in both positions. Clark became one of the few present-day NFL defensive tackles who could both stop the run and put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. He earned Pro Bowl honors three times, after the 2019, 2021 and 2023 seasons. In 2023, Clark recorded a career-high 7.5 sacks. Unfortunately, Clark struggled in 2024 after suffering a broken toe in the season opener in Brazil. His sack total went down to just one. The broken toe took away his explosiveness off the snap of the ball, one of the strengths of his game. He played through the injury and still appeared all 17 games for the Packers, but his level of play wasn’t the same.

Nevertheless, his departure will leave the Packers with a hole at defensive tackle. The team will need to find replacements for Clark who can help stop the run. The team lacks experienced players with his size and ability. But now Clark is an ex-Packer. The move made sense. The final act of his Packers career will be his inclusion in a deal that got the team an elite pass rusher in his prime. The Packers hope Parsons is the final piece of the puzzle to make them a Super Bowl winner. As for Clark, his legacy in Green Bay is secure. Although he never won the Super Bowl with the team, he has been a great Packer. He will undoubtedly be inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame once he’s eligible.

Packer Transplants 301 — Brian Gutekunst Goes All In

CHTV co-founders Aaron Nagler and Corey Behnke revel in the seismic shift in expectation for the 2025 Green Bay Packers after general manager Brian Gutekunst's historic trade for pass rusher Micah Parsons.

Packers Make Correct Decision On QB#3

We knew all offseason that the Packers were not going to carry three quarterbacks on the active roster. Most teams today cannot afford to keep more than two. With quality depth needed up and down the roster at positions like the offensive and defensive lines, roster construction usually calls for that third quarterback to land on the practice squad. Refreshed practice squad rules from a few seasons ago make it much simpler for a team to call up a quarterback for a game if needed. So it was certainly not surprising that Jordan Love and Malik Willis were the only signal-callers not cut on Tuesday.

Neither Clifford nor Elgersma did nearly enough to warrant the opportunity to return to Green Bay on the practice squad. Both had glaring flaws that got exposed when they were on the field, and the more they played, the more it became apparent that the Packers needed to move on. Elgersma lacked the experience required to play in the NFL. Coming from the Canadian college football system, he never looked comfortable playing quarterback the way it is meant to be played at the NFL level. Timid and shy in the pocket are not traits successful quarterbacks possess, and while he has the arm talent to eventually get a shot somewhere else across the league, the idea of him being two snaps away from playing in a real game is extremely frightening.

Earlier this summer Matt Lafleur made it clear what he was looking for in a 3rd quarterback. "Somebody who can command the offense, and want somebody that you can develop into, hopefully a guy that can play for you someday". Clearly that wasn't Clifford or Elgersma, so enter Clayton Tune.

It might not be a huge deal — the signing of a third-string practice squad quarterback and the ousting of incumbents — but consider the fact that current backup Malik Willis is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will likely look for a place where he can compete for a starting job next offseason. One would think Tune will have the upper hand at that role if all goes well this season on the practice squad. With Jordan Love’s recent injury history, there’s also a small chance Tune might see the field sooner than anyone would like. Either way, Green Bay made the right call in moving on from Clifford and Elgersma and bringing in a new face in Clayton Tune.

@cheeseheadtv

Check out exclusive Cheesehead TV merch!

Players who need to take "The Leap": A Rundown

In a few short days, the Lions and Packers will face off for an early head-start in the race for the NFC North crown, and the Packers have managed to throw a game changing piece onto the board before the game even begins.

With that said, we wanted to highlight an area of concern that was the main “path to a championship” the Packers have often had: young players on the roster who need to improve their game. Before the Parsons trade, the byline for every Packers analysis under the sun painted the team in a singular light: young, talented, and brimming with untapped potential. It’s time to tap that potential fully.

We saw it all last year, when the Packers had to face the truly best of the best teams in the NFC. Inexperienced and out-talented, going 1-6 against the NFC North and 0-2 against the Eagles is no way to live. Jordan Love was injured, yes, while the problems in the roster included his inconsistent play, they did not stem from his inconsistent play. There’s a difference. No matter what Love’s true ceiling of potential is, it’d be wholly unreasonable to expect Jordan to carry the Packers on his back to a championship, just as it was unreasonable for the Packers to expect Aaron Rodgers to do so for so many years. When the job got done in 2010, that Packers team was their most balanced selves, perhaps as much as I’ve seen in my lifetime. The Eagles are a great example of this, and I argued that a major lesson to learn from their championship run last season was that while it’s possible for a quarterback to carry a team to the championship, that should never be the plan.

In order for the Packers to reach the most vaunted heights of the NFL, the level of play must rise significantly from a number of players. I’ve put together a list of the most important Packers that must take “the leap”. They have to take that next step, and elevate their own level of play, and in doing so will raise the level of play of everyone around them.

Check out our list of Packers players who need to make “The Leap” in 2025.

The AI Agent Shopify Brands Trust for Q4

Generic chatbots don’t work in ecommerce. They frustrate shoppers, waste traffic, and fail to drive real revenue.

Zipchat.ai is the AI Sales Agent built for Shopify brands like Police, TropicFeel, and Jackery — designed to sell, Zipchat can also.

• Answers product questions instantly and recommends upsells

• Converts hesitant shoppers into buyers before they bounce

• Recovers abandoned carts automatically across web and WhatsApp

• Automates support 24/7 at scale, cutting tickets and saving money

From 10,000 visitors/month to millions, Zipchat scales with your store — boosting sales and margins while reducing costs. That’s why fast-growing DTC brands and established enterprises alike trust it to handle their busiest season and fully embrace Agentic Commerce.

Setup takes less than 20 minutes with our success manager. And you’re fully covered with 37 days risk-free (7-day free trial + 30-day money-back guarantee).

On top, use the NEWSLETTER10 coupon for 10% off forever.

Try Zipchat free

The Domino Effect of Micah Parsons' Contract

Last Thursday afternoon, the Packers made one of the biggest moves in the team’s history by trading for Micah Parsons. The Packers traded away their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks and Kenny Clark to acquire the three-time All-Pro pass rusher. The Packers never make moves of this magnitude, and opportunities to acquire a player like Parsons only come around once in a lifetime. But as great as this move is, it will come at a cost.

Before diving in, let’s get one thing straight - this was a tremendous move by the Packers. Parsons is only 26 years old, has already been named to multiple All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams, and is just entering his prime. In addition to trading for Parsons, the Packers signed him to a four-year, $186 million contract in new money. With the existing year of his contract included, it’s essentially a five-year, $210 million contract. It was a large cost to acquire Parsons, but one that should be well worth it.

Parsons is one of the most disruptive pass rushers in the game. Not only that, he’s also versatile. He’s not just a hand-in-the-dirt pass rusher. He can generate pressure from anywhere on the field. Parsons has earned a PFF pass-rush grade of 91.6 or higher in each of his four seasons. He’s recorded double-digit sacks every year, and his pass-rush win rate is consistently among the best in the league. He is the epitome of a game-changer.

That said, paying any player of Parsons’ caliber is expensive. This isn’t the MLB, where owners can pay players anything they want. In the NFL, teams simply can't do that. The NFL still has a salary cap, and the Packers won't be able to pay every single player they want. This reality leads creates some questions without clear answers:

• Can the Packers re-sign any of their expiring contracts?

• Will they be able to be as active in free agency?

• Can the Packers extend any of their current players?

• Will the Packers have to release any of their core members?

Micah Parsons becoming a Packer is some of the most exciting Packers’ news in years, but there will be a domino effect that follows.

Week 1 Showdown: Packers vs. Lions – Who Sets the Tone in the NFC North?

For this week only we have a public preview of our weekly CheeseheadTV Nation Newsletter game preview! Aaron welcomes in Andy Herman to break down the Week 1 showdown with the Detroit Lions.

If you’d like to watch these previews every week throughout the season, be sure to subscribe to our Die Hard level here at CheeseheadTV Nation!

A Sit-Down with Packers Historian Cliff Christl

Cliff Christl is adamant that Verne Lewellen should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Green Bay Packers’ official historian, and author of The Greatest Story in Sports and other books, points out that not only was Lewellen, who played halfback, a star on Curly Lambeau’s first three-peat Championship teams, based on subsequent research, he scored the most touchdowns of his era and amassed the second-most points.

In addition, he was one of the best punters of the time, in an age when punting was a far more important part of the game. Unfortunately, at the time he played, the NFL didn’t keep stats, which sort of hamstrung Lewellen’s bid for the Hall as time went by.

“He was an unquestioned star from 1926 to 1931,” Christl, sitting in a coffee shop in downtown Green Bay – located, appropriately, in the historic Bellin Building – told me last week. “Go back and read every game story (from his era) – it’s so obvious that Lewellen dominated just about every game he played.”

Christl, who grew up in Green Bay watching the Packers during the Lombardi era, added that he believes Lewellen was superior even to Packer legend Don Hutson, who is in the Hall of Fame.

“The Hall of Fame is so exaggerated,” he said. “It’s just a shame how little knowledge people have at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and my impression is they don’t care.”

Christl recently spoke with our contributor Kevin Gibson about Lewellen, Brett Favre and much more.

Carry The G is available throughout Wisconsin!