Ok - this is an opinion that I am not totally in agreement with. Just to jump to Cobb is back if AR is back is a conclusion. I think that AR just wanted some input and that he thought that some guys were just summarily cut ( without looking at the big picture - such as Jordy and Charles). I think he sees the writing is on the wall for Cobb. Maybe a position in the coaching room? Same thing with Crosby - the time may have come although maybe a new special teams competition might fix some of that along with contract renegotiation. Of course AR is going to defend a kicker - he would be stupid not to - who would do that directly hang guys out to dry !!!! Big Dog is definitely back. He doesnt occupy a critical roster spot - he is an additional lineman, his skills are still there and Dafney and Davis are not there yet and Tonyon may be like Bak and not ready to start the season and also might need to take a lower salary based upon performance.
The key thing is how can the team get Adams and AR 's contracts done so that it allows room for the team to proceed. I believe it is going to be a 3 year contract ( with some sort of movement of cash out to the 5 year ) for AR and Adams a 3 year with a big bubble at the end and signing bonuses.
I think that unless MVS is willing to take less he might well leave and the team might need to use their first rounder on this position.

This is a great article .. you can debate the players , but you are right Rodgers coming back will be meet with high demands from Rodgers himself.

Upper management needs to ask themselves this question : Is it really worth bringing Rodgers back a quarterback who is gonna be a 4 time MVP, costs a bundle and hasn't even gotten to a super bowl since 2010 Gonna ever get over the hump again ? If so then if he want's to come back do it .

Other way to look at it is in the NFC in the next few years do you need an mvp quarterback to get to the super bowl ? I look at san Francisco, and given a full year is Jimmy G really that much better than Jordan Love know one has the answer.

What will Rodgers bring in a trade ? I have no idea .

Not one of the three mentioned is a NEED to have back, regardless of Rodgers being back or not. This team cannot afford to start the 'bring it back' mantra even if they were financially able to do so.

Crosby and Lewis are candidates to retire anyway. If they are only coming back for Rodgers only then we need to think if that’s a good thing, especially given Crosby’s cost. Cobb probably shouldn’t be back. He’s just too fragile to tie up a roster spot unfortunately. That’s without considering his cost.

In all honesty, 2 with question marks of cost or age and one we likely shouldn’t retain for cost an availability. Hints that retaining Rodgers may be the wrong course for more reasons.

We all have our opinion of who the team needs (and in the hard-cap NFL, it always depends on the contract being at the "right" price).

Lewis at a reasonable price, yes please.

Cobb & Crosby, if they are at a steep discount I would let them show up for camp and compete for a spot.

Not mentioned in the article:
De'Vondre Campbell, yes please.
Rasul Douglas, yes please.
Dennis Kelly, yes please.

MVS, Tonyon (yes i know he is a TE), St. Brown -- the degree of need for all these depend upon what happens with Adams. Without Adams the receiver cupboard is bare so I would expect them to spend some of the savings on these guys. If they pay top dollar for Adams, the rest of the pass catchers better expect minimum wage type of contracts.

It was silly to sign Cobb just to make Aaron happy. It would be even sillier to keep him for another year just to make Aaron happy.

roto- world says Cobb and Lewis will be released before June 1. And maybe resigned for less. Crosby is Hall of Fame. They pay him. Turner is your right Tackle. And goes everywhere. Kelly cost us to many major penalties. Cut Kelly!.

If giving AR a mega deal is contingent on Crosby, Big Dog, and Cobb being on the roster next year, I still say trade his a$$ for all you can get, ride with Love, and start planning for the future.

It's probably what is best for the Packers future. Bringing back Cobb is just stupid. Crosby - We could do worse, but it's probably time to move on from him as well. Big Dog can at least block... (Even at his age...)

All that being said, I fully expect Murphy, Gutey, and Ball to acquiesce to ARs demands, since I don't think they should... SMH

It was the “Last Dance” for a reason.

Rodgers and his veteran bud’s knew that nothing was a lock after this season.

Cobb, Lewis, Crosby are going to have to swallow hard and take huge pay cuts to stick around.

Also guys like Lazard, Tonyan, MVS, EQ will probably have to take less than market price to be a part of this team in 2022.

P. Smith, Amos, Turner, while all possibly extendible will again have to be willing to play for under market value.

Ditto for Campbell & Douglass

Russ Ball & Gutekunst have a Matrix to navigate this off-season.

Doesn’t seem likely that many (or any) of these guys would take less than market value. Why would they. Maybe Big Dog or Crosby. But you’re talking about big $$. Would you do it?

What I infer from reading the article is that the Packers have a lot of options. Strictly speaking, that's true, but I suspect their scope of available moves is more limited than folks believe. Almost all of these decisions boil down to releasing the player versus extending them to produce the same or more cap relief. The Packers have very few players on second contracts whose deals can remain untouched.

The Packers are going to nick either the money or the player himself.

They will all be back. Jake and Elwood are putting the band back together. It is the only thing Gute and Murphy know how to do. The future be damned!

I understand what this and many articles are suggesting but it brings up 2 critical questions on the mindset of keeping Rodgers or letting him go and the player changes it would entail:

1. Rodgers has always been characterized as an intelligent, football savant individual. Whether you believe that statement or not, wouldn't Rodgers be able to read and understand the constraints of the salary cap on his wish list for GB personnel for the upcoming season? I would certainly think so if you believe he is intelligent. Therefore, he surely would be able to justify that some players - even his friends like Cobb and Lewis - might have to leave if he were to stay and maybe try to keep #17? He basically showed how important Cobb was to him in the SF game by ignoring him. Gutes gave Rodgers a show of faith in bringing back Cobb. Now Rodgers should reciprocate at the very least when it comes to Cobb and others. At the most, well...

2. Where do you draw the line with Rodgers and any personnel changes he would like to see for the coming season if he were to stay in GB? This is a HUGE question! Its become clear (to fans, at least) that Rodgers has lost a lot of political/popularity points given his over publicized opinions and dismal playoff performance this season. So where does GB management draw the line between appeasing AR versus managing this team now and into the future with the same old question marks around him outstanding?

Tough questions to answer? Hopefully, GB management knows the answers to these 2 questions? But I know I would not like to be a shareholder in a company that has to operate that way with my money - even my beloved Packers!

time to throw the baby out with the bathwater. King, st bonehead, Lewis, Cobb, yadom, Smith, Crosby, Borsboot or whatever our punter is named, mvs all out? Adams traded for a 2 pick and a bucket of beer cheese curds. Rodgers waived and if picked up they can pick up his team killing salary too. HA! Gosh this is fun

What's the point if bringing Cobb back, Rodgers won't throw to him much anyway

Several veteran players may not return for the 2022 season if Aaron Rodgers is under center for Green Bay*

Because of the cap. No matter which way you turn your ass is behind you.

That Gutey kept J.J. Molson all season is telling. I'm assuming he is talented. I like fact he had all season and this offseason to get comfortable being in the NFL and with Packers, so 2022 isn't too big for him.

Change is inevitable but most struggle with change. Personally, I believe while the Packer organization is saying all the right things about wanting to keep Rodgers I believe the players who will be cut (guys like Crosby, Big Dog, and Cobb, etc) is their way of forcing (leveraging) Rodgers to come to decision he does not want to play with a team without his closest friends and the realization the Packers are going thru a mini-rebuild. I just don't see Rodgers wanting any part of this and will want a trade.

What is one of my most intriguing fascinations this offseason will be how Rodgers and the Packers spin why Rodgers is leaving. It is imperative for Rodgers to leave GB keeping his legacy intact. Other than winning another MVP not much about this season (on and off the field) went very well for Rodgers. While time heals things his legacy in GB will be left somewhat tarnished.

I do not see a scenario where Z Smith, Preston Smith or Randall Cobb are Green Bay Packers in 2022. Their contracts were all structured for them to not be and will all be unloaded.

The Last Dance was exactly apropos for last year's team. There have been numerous mistakes in relationship with Rodger's contract but realistically the Packers would still be in the same spot regardless either a year earlier or later.
If FO knew the results of this year's playoffs...I'm sure they would have made the trade with Rodgers last season and started their rebuild process. Now they know that next season's team won't be a SB contender with Rodgers or not because of the quality of players they are about to lose to get under the CAP. So regardless of the PR speak, they are in a rebuild mode. I just hope that it doesn't take 12 years to get back to a SB appearance.

Russ Ball, work your magic!

Trade 12 and get all you can for him. The time is now..DO IT MAN!!