Who The Heck Are The 2025 Green Bay Packers?
The Packers, anchored by decades of stability, suddenly face major questions up and down the roster heading into the 2025 season.
By Mark Ballard
Compared to most NFL teams, the Green Bay Packers have had the rare luxury of stability. From 1992 until 2022 – three decades – the Packers had, essentially, two starting quarterbacks (apologies, Matt Flynn and Brett Hundley). In that same timeframe, the Cleveland Browns, by contrast, had roughly three dozen starting quarterbacks. This reliability and excellence at the game’s top position, combined with the Packers well known “draft and develop” team building strategy, meant that the Packers had teams, and position groups, that maintained a remarkable consistency, that evolved even deeper – into an identity.
Who can forget the Packers offensive line group with Clifton, Winters, Rivera, and Wahle, or the receiver group with guys like Brooks, Freeman, Ferguson, and Driver? Somewhere along the draft and develop journey those offensive line names shifted to Bakhtiari, Lang, Sitton, and Bulaga, and the receivers to Jennings, Adams, Nelson, and Cobb. On the defensive side of the ball we had well recognized names like Barnett, Brown, Butler, Sharper, and later, Matthews, Williams, Raji, Alexander, etc.
I bring all of these names up not to dwell in the past, but rather, to recognize it, and to draw a sharp contrast to the present. Because when I look at the entirety of the 2025 Packers roster, the question I come back to again and again is: Who really are these guys?
Start with the offense, and the leader of that offense – Jordan Love. In just two years at the helm, we’ve seen plenty of flashes. The 2023 comeback vs the Saints showed Love’s moxie and leadership. The playoff run that same year showed that Love could thrive in the bright lights. Playing through injury the following year (and guiding the Packers back to the playoffs), showed Love’s grit. But alongside the many highlights are some costly mistakes that have, thus far, prevented Love from being mentioned among the NFL’s quarterback elite. There’s a sense among the Packers fan base (a sentiment I share) that Love will eventually ascend into that upper tier, very possibly this year. But for now, Love’s young story is still largely incomplete.
Love isn’t alone. In fact, he’s surrounded by question marks. Christian Watson, can he stay healthy? How good is Matthew Golden? Luke Musgrave? Dontayvion Wicks? Mecole Hardman? Will Sheppard? And what the heck will LaFleur do with Savion Williams? Will he play some running back? And speaking of running backs, what about MarShawn Lloyd? Even the offensive line, which could be the team’s best and deepest position group, has questions: where does Jordan Morgan slot in? How will Jenkins work out at center? Will Belton play? And what do we have in the $77 million man, Aaron Banks?
The other side of the ball might be an even bigger mystery. Is this the year Rashan Gary finally becomes the consistent wrecking ball we’ve all been pining for? Does Van Ness take the next step? What about Brenton Cox? Or what about the new guys: Oliver, Sorrell, Stackhouse? And what’s the ceiling for Cooper, who seems like an absolute game wrecker? And remember his running mate, Ty’Ron Hopper? The secondary, McKinney aside, might be the biggest question mark of all – Bullard and Williams are promising but still mostly unknown safeties, and the still-taking-shape cornerback room, led by a feisty newcomer, Nate Hobbs, is a patchwork quilt of perplexity, even featuring a guy who was catching passes just a few months ago.
There are questions almost everywhere, which isn’t entirely surprising for a team with the NFL’s youngest roster (average age of 24.8 years). On the one hand, the unknowns are very exciting because there’s a lot of room to imagine “what could be” but it’s also jarring in a way because for the first time in a very long time, Packers fans (if they’re being honest) don’t truly know what’s ahead of them. Interestingly enough, the rival Vikings and Bears are in somewhat similar situations, which only adds to the wonder of it all.
One thing that isn’t a mystery in Green Bay is tradition. The great Vince Lombardi once said, "Winning isn't everything; the will to win is the only thing". I believe our front office lives that philosophy and I’m confident they’ve assembled a terrific group of young, athletic, and motivated players. Led by a smart and dedicated group of coaches, they are ready to write the next great chapter of Green Bay Packers football. To quote another Packers coach, "It is time. It is time."
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Mark Ballard is an obsessive Green Bay Packers fan, born in Buffalo Bills country, but raised right by a Mom from Rice Lake, WI. You can find him on X at @ballark
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Comments (24)
mnbadger
August 08, 2025 at 10:09 am
Mark, thank you for the most honest and insightful article, grounded in reality, shared about our beloved Pack Attack since the playoff loss.
We can all speculate to the answers of your questions, let the season begin and let the answers present themselves.
GPG!
LambeauPlain
August 08, 2025 at 10:22 am
What NFL team during Camp and Preseason doesn't have questions up and down the roster? It seems to me the Packers expected 53 has fewer questions than most.
"But for now, Love’s young story is still largely incomplete." That is very true.
As Favre was entering his 3rd year as a starter, so was his young story. In fact, Favre faced a coaching mutiny early in his career due to reckless play and interceptions. All the O coaches but one wanted Mark Brunell be the starter. Fortunately for Favre, the one coach who disagreed was Holmgren.
Rodgers 3rd year as young starter also had a largely incomplete story. The team ran the table to end the 2010 Lombardi season thanks to Rodgers play, but also greatly aided by the new 3-4 defense loaded with playmakers getting sacks and turnovers.
I am equally hopeful Love will take off this season...also greatly aided by an ascending, attacking defense.
murf7777
August 08, 2025 at 05:04 pm
Actually, it is my understanding through a documentary that it was Mooch who convinced Holmgren to keep him. Holmgren was at his wits end with Favre!
GregC
August 08, 2025 at 10:51 am
If you're wondering about Will Sheppard, you are going into too much detail, because he's not going to make the team. He probably won't even make the practice squad.
Overall, I don't see this team as so mysterious. Most of the starting lineups are set on offense and defense. There are no major weak spots with the starters, and the depth is pretty good. The five starters on the O-line are all at least adequate, and if Jordan Morgan beats one of them out, so much the better. The offense and defense were both ranked around 6 or 7 last year, and most of the starters are returning, plus there are some new players who should help a lot (Hobbs, Banks, and Golden, at the very least) and no players who are old enough to be in decline.
I think this team has a pretty high floor. It's the ceiling that is the mystery. That's a good place to be in.
Guam
August 08, 2025 at 11:51 am
GregC: I had much the same reaction to the article. The Packer offense finished last year ranked 8th in scoring (PPG) and the defense ranked 5th in points allowed. With minimal change in personnel for 2025 (so far), where's the mystery? This should be a pretty good team with the potential to be more than pretty good.
This article reads like the Packers are in the early throws of a major rebuild and have no idea what kind team will be on the field. Are there questions - of course. Every team has some questions at this time of the year. But the Packers have fewer questions than most and they damn well should be a playoff team with ambitions for more than just a cameo in the post season.
Mark Ballard
August 08, 2025 at 12:47 pm
Guam/GregC - Like you guys, I'm very bullish on Love and the team's 2025 chances. The Packers were very close to beating the 49ers in '24 and last year, they were down a single score in the 4th qtr to the eventual-champ (while missing Watson, Doubs, Reed, Jenkins, Jaire). This is a damn good football team, and I aimed to make that point (maybe I missed?). To reiterate the broader point- I just feel like there's more unknowns, even "good" unknowns (like how dominant our o-line can be, or what the ceiling is for Love/Cooper/Golden), but I feel like in comparison with previous teams/eras where we almost always had a pretty good idea of what to expect, I feel this team definitely presents more questions (and again, there are reasons - the primary being age/experience). Thanks for reading, and for the feedback.
GregC
August 08, 2025 at 01:53 pm
Thanks for your reply Mark, yes I get where you are coming from. It feels a little different than it did during most of the Favre/Rodgers era. Maybe part of it is that the QB is still pretty new, and he regressed a bit last year. Also, Brian Gutekunst has been more active in free agency the past two years than Ted Thompson ever was. That means more high profile players have been added to the mix, instead of just sticking with the players we already have. Plus a new DC came in last year. So there have been more changes these past two years than what we've been accustomed to. I just wanted to point out that I think the base of this roster is pretty solid.
Guam
August 08, 2025 at 10:39 pm
Appreciate your response Mark. Perhaps my reaction started with your subtitle ("The Packers,....., have major questions up and down the roster.") which just didn't jibe with their performance last season. Yes, the Packers have some age/experience related questions at spots, but so does every team this time of year. I think the Packers may have fewer questions than most teams about their roster and certainly not major questions up and down the roster.
Hyperbole to attract readers can backfire sometimes and really isn't necessary on this site. We crazy Packer fans will avidly read every article about the Packers and your article was worth the read, but minus the overwrought subtitle which created a dynamic you may not have intended.
TKWorldWide
August 08, 2025 at 10:52 am
Well written. Bravo!
One thought I had was where’s the love for Wisconsin’s own Mark Tauscher with that Clifton line? C’mon now; 7th round home run!
jannesbjornson
August 08, 2025 at 12:07 pm
Auburndale, WI....Cheeseland.
Mark Ballard
August 08, 2025 at 12:57 pm
Shame on me for leaving off Tauscher - agreed!
TarynsEyes
August 08, 2025 at 11:07 am
Reality is life, and it bites hard and often. The answer is accomplishments, and wild card seeds, Division Titles are not enough to quell the bites of reality of the NFL or life in it.
Winning isn't everything, well, not winning simply allows others to achieve the goal you didn't by not winning.
Yes, Participation Trophies were a thing for a while, and where did that get you, not in the winners circle.
Questions deserve, no demand answers, and yet, the Packers are full of questions yearly, and with many being the same ones, so often, they've more likely already been printed on next season's off-season question list.
Forget Participation awards, and end the incessant repeat of questions, and achieve what matters most, winning the SB. It's the only reason to play the game, unless you have the mindset of Dion Dawkins,"There is never an SB or Bust". Is it because players are only in it for the money, because the guaranteed money allows such thinking.
TitleTown used to be the goal, especially before the SB era, and many forget that 2 of those were posthumously awarded as SBs, and named, after Lombardi passed, and have been overtaken in total by a few others, and the failure of winning only two under Favre and Rodgers is even more disappointing and further erases what TitleTown meant, less how actually achieved.
If TitleTown is defined by Division Titles, sure, GB is the place, but championships before the SB era simply don't apply anymore as what does in today's era of the NFL. If Lombardi hadn't passed 4 years after, we'd have 13 legitimate Championships, but the change erased the old, and only SBs now matter in the minds of now, and we're lagging, whether having a legit two or four by the grace of sentiment.
The bar in GB seems to be Division Title or Wildcard seed, and the defense of failure yearly, seems to indicate the same for it's many fans.
Many say the SB is window perennially in GB, but is it really, or is it just something that looks like it because of the low bar of success being achieved yearly.
The reality question might get answered this season, but I'd be prepared for another bite from it, because, well, the questions that never really go away, but simply hover.
Now, let's get it done.
splitpea1
August 08, 2025 at 11:38 am
I'd say it's a team looking for more of a defined identity and one that is waiting for a couple more consistent impact players to emerge. And a team looking to pick up where it left off in 2023 as opposed to last season.... For decades the Packers' overall identity was more or less dominated by the QB and complemented by well-known defensive stars here and there. Right now our identity is what? We run the ball really well, but we're going to at least one more area of excellence if we want to advance deeper in the playoffs.
We have a young and fairly well-rounded out team at this point, and the opportunity is wide open for more individuals or team units to step up and help cement that identity.
jannesbjornson
August 08, 2025 at 12:05 pm
So a compare and contrast article posing Ted's Drafts against Gutedkunst's ?
LeotisHarris
August 08, 2025 at 01:52 pm
Or, they were who we thought they were, and they'll be who they'll be? Either way, I'm not citing literature.
WD
August 08, 2025 at 12:11 pm
The crucial litmus test begins with the first two game against Detroit and Washington. With luck we can go 2-0. That will lead to a fantastic year. If we go 1-1 it will still be a good year. If we go 0-2 at home it will be a long season. I noticed some teams have already used their starters in their first preseason game. Notably Cincinnati who arguably has one of the best offenses in the league. If the Pack starts out 0-2 without playing their starters in the preseason there will be a lot of second guessing and questions management will have to answer. It is all about risk-reward and opportunity costs. We have a lot of new young players and we need to play them before the lions come into town. Early and often, if we have any chance of having a fantastic year. This of course is only my opinion.
Packers0808
August 08, 2025 at 02:26 pm
These questions are asked by all 32 teams every year before every season. Live with it.
NFLfan
August 08, 2025 at 02:47 pm
Until GB has a more consistent play-caller (one who can think on his feet in the heat of battle)
-a proven DL, (not a training camp one)
-A QB who is more accurate (which requires better footwork) and makes consistently good decisions
-consistent WR's
-a deeper corner back room
I don't see much improvement from last year. GB may beat a few division rivals this year but won't likely take the Lions overall.
The same players will likely carry the team again-Jacobs, MacKinney, Kraft, Golden (???), Tom, Doubs, Cooper, Hobbs (when not injured), maybe Nixon.
I'd like to be proven wrong about Gary and LVN but I don't see consistency from Gary and LVN is ???
-9 wins, maybe 10, maybe 8.
Las Vegas has given GB a 4.8% chance of winning the SB
13TimeChamps
August 08, 2025 at 07:33 pm
Then I guess there's no reason for you to watch them this year. We'll truly miss you.
NFLfan
August 08, 2025 at 02:49 pm
The Jets are playing GB tomorrow @ Lambeau-I've read starters are playing on both.
marpag1
August 08, 2025 at 03:18 pm
"... suddenly face major questions up and down the roster ..."
Doesn't seem accurate to me at all.
ko40489
August 08, 2025 at 04:02 pm
I think one of the real bright spots for the Packers is their new CEO, Ed Policy. He's truly "a football guy." He's lived in the football world his entire life. Murphy got distracted with other priorities like Titletown and bringing the draft to GB. His standards for the team and the staff seemed to slip a bit as a result. I think we'll see more focus with Policy on the number 1 priority--fielding a team to win another Super Bowl. He expects results and he's going to hold people accountable to deliver them. I truly believe he has the ability to take the Pack to a higher level.
Doug_In_Sandpoint
August 08, 2025 at 04:14 pm
It is a mystery much as Lombardi's first team was. It kind of sets up beautifully for a dynasty. This team of young unknowns goes undefeated and winning the Super Bowl in record fashion. Then they reel off 4 more, their names become household words, and 20 years from now most of them are enshrined into Canton. You read it here first.
joejetson
August 08, 2025 at 10:26 pm
The 2024 Packers were still a team in transition. They went from a Rodgers-led finesse offense in 2022 (with a leaky defense), to more of a power rushing offense and a stouter defense in 2024.
Injuries to the qb combined with an inconsistent pass rush led to their final demise.
Over the winter, they beefed up on the o-line, which hints at another emphasis on the running game in '25. In addition, they added a top prospect to the passing game with Golden.
They must believe they already have pieces in place to fix the defensive problems, because they didn't invest any high draft picks there.
I think they're looking at how Philadelphia built their team, and are trying to emulate their approach.
They have the pieces on offense along with good depth as well. The defense, on the other hand, has it's share of question marks, along with depth issues. But Hafley got a lot out of this group last year, and if the trend continues, they could be good enough to compete for a Super Bowl in 2025.
There's three things in life that are guarantees, death, taxes, and injuries in the NFL. Depth is no longer a luxury, it's a requirement. "Next man up" isn't just a cliché, it's a necessity if you have serious Championship hopes.