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After suffering an embarrassing 44-21 defeat against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship, the Green Bay Packers’ offseason has just begun.
The deck was already stacked against Green Bay in that game. Its running game was nonexistent, there were too many injuries to overcome, and the defensive backfield struggled to stop big plays. In other words, the weak spots on the roster were exposed.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is proud of his teammates because they battled and won some huge games, but “just came up a little short."
Even though Green Bay lost, Rodgers believes the Packers are close to having a team capable of going all the way, they just have to make some moves in the offseason.
“I don’t think we need to rebuild, we need to reload,” Rodgers said. “We have a lot of young guys who were big contributors that we didn’t expect starting the season out.”
The 33-year-old signal caller made it clear after the game that the organization should re-sign players like receiver Geronimo Allison, fullback Aaron Ripkowski, and tight end Jared Cook.
However, the six-time Pro Bowler said Cook should be near the top of Green Bay’s priority list.
While Cook has been inconsistent this season, he does provide Rodgers with a big target over the middle of the field. The veteran tight always had the talent to be a top-five player at his position. But injuries and bad quarterback play on his previous teams are the reasons why Cook isn't a top tight end.
Rodgers didn't only praise the skill-position players. He also gave a lot of credit to his offensive line and wants to keep the group together. This offseason, T.J. Lang and Don Barclay are scheduled to become free agents.
Whenever the quarterback wants you back on the team next season, your chances of re-signing increase by a lot. There’s a good chance that Cook will be back in Green Bay for the 2017 season.
Also look for Green Bay to focus on the defensive side of the ball in the offseason. The defense has to improve if the Packers want to win another Super Bowl.
This team needs playmakers who can create turnovers and not surrender big plays. Micah Hyde, Nick Perry, and Datone Jones are three key players on this defensive who are scheduled to become free agents.
The Packers cannot keep depending on Rodgers to win games. He needs help from the defense and the rest of the offense. Packers fans should expect their team to focus on those needs in the offseason.