There were plenty of really good takeaways for the Green Bay Packers defense in 2024 following Jeff Hafley’s first season at the controls.

Despite all the good, the edge rusher spot left a lot to be desired.

One ESPN insider, Matt Bowen, has the Packers landing a star edge rusher in Khalil Mack this offseason.

For what it’s worth, Bowen correctly predicted last offseason that Xavier McKinney would ultimately land in Green Bay. The Packers had ongoing questions at safety, and McKinney swept away most of those after a phenomenal 2024 campaign.

There’s no sugarcoating it: Green Bay must address its lack of impact at defensive end.

Rashan Gary came on late after a tremendously slow start. Lukas Van Ness was invisible for much of the season. The Packers traded Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers after he deemed himself not to be a fit in Hafley’s system.

Mack could be a solution.

The hesitancy in seeing this become a reality is that Mack will turn 34 on February 22, and the Packers typically don’t gamble on free agents. However, an exception to the rule could be in order if Gutekunst believes the Packers are one or two pieces away from being a Super Bowl contender.

One could be an edge rusher.

Mack has played at least 16 games in five of the last six seasons. With the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024, Mack racked up six sacks after stockpiling a career-high 17 in 2023.

There’s tread left on Mack’s tires, so to speak. He’d provide the potential for a short-term solution but not a long-term one for Green Bay. There’s also a risk in signing a 34-year-old pass rusher, hoping he will take that group to the next level after it fizzled out most of 2024.

Gutekunst hit on McKinney last year in free agency as a staple of this defense for the long run.

McKinney was part of a group that ranked No. 6 in the NFL in turnovers forced per game, a sharp increase after finishing No. 26 the year prior in Joe Barry’s final season as defensive coordinator.

The Packers also identified young talent in safety Evan Williams and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who could be pillars of the defense for years to come.

Signing Mack would show this front office believes it is really, really close and trying to get over the hump now. It’d be out of character, but it can’t be out of the question for Green Bay.