GM Brian Gutekunst Needs Big Calls to Pay Off With the Packers

Brian Gutekunst is under pressure to turn around the fortunes of one of the most iconic teams in the National Football League. With a roster of studs and “potential studs”, there is a quite a bit to get right this 2025-26 season.

Big Calls Will Shape GM Gutekunst Era With Packers

The Green Bay Packers are 4/6 with Betway to make the 2026 play-offs – odds which highlight the weight of expectations on the general manager’s shoulders.

The Packers have not won the Super Bowl since the 2010 season and have failed to make a mark in the post season shoot-out over the past couple of years. In fairness to Gutekunst, he can argue that the team is heading in the right direction after significantly improving their regular season record last term.

Having posted a 9-8 record during the 2023 campaign, the Packers ended their 2024 schedule with just six defeats in 17 outings in NFC North. However, a 22-10 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card play-offs scuppered their hopes of making it back to the Super Bowl.

Decisions Weighing on Gutekunst

Zach Tom, Priority

Gutekunst undoubtedly has some big decisions to make this summer, particularly with regards to the future of right tackle Zach Tom. The 26-year-old has been one of the Packers most reliable players since he was drafted in the fourth round in 2022 and is now eligible to receive a new contract.

Tom has inevitably attracted interest from elsewhere, but Gutekunst has confirmed that he is eager to secure Tom’s future with the Packers.

“We’re always competing, no matter who you are, what your contract status is,” Gutekunst told Cheesehead TV . “But I will say now, we’ve had really healthy conversations with Zach about locking him up and certainly that’s something we’d like to do. “These things take time, as you know, and they never happen very quickly. Obviously, he’s been a really good player for us since the time he got here and done everything right by us. “We’d certainly like to make that happen, so hopefully we’ll get there soon.”

Jaire Alexander, Gone, Gone, Gone

While the Packers’ GM is eager to keep Tom in Green Bay, his decision to release Jaire Alexander has raised plenty of eyebrows amongst the fanbase.

The 28-year-old is a hugely talented player, but injury issues have been problematic. Since 2021, Alexander has played more than seven games in a season just once. The corner back has also reportedly caused problems behind the scenes, and Gutekunst decided to cut him loose. He has subsequently joined the Baltimore Ravens.

Releasing an elite-level player is never an easy decision to make, and it will be intriguing to see if the move ultimately pays dividends for the Packers.

Pass Rush Needs

Rectifying their pass rushing deficiencies is another element Gutekunst must tackle this summer. This places Lukas Van Ness firmly in the spotlight.

He was selected in the first round of the 2023 draft, but is yet to prove he has what it takes to establish himself as a standout performer in the NFL. Van Ness has recorded seven sacks, 16 quarterback hits, 14 tackles for loss, one pass deflection and one forced fumble in his two seasons with the Packers.

CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin has questioned where he fits into the line-up and believes the Packers will ultimately regret using their number one pick to acquire him.

“Van Ness felt destined for the Green Bay Packers even before he landed in Lambeau, coming out of Iowa with a background in hockey, but he’s been more of an intriguing Midwestern story than a difference-making pass rusher so far,” Benjamin wrote .

“Nicknamed ‘Hercules’ in college, he’s managed seven total sacks since 2023 as part of the club’s edge rotation. LaFleur indicated this summer Van Ness could also be deployed as an interior defender to help spark his impact.”

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