The Packers remain busy this week even without Super Bowl on the line
Despite falling short of Super Bowl LVI, the Packers remain in the headlines due to developments with the coaching staff and, of course, Aaron Rodgers.
Good morning!
Less than a week remains before Super Bowl LVI kicks off at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium. But even with the offseason on the horizon, the Green Bay Packers remain in the news with several developments on the coaching front and, of course, Aaron Rodgers developments seemingly always in the offing.
Thank you for reading and supporting our coverage. You can also support our work by following us on Twitter:
Jason B. Hirschhorn: @by_JBH
Peter Bukowski: @Peter_Bukowski
The Leap: @TheLeapGB
Thanks for making The Leap a part of your day.
What do you make of the Packers' reported interest in Rich Bisaccia?
Jason B. Hirschhorn: At the time of writing, it remains unclear whether the Packers will land former Las Vegas Raiders special-teams coordinator and interim head coach Rich Bisaccia. After a likely courtesy interview with Raiders brass, Basaccia's only apparent interest for a head-coaching position came from the Jacksonville Jaguars, an organization that so severely botched the interview and hiring process that multiple candidates — including favored target Byron Leftwich — reportedly took themselves out of the running for the job.
However, Bisaccia has garnered considerable interest as a special-teams coordinator this offseason, not just from the Packers. If Green Bay wants to secure his services, it'll need to avoid a repeat of the Darren Rizzi mistake from 2019 when cost prevented head coach Matt LaFleur from securing one of the best special-teams coaches in the NFL.
But whether Bisaccia joins the staff or takes another job, the Packers' push to land him highlights a new commitment to an oft-neglected part of the team. Green Bay has gone cheap on special-teams coordinators for the better part of two decades, and the results speak for themselves. As previously reported at The Leap, LaFleur will have other viable options to consider, including former New York Giants head coach Joe Judge and coordinators from the college ranks. As long as the team hires an experienced tactician to handle the units moving forward, the results should never again approach the disastrous performance of the 2021 season.
How do you interpret Packers president Mark Murphy’s latest comments on Aaron Rodgers?
"It takes time to get over a loss like [the Packers' division-round defeat to the 49ers], but, in the NFL, nobody feels sorry for you, and we have a lot of work to do to get ready for next year. We've had a number of coaching changes, and Matt LaFleur has been very busy putting together his coaching staff. Brian Gutekunst and his staff are attending the college all-star games and getting ready for the NFL Combine at the end of the month. Also, we are significantly over the salary cap for next year, and will have to make many difficult decisions in order to get under the cap. A key factor will be whether Aaron Rodgers comes back for the 2022 season. Matt, Brian, executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball and I are all in agreement that we want Aaron to come back. He is likely to win his fourth league MVP, is the unquestioned leader of our team and is still playing at a high level at 38. Although we will face many challenges this offseason, I have tremendous confidence in Matt, Brian and Russ. I don't think anyone in the league knows the rules regarding the salary cap better than Russ. He will be our most valuable employee this offseason." — Mark Murphy, via Packers.com
JBH: It remains too early to say whether Aaron Rodgers and the Packers will continue their relationship into the 2022 season. Rodgers will understandably take some time away from football to gain perspective on his options and preferences before returning his decision prior to free agency, a promise he made during the season on multiple occasions.
However, the Packers have presented a united front on the Rodgers matter. During his season-closing press conference, LaFleur said, without qualification, that general manager Brian Gutekunst, director of football operations Russ Ball, and team president Mark Murphy all share his desire to bring Rodgers back into the fold.
"Every conversation I've been involved in with Gutey and Russ and Mark, we're all on the same page here," LaFleur said. "There's no debate."
Murphy's commentary on Packers.com echoes those sentiments while providing context to the myriad decisions Rodgers and the team must make between now and the start of the new league year on March 16.
Still, what the Packers say publicly and how their top officials believe privately do not always match. That disconnect led to Rodgers' summer of disgruntlement last year and, though the parties appear to have mended fences during the 2021 season, the possibility of divorce remains on the table.
But even so, the Packers have handled this offseason better than the last so far. They didn't have the wherewithal to present a united front a year ago. They do now. That adjustment could prove the difference between Rodgers asking for a trade and recommitting to the team.
What we're seeing/hearing
JBH: While the Packers still have some work to do before finalizing their 2022 coaching staff, one particular move has already garnered praise. Last week, the team announced that wide-receivers coach Jason Vrable would add passing-game coordinator to his titles, a decision that drew support from wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
And Valdes-Scantling isn't alone in his opinion of Vrable. Multiple league sources told The Leap that the 37-year-old coach can realistically land an even bigger promotion within the next few years given his background. Before entering the coaching profession, Vrable played quarterback at Marietta College before coaching the position at several stops, including for Syracuse and the Buffalo Bills. Now, in his new capacity, Vrable will work again spend some time with the signal-callers.
Such roles tend to bode well for the coaches who hold them. Over the past decade, the majority of head-coaching vacancies have gone to those with experience coaching quarterbacks directly. Vrable stands a step or two away from garnering consideration for such jobs, but continued success with the Packers could put him in position for them soon.
Parting shots
JBH: The Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl — the top two post-collegiate all-star games — wrapped up this past week, signaling the next phase of the draft process. Later this month, the football world will descend upon Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium for the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine for the next step in the march toward the draft.
None of that seems overly noteworthy on paper, but consider the past two years. The 2020 combine marked the last normal NFL event before the pandemic hit in the United States. Since that time, teams and NFL media haven't collected in one place without major restrictions. That tangibly affected how everyone involved conducted business.
While the pandemic hasn't ended quite yet, the football world will gather in a more-or-less normal fashion on Feb. 28 for the first time in two years. That will have major ramifications for all parties involved. Remember, the Packers built their giant 2019 free-agent class via meetings taken during combine week that year. This time around, the week of the combine could well determine the future for with multiple stars — most notably Rodgers and Davante Adams — whether they stay or leave Green Bay this offseason.
All of which means the Packers will have needed clarity on their 2022 squad in just a matter of weeks. Stay tuned.