Whelp. Here we are again. 

The offseason has come again, on the heels of one of the most devastating losses in franchise history. The Packers fell to the Bears in a 18 point comeback, a loss that will have far-reaching ramifications. Jobs are at risk, the future is cloudy, and your Green Bay Packers are at a crossroads. Enough about that though. 

Way back in the ancient, bygone era of July 23rd 2025, I ran a little experiment. It was a way too early simulation of the 2026 Offseason. The players had only just gotten back to training camp, Micah Parsons was a Cowboy, and we had no idea what this fresh new season would bring us. We've emerged on the other side of that season, certainly not unscathed, but still here. We've gotten a few glimpses of the mountaintop, but it remains elusive. 

My experiment in the summer was, brace for it, flawed. Turns out, it was way too early. Who knew?

Obviously at that point, we did not have Micah Parsons. We still had a first round pick to play with in the draft, and a bit more money. Some highlights from that article were Elgton Jenkins and Josh Jacobs cut, a Rashan Gary contract restructure, losing Christian Watson, signing Kendall Fuller in free agency, and a first round cornerback. 

This time around, my virtual Packers have less room in salary cap, a lack of first round picks, and an increased sense of desperation.  

First up: a couple of ground rules. Last time, I used Spotrac's excellent offseason simulator for the contract side of things, and PFF's mock draft simulator for the draft. Both are excellent, but I disliked having to use two different sites. This time, I'm using Pro Football Network's simulator, which allows you to do both things, plus a little extra. 

Next up: for the purposes of this exercise, we are going to assume the status quo continues in the coaching staff. That means Matt LaFleur and the Packers are able to reach an amicable solution on a contract extension, on which negotiations have already begun. Jeff Hafley returns as defensive coordinator, and Adam Stenovich is the offensive coordinator. I did it this way for the sake of simplicity (e.g. not wanting to research the draft preferences of multiple coaching candidates), but also because I do think it is the most likely outcome. 

Matt LaFleur is, in all likelihood, returning. That's just a statement on the odds, and not what I necessarily think should happen. Jeff Hafley has interviews set with multiple teams, and it's no 100% lock that he does actually get one of them. He's a hot name in this coaching cycle, to be sure. But remember that teams generally tend to lean towards hiring offensive coaches. And on the defensive side of things, Hafley does have a fair bit of competition. Among others, I think Jesse Minter, Brian Flores, Chris Shula, and Vance Joseph are in competition with Hafley. 

Next up, this is a simulation of what I think the team is going to do or want to do. It's not what I would necessarily do. 

Let's get into it. 

First up for the site: Finishing the playoffs. In the NFC, the Bears continue to shock the world, and knock off the Rams. The Seahawks come out victorious over the Niners in what I'm sure was another tough, gritty entry into the lore of that rivalry. They end the Bears' magical run there, and ride their Home Field Advantage into the Super Bowl. In the AFC, Josh Allen takes out the #1 seed Broncos, while the Patriots manage to beat the surging Texans. Imagine this AFC Championship for a moment. The Bills, finally have their time to shine, and Josh Allen can win the AFC. Standing in their way? The demon in their particular closet, the New England Patriots, with a shiny new franchise QB at the helm. The Bills come out on top though, and the Super Bowl is set. 

In the end, the Seahawks are victorious, and the final bow is put on the 2025/26 season. As the Packers begin the offseason, here's a look at how their (and our own) salary cap looks. 

The Packers start $21,158.858 over the salary cap, so we've got some moves to make. Luckily, we've also got some very obvious candidates. We start by cutting Elgton Jenkins ($20 million savings) and Rashan Gary ($10.9 million savings), two of the moves we've been anticipating since the season began. We also cut Trevon Diggs ($15.5 million savings), hoping to bring him back later at a smaller number. I also cut Brandon McManus ( $2.03 million savings), following a rocky season at kicker. All that together brings the Packers to a positive $27.3 million in salary cap room. We aren't done yet though. By restructuring the deals of Xavier McKinney ($5.9 million) and Josh Jacobs ($4.7 million), our total cap rises to $38 million. Not to shabby, but we've got to spend a decent chunk of that right away. 

The Packers have a lot of players that are about to be looking for new contracts. First up, a couple of the players that I decided to let walk away without a fight. Those include some of the expected names. Rasheed Walker, Romeo Doubs, and Malik Willis. Kingsley Enagbarre also walks, as he was just a tad too expensive. 

I negotiated out a contract extension with Sean Rhyan for 3 years, $19.7 million dollars. Rhyan slides in and looks to contribute, likely with the inside track to be center next year. Quay Walker also cashes in a 3 year, $29 million contract, and stick around on the defense. We also kept Emmanuel WIlson, Lucas Havrisik, Bo Melton, and Brenton Cox Jr on small contracts. We also keep Trevon Diggs in town with a near-minimum 2 year, $6 million dollar deal. 

All that leaves us entering free agency with $12.9 million in salary cap room. Maybe enough for a single free agent, or two small ones? Let's see at what we get. Spoiler alert: there's not much. 

In what has become a recent trend in the league, the quality of free agent classes are shrinking, as teams are getting better and better at manipulating the salary cap to keep their talent in house. There are still some interesting names out there, even if the Packers wouldn't be interested in them: Aaron Rodgers, Trey Hendrickson, Khalil Mack and Travis Kelce. 

There are a couple of free agents I considered trying to bring in. Jon Franklin-Myers or DJ Reeder to help out the defensive line. Wyatt Teller or Joel Bitonio at guard, both from the Browns. Johnathan Jones at cornerback. 

I think it's most likely, in this scenario, that the Packers would sit ont heir hands. We've seen them do this before, when money is tight, and there are still extensions to hand out to the likes of Tucker Kraft, Devonte Wyatt, and a big decision on LVN's fifth year option. All that affects the salary cap this year. 

So, we move on to the main event: the NFL draft. We've got big holes to fill at CB, DT and along the OL. Plus, some needs at TE, LB, QB, and Edge. Let's see if the draft gods are kind to me. 

As it happens, they are. There are a lot of GB's needs available here, between plug & play options at CB and a lot of potential in Georgia's Christen Miller. Ultimately, we'll take Arizona State's Kieth Abney to be an instant starter on the defense. In the third round, I took Dominique "Big Citrus" Orange, to be a big answer at nose tackle for the Packers moving forward. Drew Shelton from Penn State is a tackle with positional versatility, right up the Packers' alley. In round five, center Jake Slaughter falls into my lap. Slaughter was thought of as a first round talent last summer, but has had a bit of a disappointing year. I've got no problem taking a flyer on him here. There's a similar story with my next pick in round six, Penn State QB Drew Allar, who I take to hopefully become the backup QB. The Packers have three round seven picks due to comp picks, and I use them on edge Cameron Robertson from SMU, CB Ricardo Hollman from Wisconsin, and TE Riley Nowakowski. 

That's the 2026 offseason wrapped up! Al that's left is to let the simulator tell us how the 2026 would shake out! 

Oh well. Better luck next year, right?