Suppose you're a fan of most of the other 31 teams in the NFL. In that case, you probably get excited for free agency at the beginning of March, because chances are your team will be jockeying for a position to wow a few of the top players available at certain positions. You might sign a handful of players, maybe one or two are those top ones available and you'll head into the next season excited about that promising, fresh new face. If you're a Packer fan, free agency tends to be disappointing. You see the positions where the Packers have need and you keep tabs on the top players available there, only to watch them 9/10 times sign with another team. It's the nature of being a Packer fan in the 21st Century. 

Why is this? Well, our last two general managers, Ted Thompson and Brian Gutekunst, believe deeply in the draft and develop philosophy. They would much rather draft players to take over starting positions on a rookie contract than overpay for a veteran who may or may not work out. This can be extremely frustrating for most fans obviously because the excitement just isn't there when it comes to a draft pick compared to a proven vet. Fans want instant almost guaranteed gratification, not hope that a draft pick will work out.  Many will drastically disagree, but for the most part, it's worked out. 

With this draft and development strategy dominating the Packers' philosophy for the last 20 years, they've had a win percentage of 61.4%. This ranks third among the other 31 teams in the league. That stat isn't anything to take for granted, but a glaring caveat would be that the other teams in the top 5 all have multiple Super Bowl wins and appearances in that timeframe except for the one that sits at number five. Winning seasons are great and all, but when only one of those in 20 years has ended in a Super Bowl win, those seasons tend to feel disappointing.  We don't hang banners for divisional wins or playoff appearances in Green Bay, only World Championships. 

During those last 20 years, the Packers have only made free-agent splashes in maybe three or four of them. In 2006 they signed Charles Woodson and Ryan Pickett, in 2018 they signed Jimmy Graham, in 2019 they signed Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith, and Adrian Amos, and then in 2024, they signed Xavier McKinney and Josh Jacobs. Three out of four of those have worked out in big ways for the Packers. The argument could be made that when the Packers do spend the money in free agency, they reap the benefits, so they must be smart in choosing their signings wisely. But it could also be said that when the Packers do spend, they're successful, so why don't they do it more often?

Perhaps one of the main reasons is the low risk of a rookie contract versus signing an expensive vet. Looking at the last 20 years of Packers football, how many expensive free-agent signings haven't worked out? One. That's it. One in twenty years. How many do you suppose the other 31 teams have had? One would guess many more. 

This doesn't make the Packers geniuses, but it does show that they are willing to stick to their philosophy no matter what. 

More Draft and Develop

Prime time for the 2025 free agency period has come and gone. The majority of the fanbase as well as the mainstream media felt the Packers would surely address the pass rush, and wide receivers group. The Packers signed two free agents on day one, but they were not of these position groups. All of the possible target candidates have signed with other teams and it appears obvious that either the Packers failed to sign one of these players, or they are content with who they have alongside any draft picks coming in late April. 

Although there were some intriguing candidates, the wide receiver group wasn't very fruitful at all in free agency. One cannot blame the Packers for not overpaying a player that would not be worth it. But the surprise lies with the pass rush. You simply can't have enough skilled pass rushers and with the Packers having a rough year in that category, it was fully expected that 2025 might bring a veteran to that room to help out. But alas, there isn't one, and we're currently heading into 2025 with the same group of players expecting better results. 

In their defense, that actually could happen. 

The Packers' top pass rusher, Rashan Gary, could be a premiere pass rusher in the league if he only had a legitimate running mate. Years ago the Packers had the same issue with Clay Matthews. Matthews was among the best in the league at getting after the quarterback, but that all meant nothing if the offense was able to focus on him and him only. The Packers tried drafting Nick Perry in the first round and signing Julius Peppers to bolster the pass rush opposite Matthews, but Perry was too inconsistent and Peppers, though effective at times, just wasn't enough to get that job done. 

Opposite Rashan Gary, the Packers already have their Nick Perry-like investment in Lukas Van Ness. Van Ness, like Perry, has been inconsistent thus far, but the hope is for there to be a third-year jump. Many expected that Peppers-like signing to go along with Van Ness this year, but it appears the Packers learned their lesson the first time. So, where does that leave the pass rush?

Rashan Gary will continue to get his chances at the quarterback. But whether or not they result in sacks is up to the rest of the rush. JJ Enagbare reached 4.5 sacks and six QB hits last year in 17 games, while Brenton Cox Jr. registered four sacks and seven QB hits in only seven games. Perhaps there will be an effort to get Cox Jr. more snaps to improve the pass rush, or perhaps there will be another addition. But don't expect it in the first round. 

Many have already started mocking pass rushers to the Packers in the first round. It's a decent assumption, but incorrect. The Packers' lack of signing a pass rusher shows they believe they have too much invested in the pass rush already to sign one to a big contract nor draft them that early. A day two or early day three investment may be more like it. This gives room for Lukas Van Ness to take a big leap in year three and not affect other big investments but also leaves room for if he doesn't, they could still have an up-and-comer in either a draft pick, Enagbare, or Cox Jr. 

The draft and develop philosophy surely isn't for the faint of heart. It takes time and patience, and knowing when that patience is not paying off, to move forward. The Packers know this philosophy well, and hopefully, it pays off once again after a frustrating free-agency period for the cheesehead faithful.