Sports teams often talk about needing to “get younger”. The Green Bay Packers have taken that to the extreme. In 2023, they were the youngest team in the NFL and became one of the youngest ever to win a playoff game behind QB Jordan Love. They were again the youngest team when the 2024 season began, and while they made the playoffs in both campaigns, they didn’t make the deep runs they wanted. Perhaps a veteran or two could help?
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And when we say a veteran or two, we mean a few more: the Packers had just one player aged 30+ on their roster at the start of this campaign. When asked if a veteran presence would be a welcome addition to the mix in Titletown, Love was adamant: “Definitely”.
However, while Love acknowledged that having seasoned players could elevate the team, he also stressed that it’s not just about the experience. It’s about fit as well. New additions must align with the team’s mentality, or they risk being more of a hindrance than a help.
“I’ve been saying, when you add good players to a good team, I think good things will happen… I love adding pieces, and I think, when you add those good players, it’s only gonna help our offense. It’s gotta be the right guys, the right fit for the group we have. It’s all about the mindset.”
Would Jordan Love welcome more "veteran presence" in the Packers locker room? @jordan3love: "Definitely." @heykayadams @packers | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/PzNHlrx8xt
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) February 8, 2025
The Packers averaged 25.11 years old at the outset of this campaign. The next-youngest team was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at 25.59. That difference, 0.48, may not seem like much, but it is a massive chasm. 11 other teams fall within 0.48 years of the Bucs on that list.
Love also mentioned a couple of specific examples from last offseason. While neither is 30 or older, running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney are veterans right in the middle of their primes. Love is hoping the team can make a couple more moves like that to strengthen the roster this offseason.
“You see, we went out and got Josh Jacobs this offseason, phenomenal playmaker for us and elevated our offense, took it to another level. Xavier McKinney, on the back end on defense, took the defense to another level… You want guys that’s gonna come in and wanna win and wanna push the envelope and do all the extra things like Josh Jacobs did for us.”
It’s good to be young to keep your future options open, but if you want to win now, as the Packers do, you need to get a nice mix of old and new. The Kansas City Chiefs averaged just under 27 years old at the outbreak of the postseason this year.
That means the defending champs have a lot of exciting youth and energy surrounding veteran stalwarts like Patrick Mahomes, DeAndre Hopkins, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones. You need the right balance of old and young to be successful, like they are.
Future Hall of Fame wideout Davante Adams, 32, has already spoken about a Green Bay reunion. He would be a perfect addition to an extremely young and inexperienced Packers receiving corps.
Jordan Love and the Packers had four turnovers in their playoff loss this season. They had two in their playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers last year. Clearly, inexperience is an issue, so they will surely try to sign more veteran leadership in 2025.
Green Bay is in the middle of the pack with just over $41 million in cap space heading into the 2025 offseason. They have the facilities to lure a couple of veteran free agents into this youthful mix; the only question is whether or not they can. Green Bay’s project certainly took a step back in 2024. Will potential free agents be willing to risk it happening again in 2025?
