The Los Angeles Rams have released both their star RB Todd Gurley and LB Clay Matthews, who joined the team last season.
Matthews had a decent season with the Rams except for an unfortunate broken jaw incident.
To propose what pretty much every Packers fan is thinking: Could Clay Matthews rejoin the Packers? Well, it depends. First of all, he has to come to terms with the fact that he is going to have to take a pay cut in order to fit in. He signed a two-year deal with the Rams last season worth $9.25 million. The reality is that the Packers would be fools to offer him close to that.
While a fan favorite, Matthews just does not produce like he used to. On the other hand, the Packers are still probably looking for talent in the linebacker position. At 33 years old, Matthews’ days in the league are numbered.
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Sign him! We need him. Hes not done. Matthews men can easily play 20 years in the NFL.
He’d likely play his heart out for the Pack, and come back on the cheap, so if the Gutekunst thinks he fits, by all means, get him.
Put him in at MLB!
That’s an idea.
So what’s Gutes plan here as far as getting Rodgers some help? Is he going to ignore it again and bank on the draft with rookies? Maybe draft another trifecta set like 2018, expect them to learn the speed of the NFL, the route tree’s, make sure they understand the offense and build some rapport with Rodgers all in newly condensed shortened camps? You have to bring in one guy (veteran) who knows what he’s doing to help, and i haven’t seen that effort. Gute’s 3rd year….Coming up on judgement day. I know, i know……but PF4L…..he signed the Smith Brothers….i hear ya.
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Can we trade the 2019 #12 pick for a #2 receiver, or won’t he yield anything on the trade market? Maybe a #4? How the F do we blow the #12 pick? I know, i know!!……sign 2 high priced edge rushers, then sign a player at 12 you’re going to convert from Def. End to OLB, even though you now already have what you need at OLB…….So GUTE scored a back up OLB getting 18% of the snaps from the #12 pick?…..GENIUS
At the end of the day i’m not so sure if that 13-3 record helped us, or hurt us in team growth.
TICK TOCK
I suppose i should think more positive and not be such a downer. After all, the Packers only paid out 10 million last season for Gary’s services. So that was another bargain contract to add to the fucking pile. Give him almost 70% of his total contract in his first season, sounds like a plan. Then if he’s a bust he’ll have enough to retire…..GENIUS
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Does (will) this team ever stop pissing on themselves? JFC!!
Anyone check lately? Is Thompson still on the payroll drawing millions for a 3rd straight year of doing….nothing?
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If it’s true, that Championships are built from the top, Rodgers is fucked. How long does this shit go on until i’m not the only one bitching about it.
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They needed a new President and a new GM from outside the team 2 years ago. This franchise is still BROKEN.
You can’t get rid of 70% of the disease and call it a full recovery.
You are not the only one bitching about it. I have been bitching about it right alongside you for years. Gute is TT’s (the frugal GM) protege IMO. Many of the classic fuck ups that we have seen since Gute has been GM are very similar to the ones that happened while TT (the frugal GM) was running this clusterfuck! The problem lies in the inability of the scouts (one of which Gute is / was) to assess player potential. They are good at picking rising NFL stars, but terrible at assessing NFL prospects. Gary has massive upside, but a penchant for having little drive. This is a classic example of an old habit of the Packer brain-trust taking chances on potential upside vs proven statistics on the collegiate level. They have done this with injured player potential as well . . . that has not worked out as well as they planed either. Who is to say that Gute did not have a lion’s share of the responsibilities while he was a subordinate to TT? Food for thought . . .
I digress, i know it sounded like it, but i’m not the only one who has bitched. You have bitched even louder than i have at times, but i just figured you had anger issues…..KIDDING!! :)…Cheese is also the man, knowing what the score is concerning this team. I would say the 3 of us have spoken the loudest and have had a pretty damn high rate of accuracy over the years concerning the state of this team. I always had the highest of respect to both of you on your Packer views.
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I think there is a lot of truth to your views on Gute, and how it relates to the old regime. Maybe i’m in the minority but i don’t think Gutes done a good job thus far. He’ll get a lot of credit for the Smith Brothers, but they were paid a kings ransom and that value has to be tested over time, not just one season.
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We disagree on Rashan Gary, but just a sliver. We’ve been sold by some scouts and some of the talking media heads on his massive upside, but he had massive upside going into college also, and that followed him into the Pro’s. My point is…if the massive upside never shows up, he never had it. Also, to be fair….there have been some scouts, and talking heads that have spoken up about Gary during the 2019 draft that weren’t very impressed with him at all. Personally…i never believed the “upside” description. If he isn’t even the best rusher on his own college team, who would think it gets any easier in the NFL for him.
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We will see if they are good at picking rising stars, time has to make that call. I think Jaire has a better shot than Savage but we’ll see how it plays out. I think Jenkins has a real shot, especially if he can bring his penalties down.
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Back to your point….by all accounts of his own words, Gute thinks the world of Big Ted. It’s quite possible that Gute uses the same principles of Ted in strategy and evaluating talent, especially considering he worked under him for so long. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ted had a hand in Gute being the GM after him.
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I sound like a broken record, but i would have felt better hiring outside the team. Going into the 3rd year with Gute, this is an important year for him, for the team. I think he needed to hit better in the drafts especially 2018. Make wiser decisions on a tight end, etc.
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Take good care of you and your family in these crazy times.
Good points as usual PF4L.
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I just read this on the NFL.com site regarding the latest power rankings. The author of the rankings blasted Gute for missing out on a stud receiver. Here is an excerpt from his breakdown;
“Packers fans had to wince when they saw superstar wide-out DeAndre Hopkins get moved to the Cardinals for less than a first-round pick. There had long been rumblings about Hopkins and Bill O’Brien being in a not-so-great place prior to the trade. Did Packers GM Brian Gutekunst ever pick up the phone? Consider this yet another example of why we need a GM App that connects all these guys. Just imagine Hopkins and Davante Adams running routes for Aaron Rodgers! It ain’t happening, and it looks like the necessary upgrades at the skill positions will have to wait for the draft.”
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This pretty much sums up our concerns, while at the same time quantifies “Gute’s” questionable moves. Or in this case LACK of good moves . . .
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Thanks for caring and saying what you did! Take care of yourself and your family as well. Sad and crazy times.
Considering were usually on the back side of the first round, i’m not sure giving up a first rounder would have been a bad deal.
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Now….We would have to pay out about 25 million on 2 receivers yearly, with cap hits of about 30 million each year.
Which probably makes it prohibitive, but man!! What a duo they would be. Find a competent tight end and you may have an offense comparable to 2011, if not better. The run game would benefit greatly because they aren’t stacking the box with those two on the field plus a tight end.
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That move would have taken big balls. Balls like Ted used to have when he sent Favre packing. That would be my idea of going ALL IN.
Gutenkrust, please announce you’ve signed Robby Anderson, Snacks Harrison and Clay Matthews and have made a trade for OBJ. (Schwarzenegger voice) Do it! Do it now! Come on! lol.
Yeah okay. Bring him back for the retirement tour as a situational MLB on one condition. Give the man his old number back so I can actually see #52 on the field doing,…..something.
I’d like to thank Jimmy Graham for finally contributing by financially crippling the Bears. Holy hell – anyone been paying attention to their offseason? Foles! For 15.1 million a year! Long live the McCaskey’s!