Packers say they can't use their
youth as an excuse anymore as they aim for longer postseason run
[July 25, 2025]
By STEVE MEGARGEE
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Over the last couple of seasons, the Green
Bay Packers have produced the two youngest playoff teams of the past
four-and-a-half decades.
They believe they’re now experienced enough to take the next step as
they chase the franchise’s first Super Bowl berth since the 2010
championship season.
“We’re not a young team no more,” three-time Pro Bowl defensive
lineman Kenny Clark said Thursday after the Packers’ second training
camp workout. “We can’t use that excuse. We’ve got to get after it.”
Clark’s point is debatable, because Green Bay still has plenty of
youth. The only Packers in their 30s are 33-year-old kicker Brandon
McManus and 30-year-old long snapper Matt Orzech, though Clark and
offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins will both reach that milestone this
season.
But it’s a more tested group than the Packers had the last couple of
years.
The Packers went 11-7 and lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion
Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC wild-card round last season with a
roster that had a weighted age of 25.72 according to Elias Sports
Bureau, making it the second-youngest team to reach the postseason
in the last 45 years. The only younger team to do it was the 2023
Packers squad that went 10-9 and reached the NFC divisional round
with a weighted age of 25.58.
Weighted age is a statistic Elias uses that takes into consideration
how much playing time each player receives.
When the Packers’ playoff run last season ended one round earlier
than it had the previous year, general manager Brian Gutekunst
discussed the need to “ramp up our sense of urgency,” a remark that
garnered plenty of attention.
There’s a clear sense that the Packers are in the midst of a
championship-contending window and need to capitalize.
“I know you guys made a lot about that comment, and really what that
was about was I think, we had a lot of young players that have
played a lot of football and they’re very experienced,” Gutekunst
said. “But us old guys that have been in this league for a long time
understand the opportunities that you have in this league … you
don’t have a lot of them. So the understanding of that, I think,
takes a little time, and there’s where I think the urgency for me
is.
“You’ve got to understand what’s in front of us. We’ve got a really
good football team, the capability of being there, and you’ve got to
take advantage of that.”
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Green Bay Packers' quarterback Jordan Love throws a pass during
practice at the team’s NFL football training camp, Wednesday, July
23, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
The Packers have reason to feel good about their
chances as they enter their seventh season under Matt LaFleur, whose
67-33 record gives him a winning percentage that ranks him behind
only Philadelphia’s Nick Sirianni and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Jim
Harbaugh among active coaches with at least 50 games.
Quarterback Jordan Love is a third-year starter entering his prime
at 26. Josh Jacobs is coming off a Pro Bowl season in which he
rushed for 1,329 yards. The Packers return six players who caught at
least 29 passes, though Christian Watson figures to miss much of the
season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in the 2023
regular-season finale.
On defense, the Packers return their six leading tacklers from last
season as well as Rashan Gary, who had a team-high 7½ sacks, as they
enter their second year under coordinator Jeff Hafley.
The key is playing better within the division.
Green Bay’s 1-5 record against NFC North opponents last year gave
them their worst divisional record since 2005, when they also were
1-5 in those games. The Packers had gone 22-8 in NFC North games
under LaFleur before last season.
“I feel like if we uphold the standard and play to how we know we
should play, I feel like we’ve got a Super Bowl team,” offensive
tackle Rasheed Walker said. “I know we’ve got a playoff team, but I
feel like we’ve got the potential to go all the way to the Super
Bowl.”
NOTES: LaFleur said former Denver Broncos head coach and New York
Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will “be in and out
throughout the course of the year” filling an analyst role for Green
Bay’s defense. Hackett was an offensive coordinator on LaFleur’s
Packers staff from 2019-21. … LB Quay Walker was taken off the
physically unable to perform list, though he is only limited to
walk-through participation in Thursday’s practice as he recovers
from an ankle injury. … The Packers unveiled new alternate uniforms
based on what they wore in 1923, their first year as a publicly
owned franchise. The Packers haven’t indicated in which game they’ll
wear the alternate uniforms this season.
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