Who will NOT be back for next season?

Hayward, Perry, possibly Neal to name a few 

Doubt Clueless will be back either

Before looking at who won't be back it's worth taking the time to look at who will be back.

This list takes all players currently on the 53, adds all the players on IR, adds Ringo and Rotheram from the practice squad, and then subtracts out all the unrestricted free agents (still includes restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents).  This list was put together from the Packers website and overthecap.com.  Please let me know of any errors.

QB - Aaron Rodgers, Brett Hundley

RB - Eddie Lacy, John Crockett

FB - Aaron Ripkowski

WR - Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Ty Montgomery, Jared Abbrederis, Jeff Janis

TE - Richard Rodgers, Justin Perillo, Kennard Backman

OT - Bryan Bulaga, David Bakhtiari

OG - Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, Lane Taylor, Josh Walker, Matt Rotheram

C - Corey Linsley, J.C. Tretter

DE - Mike Daniels, Datone Jones, Josh Boyd, Christian Ringo

DT - Mike Pennel

OLB - Julius Peppers, Jayrone Elliott, Andy Mulumba

ILB - Clay Matthews, Sam Barrington, Jake Ryan, Joe Thomas, Nate Palmer

CB - Sam Shields, Damarious Randall, Quentin Rollins, Demetri Goodson, LaDarius Gunter, Robertson Daniel

S - Morgan Burnett, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Micah Hyde, Chris Banjo

K - None

P - Tim Masthay

LS - Rick Lovato

Hayward ala Davon House will get largely overpaid. He'll be gone.

Peppers unless a hometown discount takes place also gone.

Barclay is done IMO.

We need a new punter, bye ginger.

Neal or Perry. One will stay. One is gone.

Raji I believe will re-sign.

I thought Trettor might go but damn, he's a really versatile OL. Great at center and more than serviceable at LT.

Quarless also gone.

It wouldn't shock me if Kuhn actually sticks around

I think Scotty T. holds the clipboard again next year.  

QB - I'd like to see Scott Tolzien back.  The Packers should have learned their lesson with only carrying two QBs and Tolzien, having spent nearly two years in the system, is probably as good as any external candidate.  Brett Hundley gets a fair shot to win the #2 spot next year and I don't think there is any need to sink a draft pick in the position with Hundley already here.

RB - Obviously a huge need area after the year Eddie Lacy had.  It's easy to let James Starks walk considering his age and the fumbling problems he had late in the year.  John Crockett may be a keeper but it's hard to count on him for anything at this point.

FB - If Aaron Ripkowski showed enough this season then it's time to let John Kuhn go.  Bascially it's a waste of a roster spot for the Packers to carry two fullbacks since they don't even fully utilize one in their offense.  I have no problem carrying two fullbacks if the second one is a special teams ace but the Packers always seem to wind up with four tight ends, one of those extra tight ends being a similar special teams player.

WR - Looks great on paper but five of the six battled injury problems in 2015.

TE - The Packers have numbers here but need a big upgrade.  Injury problems finally make it an easy decision to let the perennial tease Andrew Quarless go.

OL - Looks great on paper if they stay healthy.  Also looks great until one discovers that four of the top six (David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, J.C. Tretter) are all unrestricted free agents after the 2016 season.  Ted probably needs to draft two, replace Lane Taylor and Josh Walker, so that there are quality reinforcements ready for 2017.

DL - Letting both B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion go makes a ton of sense until you see what the Packers are left with after those departures.  Quite frankly, what's left is a terrible group.

LB - If the Packers let Julius Peppers go then the OLB group is terrible, and then if they move Clay Matthews back outside then the OLB group is still pretty mediocre and the ILB group is terrible.  Even when looking at this, I'm not sure if it's worth bringing Mike Neal and/or Nick Perry back...although I have a feeling that Ted will probably resign one of them just to have numbers.

CB - Looks great on paper and a group that should perform really well.  That being said, if the price is right, I'd like to see Casey Heyward back to really solidify the position.

S - Again, this looks like a pretty solid group.

K - Obviously at this moment resigning Mason Crosby should be Ted's #1 priority.

P - If I'm not mistaken Tim Masthay set a record for most average net yards this past season.  Pretty incredible as I've never been impressed with the guy.

LS - Rick Lovato seemed to do a pretty good job when Brett Goode was injured.

Starks is a tough call. I'd like to see him resigned; he's a solid contributor and hasn't been overworked with carries, still has that burst.

Kuhn is awesome and he was very awesome this season. Hopefully he's got another season left in him but I'd feel comfortable rolling with Rip.

I think Barclay is definitely gone. I like Tretter as the swing-OT/jack-of-all-trades on the OL but I'd fully expect Ted to add a high draft pick OL.

I think Guion is gone, I don't think Ted took to kindly to him being an idiot and getting suspended. He's a fine player but he has to be more reliable. I think Raji stays.

I think Peppers is gone but I think they'll keep one or both of Neal and Perry, both of those guys played pretty well this year; they at least deserve short-term contracts. Hoping they focus on upgrading the ILB position in the draft so they can move Clay back outside, might be wishful thinking.

Agreed with packerboi on Heyward, like him a lot but he'll get a lot more money somewhere else. Extremely talented secondary in GB, good foundation for a championship caliber defense.

I'd make Kuhn a RB coach.  If put on waivers I doubt anyone else will claim him.  Keep him around and if injuries become a problem, as they usually do, he could be activated. 

Keep Tolzein. Cheap insurance.   I'd keep Starks too if he signs a near minimum contract. Not sure how much interest he'd draw from other teams.  He did show more speed than Eddie did this season. 

I like Kuhn as much as the next guy but how do we know he would be a good coach?  How do we know if he even wants to be a coach?

The suggestion of taking a player thats beyond his prime that the fans don't wanna see go and turning him into a coach never gets old

I don't know if he wants to be a coach.  But everyone says he's a great lockerroom guy, he plays smart.  Those are the kind of guys who make great coaches, ala Edgar Bennett.  If I was TT and MM i'd sure be talking to him about it. 

The Packers do not have money problems , so they will not have cuts for cap reasons.  They will bring Peppers back.  I have seen reports they want Raji Back. I bet they will resign either Neal or Perry but not both.

Biggest needs TE and D-line. Knowing Ted the Packers  first 3 picks will all be receivers.

Neal, Raji and Guion bak.

Peppers, Perry, Heyward, Barclay and probably Kuhn, gone.

Extensions for Tretter, Lang and Bakhtiari.

Nexst year is probably Sitton's last in Green Bay. Hyde's also. 

Tolzien back one more year. 

As someone else said, next year is the last year that 4/5ths of the OL is under contract (the only guy signed beyond that is Bulaga). That might be the proverbial "closing of the window" if they have to rebuild that line. 

El-Ka-Bong posted:

I think Scotty T. holds the clipboard again next year.  

That roster spot is too valuable.  It would allow us to carry 6 WR instead of the traditional 5.   

If you had to pick between letting Scotty, Abby or Janis walk, who would you send packing?

Kuhn

Fair point.

maybe tt surprises the &*^%&$ out of everyone and sign a bigtime fa DL or LB

I think gonners are:

Adams... alas, too little too late

Guion...checkered past rushed

Quarless... down out and done

Jones...pattern posted and thanks for the memories

Goode...goode job, but so long

Hayward...hay there, just not here

Barclay...bar the door

Kuhn...kudos to Kuhn

On the fence:

Lacy...lose the pounds or lose a paycheck

Raji...raise it up a notch

Peppers...probably takes a pay cut

Starks...start holding on better to the ball or else

Masthay...make your best punts when it counts

Misc:

Sitton...had too many critical penalties this season

Cobb...compromise on salary reduction?

Crack Kills. 

Adams, Cobb, Lacy, and Sitton are all under contract and, unless they're caught raping chinchillas on YouTube, they'll be in Green Bay. they'll let Sitton finish out his contract. 

Hayward will not be back. NFL teams in general desperately need corners, Packers are stock at the position. I suspect Hayward will get a big contract from somebody, the Packers  might even get a 3rd rounder out of the deal.

Sitton?

Bahahahahajaj 

The linebacker group needs to be completely rebuilt. Particularly inside linebacker. If Clay Matthews is playing inside in 2016, that will be a serious black mark on Ted Thompson's record. He needs to be moved back outside. Linebackers are the engine that makes a 3-4 defense run, but if not for the horrible players the Packers have at TE, LB would be the team's worst position group.

Mike Neal can disappear for all I care (it's ridiculous that the situation at ILB forced the Packers to start Mike Neal at OLB for 17 games), and while Nick Perry looked good down the stretch, I'd only want to see him come back if he's cheap (he's only a rotation/backup player, after all). Peppers should only be cut if the cap savings will be substantial; if cutting him is only going to save $2 million or something like that, he's still good enough to justify keeping.

This defense could be special if they get a legitimate, 3 down, run stopping ILB and one more quality edge pass rusher. Raji and Guion should both be resigned to modest contracts to keep together what is a decent DL. The fact that teams were able to run the ball on the Packers had much more to do with the lack of talent at linebacker. The secondary looks like one of the league's better units. Linebacker is the big problem holding this defense back from being elite.

D-line / OLBers - I think at least Raji  or Guion, hopefully both are back. Neal will be gone, but Perry back. Peppers - back.

I agree with others that Hayward will likely secure a big paycheck elsewhere. Seems likely that it will be either Starks or Lacy back,but not both. 

That leaves the positions most likely to be drafted in first 3 rounds as; LBer (inside higher priority than outside), OT, TE, DL. 

"I think gonners are:

Adams... "

Never fails to crack me up.

Who is the "UFA and RFA for 2016" expert around here?  Anyone know what will be out there at TE and ILB?

DH13 posted:

"I think gonners are:

Adams... "

Never fails to crack me up.

 

Who is the "UFA and RFA for 2016" expert around here?  Anyone know what will be out there at TE and ILB?

 

Won't be an issue. His off-season injury report will be fatal.

Thompson pays for production and Peppers produced. Whether he's a part time player or not, the numbers were there. He didn't seem to slow down either. 

Mike Neal is a guy I'd like to see them keep. I can't imagine his price tag will be crazy high because the numbers aren't there, but he's a really good role player. I'd love to see Perry return, but I think he priced himself out of GB with his postseason play. I don't think his price tag will be crazy high, but another team that lacks a pass rusher will pay more than GB will want to. I'm guessing they add an OLB in Round 1 in this draft to replace Peppers in 2017.

Raji and Guion will be interesting. I anticipate Raji will be back, I don't think he showed enough to earn big money elsewhere. He showed enough though, like Mike Neal, to prove he can be a really good role player opposite Daniels. Guion will get good money elsewhere I would think unless he's willing to give a discount to GB. I'd love to see him back in GB, but with Daniels making a hefty salary I can't see it. I'm guessing we see another Daniels type draft pick in the mid rounds (high energy/motor, underrated fire plug). 

If Kuhn agrees to a team friendly deal he will be back. He may not make it through TC, but he will be back IMO. 

Cant see role players like Barclay return especially with Tretters proven flexibility. 

James Jones can become the new Wide Receiver/Equipment Manager

I'm guessing we see another Daniels type draft pick in the mid rounds (high energy/motor, underrated fire plug).

Drafted last season and carried on the PS: Christian Ringo.

Adams isn't going anywhere. I'm not convinced his ankle ever healed fully. His rookie season, he ran his routes well, and his cuts were crisp. He didn't have the same explosiveness this year, and when a receiver's legs aren't right, their entire game can go south. I think Davante was well enough to play, but not near his peak. It seemed to me he was pressing, and it all snowballed from there. Aaron Rodgers has confidence in him for a reason, and that's good enough for me.

I'm not so much concerned with Julius Peppers' production so much as I am his decision making in critical moments. With our playoff lives on the line, he's made some bad decisions the last two years. I'd like to think that coaching could change his thinking there, but how much is a player that has been in the league this long going to change his stripes? I'm certainly not placing the blame only on Peppers, as there were so many missed tackles I thought I was watching a bunch of Darren Sharpers running around. But he's a future Hall of Famer. He's supposed to know what to do. It's not like Carson Palmer was going to pull it down and Kaepernick his way forty yards downfield.

I think James Jones is gone. Kuhn, too, even though I really like, and greatly respect both men. The NFL doesn't allow for sentimentality.

Tim Masthay is gone. I'm tired of his 30 yard shanks. Guion is gone, Hayward, too, because he's going to get paid more than we can afford to give him. It may be easy to think James Starks is expendable, but let's not forget that he and Lacy compliment each other quite well. They combined for over 1,900 yards of offense and 10 scores, while playing behind a banged up line, and with a passing game that was not close to it's normal level of production. If Starks can be kept cheap for one year, draft another complimentary back to go with Lacy, and let him watch and learn. Lacy, Starks, Ripkowski, Crockett and the new guy.

I'm hoping we keep Nick Perry. I guess my opinion of his is higher than most here, and I'm good with that. He can get around that corner fast. I love his pass rushing abilities, and he got 3.5 sacks in the two playoff games. What I desperately want the Packers to do is to put Matthews back at outside linebacker full time, keep Perry as an edge rusher, and draft another ILB to compliment Jake Ryan. Clay's going to be 30 next season. The guy's in phenomenal shape, and if he can avoid any more hammy issues (fingers crossed), he can still rush the passer with the best of him. If anything, playing inside the last year plus is going to make him that much better at hunting down running backs trying to speed around the corner. I still think Clay is a top five linebacker in the NFL. His versatility, his speed, and his instincts are just too good. 

Richard Rodgers will be back, and I like the guy, but his lack of athleticism disturbs me. He's the king of the three yard catch and fall down, and seeing him try to leap over the pylon was maddening. I'm more coordinated than him, and that's pretty bad. Part of me wants to address the needs (D-line, inside LB, O line and RB). Part of me wants to go get a beast at tight end. While it's true the Seahawks offense actually played better without Jimmy Graham, I don't see that being the case going forward. Russell Wilson has his Graham. Brady has Gronk. Cam Newton has Olsen. What I wouldn't give for Aaron Rodgers to have an absolute mauler tight end, a security blanket that can knock defenders over and take it 40 yards. But are there any in this draft?

I'm spit-balling here, I know, but I am so excited for next season. I don't think I'm being a homer when I say we are really close. That late game lapse aside, the defense has been pretty good this year. If we have that same level of defensive play next year, and our offense even resembles what it did in 2014, we win this division going away, and get a first round bye. 

Who might not be back next year? Tim Masthay. His playoff punts, especially in the dome in AZ, we inconsistent at best. He's the weak link on STs right now.

I think they draft Rollins think Hayward was probably going to be leaving. 

I think Perry's future in part hinges on what we do with CM. Well chronicled how Perry is much more effective rushing the passer from the right side than he is from the left & if CM is moved back there Perry has lost his most effective position and this becomes less valuable to us. I for one like the defense "as is" with CM on the inside. 6th in points given up, why change?

I don't get this talk demanding Matthews move back to OLB. IMO he's a hell of a lot more effective when they are moving him all over the formation. His pass rushing at OLB last season before the move inside was "close but not quite" most games. He's just more disruptive generally starting out in the middle then moving around.

Having said that we still need to look at both ILB and OLB (the latter highly reliant on FA decisions) in the draft.

Yup....He's the "Joker" in Dom's defense.

Really thought we had a Super Bowl appearance in our future for 2014 and/or 2015. Not meant to be.

2016 is going to be very interesting. I hope we're in the mix again.

I think that Matthews will remain in the middle until they have a sure fire replacement. Ryan is still in development and almost anyone drafted will not be able to step in and play that position at near the same level as Clay.

Boris, considering how this team has been bitten the past 3 years, you figure the correction is coming.

Might be 1 step back to get 2 steps forward

Clay is a football player, put him anywhere he is needed for said situation, inside or outside, keep them guessing

amen Boris...  That's how it feels to me too.  Lots of lessons and learning to be had from 2015.