Following the trade of All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams this offseason, the Green Bay Packers had a massive hole to fill in their offense. With Marquez Valdes-Scantling also gone, Green Bay’s only addition to the receiver room with NFL experience has been the often-injured Sammy Watkins.
Of course, analyzing the Packers offseason moves objectively, I have continued to say on Twitter and Lombardi Sweep that the Green Bay Packers are not a Super Bowl team this season. In fact, Green Bay has continued to take steps backward, as their “two to three years” down the line approach either leads to treading water, at best, or submerging. This has led to pushback and insults from the “owners” of the team regarding my analysis, which is fine I suppose.
However, after taking the field with the rookies for the first time, Aaron Rodgers is also telling Packers fans to temper expectations for this season. Will Packers fans listen and adjust expectations accordingly, or feel let down after winning the division is the only accomplishment of the season?
Aaron Rodgers Says to Temper Expectations on Packers WRs
We saw Aaron Rodgers arrive in Green Bay and take the field for Packers minicamp today. To nobody’s surprise, he looked sharp. Rodgers wasted no time connecting with Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb. He even had a nice throw-and-catch to rookie Christian Watson down the sideline. By all accounts, the passing game, when Rodgers was throwing the ball, looked decent today.
Speaking with media following practice, Aaron Rodgers had his headline-worthy quote: “I like production over potential. There’s some production and a lot of potential. So, we need to temper expectations and heighten accountability.”
It’s not a surprise that Aaron Rodgers is highly critical of the inexperienced players on the team, which is a big reason why he didn’t show up until now. Obviously, the inexperienced players are further along than a couple of weeks ago, but it’s clear they are not where Rodgers needs them to be.
What Are the Packers 2022 Expectations?
Obviously, these expectations vary depending on who you ask. These Packers expectations from me are what everyone should adjust to, because it’s illogical to believe this is a Super Bowl-winning team this year. If Green Bay makes it out of Wild Card Weekend, it should be considered a massive success and, while it won’t happen, Rodgers will likely be in a position to win yet another NFL MVP.
Many like to hype the 2022 Packers defense. It makes sense since there is so much draft capital invested in that side of the ball. The reality is that the defense is incredibly thin already, injuries obviously make it worse, and the active game-day roster construction will be an absolutely nightmare for the special teams. No matter who the coach is, the Packers continue to devalue the importance of special teams in their game-day roster formation, which has been the main issue for so many years.
Now, with a tough schedule to begin the season and plenty of growing pains to fight through offensively, the Packers better hope they can at least stay healthy. But with a Week 14 bye, a tough road stretch and injury concerns with the only experienced wide receivers, how can anybody truly believe the Green Bay Packers will bring the Lombardi Trophy home this season?
