The Green Bay Packers gave Jaire Alexander a solid 4-year, $ 84 million extension. He is another piece who is locked for the future and shows how general manager Brian Gutekunst operates. Although many people might think the Packers are in win-now mode, Gutekunst has pretty much built the roster in a sustainable way, and while there are some financial gymnastics to make this year's team stronger, the Packers have collected several players to build a young core and keep them long-term.

The cornerback position is obviously the most notable one in this regard. Jaire Alexander is now under contract through 2026, and the Packers also have the other two starters signed up: Erik Stockes through 2024 (and team option for 2025) and Rasul Douglas through 2024. The defensive front has Kenny Clark as a primary force, and his contract runs until 2024. In the last two years, they've also added TJ Slaton and Devonte Wyatt for the interior. The edge position is a little trickier because of Rashan Gary, but he still has two years left in his contract and should be the next in line alongside Elgton Jenkins to receive an extension. Moreover, Preston Smith extended his deal and now is tied with the Packers until 2026. And they drafted Kingsley Enagbare.

Regarding the linebackers, De'Vondre Campbell re-signed through 2026, and that's exactly when Quay Walker's fifth-year option will be if things go well. The most pressing situation defensively is the safety position, because Adrian Amos has only one year left in his deal and the parties decided to just restructure his deal, adding void years to lower this year's hit. At least the Packers picked up Darnell Savage's fifth-year option for 2023, but the depth is thin.

In general, the defense is loaded with talent, as the roster has seven former first-rounders, and the majority of them will be part of the Packers' future.

Offense has more question marks

With so much investment in the defense, it's natural that the offense would suffer a little bit. But even so, Brian Gutekunst has important pieces to keep the talent-level high. First and most important is that Aaron Rodgers is now under contract until 2026. Even if he doesn't play that long, the Packers have some stability, especially for the next two years - first, because it's probable that Rodgers will play at least two seasons, and second because Jordan Love is still under contract.

The running back position is secure with AJ Dillon for two more years. Aaron Jones' situation is not that clear. Although he is under contract until 2024, the contract was backloaded, so the last two years are heavy: $ 20 million cap hit in 2023, $ 16 million cap hit in 2023. If Jones doesn't justify these numbers as a primary passing option, he might be cut after this season. Kylin Hill has three years left in his deal and can be the immediate replacement.

The wide receiver position is the most questionable of the entire roster. Before the draft, Amari Rodgers was the only one under contract beyond 2022, because Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins and the other young guys will be free agents in 2023. But now, they have Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure locked up through 2025, and undrafted Danny Davis through 2024. The way the position is managed for the future depends on how the young guys will develop, but there aren't sure things.

The tight end position is similar to the safety situation. Josiah Deguara is the only player under contract beyond 2022, and players like Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, and Tyler Davis are in contract year. As happened with the safeties, there was no investment in the position this offseason.

The biggest investment Gutekunst has done is on the offensive line. Elgton Jenkins is in contract year, and it's fair to wait for his return from injury to see how he is and where he plays. If the Packers long-term plan is to keep him at guard, it might get hard to re-sign him, because Jenkins will want tackle money (and fairly so). But other than that, several players have long-term deals. David Bakhtiari (2024), Josh Myers (2024), Royce Newman (2024) and Jon Runyan (2023), plus the three linemen drafted this year - Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom, and Rasheed Walker, who have deals in place until 2025.
It's clear, as always, that the quarterback situation will dictate how strong this team will be moving forward. But Gutekunst and his staff have built a solid foundation for the future, even when the pressure is high to be as competitive as possible now.