No one knows what to expect from the Green Bay Packers in the first year without four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. Jordan Love is the clear locker room leader as he takes over at quarterback, but there’s no guarantee the 24-year-old former first-round pick will flourish in his first real opportunity under center.
After just missing the playoffs in 2022, can anyone be too sure of the Packers’ chances of taking a big step forward in 2023 with how the roster is currently constructed? While there are reasons for optimism on both sides of the ball, we’d be foolish to believe there aren’t still question marks when looking at the Packers’ depth chart.
In an effort to help Love experience success in his first full season as a starter, here are three ideal free agent targets who could still improve the Packers’ roster before training camp begins.
Related: Top 25 remaining NFL free agents and ideal landing spots
Green Bay Packers sign Carson Wentz
Jordan Love will receive every opportunity possible to become the long-term starter in Green Bay. The team certainly believes in Love, agreeing to a new contract that makes him the likely QB1 in 2024 before he’s made more than one career start in the NFL. But the Packers also understand the value of having multiple QBs who are capable of playing at a high level.
Wentz won’t be signing anywhere that gives him a chance to enter the year as a starter anymore. Without proving he can consistently be accurate, Wentz will have to settle for a backup role. But Green Bay could be nice home for Wentz, who grew up in North Dakota (albeit as a Minnesota Vikings fan).
Related: Carson Wentz receiving NFL interest, ‘open’ to various roles in 2023
The Packers drafted Sean Clifford in the fifth round, but the rookie may not be ready for action right away. Should Love get hurt, the Packers don’t want to be forced to turn to a first-year pro or Danny Etling, who has never thrown an NFL pass. Instead, being able to buy low on a player like Carson Wentz, the No. 2 overall pick in 2016, would be a much safer floor for coach Matt LaFleur’s offense.
Related: Predicting NFL playoff bracket and Super Bowl 2024 winner
Adrian Amos
Adrian Amos has been the Packers’ starting strong safety for the past four seasons. But after entering free agency this spring, he’s yet to attract much attention on the open market. It’s true that Amos really struggled in coverage with the Packers in 2022, allowing a passer rating of 123.8, but his career resume suggests that’s not who Amos is. Being that he’s still just 30, it’s hard to imagine his skills have quickly diminished.
The Packers know what Amos is capable of as a playmaking safety who can also help in run defense, and the current defensive backfield doesn’t excite anyone. Adding Amos back on another one-year deal offers a chance to bring in another player with a massive chip on their shoulders as he looks to prove last year was an aberration.
Jarvis Landry
A five-time Pro Bowl receiver who’s still just 30 years old, Jarvis Landry could help a lot of teams in 2023. But after appearing in just nine games with the New Orleans Saints and their messy QB situation last season, Landry’s stock is at an all-time low.
He recorded a career-worst 272 receiving yards on just 25 receptions, scoring one touchdown. But this is a player who has three 1,000-yard seasons under his belt as a possession-based receiver. He didn’t forget how to run routes, catch passes, or block in the running game.
Landry’s just two years removed from an 800-yard season, and let’s be honest, he hasn’t exactly gotten to play with the Patrick Mahomes’ of the world, catching passes from Andy Dalton, Baker Mayfield, Jay Cutler, and Ryan Tannehill in his career. We’re not going to say Love will be any better, but maybe Landry’s recent dropoff isn’t all on him.
Related: NFL QB Rankings: See where Jordan Love ranks among his peers