"They fought the Trojan War" - NFL analyst argues the Green Bay Packers are struggling to keep hold of their stars
The Green Bay Packers have had quite the off-season. So far, the team has lost two star players in wide receiver Davante Adams and edge rusher Za'Darius Smith. They signed quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a record-breaking contract, but even he was almost on his way out of Green Bay.
Blockbuster: Packers are trading Pro-Bowl WR Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders for two prime 2022 picks, league sources tell ESPN.
Former NFL defensive end Chris Long went on Get Up and talked about how Green Bay is struggling to keep hold of their stars.
Long said:
"They'll be okay. I mean, they're 7-0 without Davante Adams and score over 30 points a game, and those games, I mean, a lot of people would like to have that often. It feels like they fought the Trojan War and got Randall Cobb out of it. I don't know if that makes him like Helen of Troy or so. Like, legitimately, that's what you have to show for, and it's kind of in a self-fulfilling prophecy. I think it'll hurt them in the run game a little bit without Davante Adams because what they did is they got the ball on the perimeter."
Long added that they'll miss Adams' presence and that back-shoulder connection. He also added that it was a big deal that coach Luke Getsy signed with the Chicago Bears.
Long stated:
"You know, like in the new NFL, a lot of ways to get your run game going to get the ball to your playmaker. You're not going to have that artistic kind of back shoulder throw connection that they had, but they can work around it. They will. They've done it before. I just don't think they have that top end security without him. Another thing is you lose Luke Getsy to Chicago. Yeah, he's a big deal there. And then the coordinators ... just Lazar has not signed there. There's a bunch of loose ends ... they haven't done. "
The Green Bay Packers lost star wide receiver Davante Adams and edge rusher Za'Darius Smith this off-season
Long certainly isn't wrong. This off-season, the Packers have lost star wide receiver Davante Adams in a trade that sent him to the Las Vegas Raiders. Green Bay was forced to release star edge rusher Za'Darius Smith to clear cap space to get under the cap.
Packers are releasing LB Za’Darius Smith, per source.
Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency. The Packers also lost Billy Turner, Chandon Sullivan, Lucas Patrick, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Oren Burks.
When Rodgers officially retires, it may be even harder for them to retain key players as they will likely be in rebuild mode shortly after.