Right around the time Aaron Rodgers ended an offseason of uncertainty and arrived at Packers headquarters for training camp in July 2021—donning his favorite The Office T-shirt—and certainly after he signed a four-year contract extension after the season, it seemed the NFC North would belong to the Packers for the foreseeable future. The loss of All-Pro receiver Davante Adams to the Raiders, great as he is, does nothing to change that.
Rodgers on his own is enough to make Green Bay the heavyweight of the division. He has won consecutive MVPs while mastering coach Matt LaFleur’s scheme. And during Rodgers’s three seasons under LaFleur, the Packers played seven games without Adams and won them all, averaging 31.6 points. Their system makes it easier to break in new receivers, which they will have to do with Marquez Valdes-Scantling also gone (he signed with the Chiefs). The returning pass catchers include receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb and tight end Robert Tonyan (due back from an ACL tear). Still, Green Bay will need its new wideouts, veteran Sammy Watkins and rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, to get up to speed quickly.
But it helps that the offense is paired with a strong defense. The unit thrived despite injuries in the secondary last year, including a shoulder strain that limited star cornerback Jaire Alexander to four games. With the continued emergence of edge rusher Rashan Gary and late-blooming linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, the Packers could have the best defense in football this year.
