Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst answered questions for about 15 minutes on Tuesday morning at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Here are some highlights from the press conference:
– Gutekunst was happy to get a new deal done with veteran kicker Mason Crosby. “It was something we wanted to do. It was pretty smooth. Talks went good,” Gutekunst said. “Really happy to have him back.”
– On Za’Darius Smith’s belief that the Packers weren’t ready to play in the NFC title game: “I understand where he’s coming from, but I wouldn’t read too much into that.”
– Gutekunst confirmed the Packers will “carry on” with many of the player thresholds set by Ted Thompson and Ron Wolf.
– Why is Gutekunst so excited about Aaron Rodgers in his second season in the new offense? He’s confident everything will “become more instinctual,” both for Rodgers and the rest of the offense. He referenced Matt Ryan’s big second-year jump with Kyle Shanahan and Matt LaFleur in Atlanta in 2016.
– Gutekunst mentioned more joint practices as a way to get reps and evaluation opportunities for young players if the new CBA takes away a preseason game.
– Gutekunst called the inside linebacker position an “evolving room” at the moment. He believes Oren Burks has “all the talent” necessary to make an impact, but only if he stays healthy. “I feel really good about Oren,” Gutekunst said. He also mentioned the development of rookies Ty Summers and Curtis Bolton but admitted the position is “in flux.”
– Gutekunst said Blake Martinez’s future with the Packers is “uncertain.” The linebacker is an unrestricted free agent.
– Gutekunst said he was “impressed” with the draft class at wide receiver overall. “It’s a deep group, it’s heavy at the top.” He expressed confidence in some of the receivers in Indianapolis having the ability to make an “immediate impact” as rookies in 2020. “Excited about that,” Gutekunst said.
– Gutekunst said he uses the combine and all the testing to verify what he sees on tape. “You hope it verifies it.” If it doesn’t, it’s back to the tape to figure it out. “We’re going to go back to the tape and see how they play the game because that’s most important.”
