GREEN BAY, Wis. — Emotions ran high as Green Bay Packers players were cleaning out their lockers on Monday morning. But even as disappointment loomed over their heads, the players and staff said they are hopeful for the future at Lambeau.
After the 24-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night, the Packers players came to Lambeau Field on Monday to clean out their lockers. Although the season ended in disappointment, the team is hopeful for the future.
“Just to see the growth and development of these guys throughout the course of the season has been it’s been pretty cool to watch. And certainly it’s, I think, it’s a pretty good nucleus moving forward,” Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. “But we got to continue to push them and they got to continue to work.”
After trading four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets in the offseason, many expected the 2023-24 season to be full of learning curves and growing pains. Despite their odds, the NFL’s youngest team made it all the way to the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
“I thought the team we were at the beginning of the year was certainly not the team we were at the end of the year. Definitely disappointed how it ended,” LaFleur said. “Especially, I thought for the majority of the game, I thought we outplayed them.”
Now the team looks toward the offseason and hopes to build on the foundation for next year.
“You know for the team and everybody else to get better, you got to start here, you know? That’s what I’m going to do this offseason,” Packers linebacker Rashan Gary said. “Watch film; get better. When I get back, get better at what I need to get better at and be the leader for the team I need to be.”
Gary was not the only one with a hopeful outlook for next season. Wide receiver Christian Watson also said he likes where the team is heading in the 2024-25 season.
“Appreciate where we were and where we are now. You know, I think we have a lot to be thankful for, for sure,” Watson said. “So I think that the energy and the vibe going into the offseason is definitely there.”
Team workouts can begin on April 15 and the message from the team was clear: If you are not getting better in the offseason, then you are getting worse.
“Another thing, a word that we use a lot in there was 'intentional,'” Packers center Josh Myers said. “I think it has to be extremely intentional work picking out flaws in your own game and fixing those flaws and then just making ourselves healthy, strong, fast and ready to go for next season.”
Toward the end of his press conference, LaFleur said he is not ready to decide on his coaching staff, but he has not ruled out any options that could make the team better, including whether he’ll continue calling offensive plays.
The players will take the next few weeks to decompress and reflect on the past season, but many said they are ready to get back to work with the Green and Gold.