All articles tagged with #green bay packers
Aaron Rodgers announced that the 2026 season will be his last, after signing a one‑year deal to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 42-year-old quarterback, a four-time MVP and four-time Super Bowl winner, ends a storied career highlighted by elite passer ratings and a legendary stint in Green Bay, with Steelers coach Mike McCarthy’s return influencing his decision to come back before stepping away after 2026.
NFL owners approved expanding international games to 10 per season and scrapping the rule that let teams shield two home opponents from overseas play. The change, which removes protections that had kept certain Packers matchups at home (e.g., Lions vs. Packers in Detroit or Saints vs. Packers in Paris), could push Green Bay to play abroad as early as 2026, after the Packers have only two international games to date. The shift signals a steadily larger overseas schedule and makes it harder to keep teams like Green Bay entirely stateside for a full regular season.
Packers.com readers celebrate the 2026 schedule release video in Insider Inbox, praising the voices and humor (including Micah Parsons on a scooter) while weighing in on schedule quirks like four of the last five at home, a Week 11 bye, and night games, and discussing Jordan Love’s development and the team’s path down the stretch.
Green Bay’s 2026 schedule is notable for breaking a 24-year streak of back-to-back NFC North games, spreading six division contests across Weeks 1–18 (Week 1 vs Minnesota, Week 5 vs Chicago, Week 7 at Detroit, Week 10 vs Minnesota, Week 16 at Chicago, Week 18 vs Detroit) with no consecutive division games. The layout could affect injuries and rest during the stretch run and marks a rare anomaly, while Thanksgiving-week planning around the Rams provides two recovery periods before the late-season push; time will tell if the change benefits the Packers or their rivals.
Eric Edholm’s analysis of the 2026 NFL schedule highlights winners (Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs with extra rehab time and a favorable early slate, plus the Jets’ Aaron Glenn, the Packers, the Eagles, and the Saints) and losers (San Francisco 49ers with a tough post–Mexico stretch, Bears coach Ben Johnson facing numerous short weeks, the Dolphins with a brutal late-season schedule, and Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur in a challenging NFC West start), emphasizing how travel, rest, and primetime games shape which teams and coaches may thrive next season.
The Green Bay Packers signed cornerback Brandon Cisse and claimed wide receiver Brenden Rice off waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders; Rice, a USC product and 2024 seventh‑round pick, has spent time on multiple practice squads and injured reserve, and will wear No. 89 for Green Bay.
A leaked report suggests Detroit will end the 2026 season vs. the Green Bay Packers, inferred from Week 18 being divisional and a Vikings–Bears Week 18 matchup. The full schedule drops Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Since 2021, Lions coach Dan Campbell has a 6-4 edge over the Packers, and Detroit has won every season finale in his tenure.
The NFL announced its inaugural Thanksgiving Eve game will feature the Green Bay Packers vs. the Los Angeles Rams, streaming on Netflix at 8:35 p.m. ET, marking Netflix's latest foray into marquee holiday football.
The Packers’ 2026 17-game schedule is poised to drop with nine home and eight away games and no international trip. They’ll face top teams from last season, including the Bears, Rams, Bills and Patriots; Week 12 features a Netflix-televised primetime game at the Rams on Thanksgiving Eve (Nov. 25, 7:00 p.m. CT). Home opponents are Bears, Lions, Vikings, Falcons, Bills, Panthers, Cowboys, Texans and Dolphins, while away opponents are Bears, Lions, Vikings, Rams, Patriots, Saints, Jets and Buccaneers. The NFL considered international games but did not include one in 2026.
Jaire Alexander details how a rough Bills game, a lingering knee injury, and mounting mental-health struggles led him to leave the NFL after being released by Green Bay and stints with Baltimore and Philadelphia. Through therapy, journaling, and rest, he prioritized his well-being, found peace, and is now focused on personal projects, youth coaching, and developing an app for DBs, with no regrets and a possible return still possible someday.
The Green Bay Packers released veteran kicker Brandon McManus to give sixth-round pick Trey Smack the kicking job, saving about 945,097 in cap space now and signaling Smack as Crosby’s successor. Smack, a Florida product, has strong 50+ yard kicking credentials and a mentorship link to Crosby via former NFL kicker Matt Stover, who trained both Crosby and Smack. McManus had been solid in 2024 (20 of 21 FGs) but dipped in 2025 (24 of 30) and was 0-for-2 on field goals plus 2-for-4 on extra points in a wild-card loss to the Bears, prompting Green Bay to move on. The Packers hope Smack’s development and Stover-guided fundamentals deliver long-term stability at a high-variance position.
The Green Bay Packers released veteran kicker Brandon McManus after drafting Florida kicker Trey Smack, effectively ending the competition for the kicking job. McManus had provided stability after returning from an injury in 2024 but faced late-season and playoff miscues, and Smack now stands as the likely successor.
Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich says first-round WR Matthew Golden should see a bigger role in 2026 as veteran departures create more opportunities, with Christian Watson and Jayden Reed stepping up and Tucker Kraft aiming for a full return from injury.
Green Bay expects Matthew Golden to take a bigger step in 2026 after a quiet rookie season and a reshuffled WR room that saw Romeo Doubs leave in free agency and Dontayvion Wicks traded. Golden flashed in camp and preseason but battled wrist and shoulder injuries in 14 regular-season games, finishing with 361 yards on 29 catches and no TDs. He did flash in the postseason with 84 yards on four receptions and his first TD in the wild-card loss to Chicago, and the Packers hope that performance carries over with Jayden Reed and Christian Watson forming the top trio.
Green Bay added veteran Tyrod Taylor to back up Jordan Love, bringing a 15-year NFL veteran who has started for six teams, earned a 2015 Pro Bowl with the Bills, and showed mobility and accuracy. He backed Aaron Rodgers with the Jets in 2024 and could provide a steady veteran presence in Green Bay’s QB room, with the contract signed after the draft so it won’t impact next year’s compensatory-pick formula.