When new Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst used the word “aggressive” to describe his approach to free agency, a large swath of Packers nation was thrilled.
To many, they took this to mean that the team would make a drastic departure from the Ted Thompson method, where free agency was all but an afterthought as drafting and developing was the only significant method of player acquisition. Gutekunst would land high-profile free agents at positions of serious need and then bolster the roster’s few remaining holes through the draft.
After two full weeks of free agency, it’s clear that those expectations were too ambitious.