The Green Bay Packers are sticking with in-house talent to address the only hole remaining on head coach Matt LaFleur’s 2020 coaching staff.
The Packers announced Thursday offensive assistant Jason Vrable had been promoted to wide receivers coach for next season to replace former coach Alvis Whitted, who was fired following the conclusion of Green Bay’s postseason in late January.
Vrable is entering his second season with the Packers but his eighth overall in the NFL. He also served as an offensive assistant for the New York Jets (2017-18) and spent four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, three of them as an offensive quality control coach before becoming an assistant quarterbacks coach for the 2016 season.
#Packers have promoted Jason Vrable to WRs coach from offensive assistant.
Luke Getsy promoted from QBs coach to QBs/passing game coordinator.
Butch Barry hired as senior analyst after coaching U of Miami OL last season.
The Packers also promoted quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy, keeping him in his current position but also adding the title of “passing game coordinator” to his list of responsibilities. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers earned his eighth-career Pro Bowl selection under Getsy’s guidance in 2019 and finished the regular season with an NFL-low four interceptions.
Along with the two promotions, the Packers also announced the hiring of former University of Miami offensive line coach Butch Barry, who will serve as a senior analyst for the team in 2020.
The Packers have already undergone some staff changes this offseason aside from Whitted’s departure. They hired veteran coach Jerry Gray to take over their secondary after Jason Simmons left to take the same job with the Carolina Panthers. They also elevated technology analyst Connor Lewis — who has been with the team since 2016 — to offensive quality control coach.
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Packers’ Attention Now Fully on Roster Moves
The Packers seem to have solidified their coaching staff with Thursday’s move. They could potentially add another smaller-role assistant at some point, but the major roles are all filled now.
Now? Free agency.
The NFL’s open-market frenzy is less than a week away from launch with teams and player agents able to start negotiations as early as March 16 before all restrictions lift on March 18. The Packers have more than a dozen unrestricted free agents to decide whether to extend with starters Bryan Bulaga and Blake Martinez the two with the highest prestige.
The Packers officially cut ties with veteran tight end Jimmy Graham on Thursday afternoon and created about $8 million in cap space, but the spending potential isn’t what it was a year ago when Gutekunst brought in a quartet of valuable free agents: outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, safety Adrian Amos and right guard Billy Turner.
Updated Green Bay Packers 2020 Salary Cap:
➖Jimmy Graham (TE) to be released.
⬆️Transaction creates $7,490,000 additional Top 51 cap space.
💰New Top 51 Salary Cap: $27,229,797
💰New Spendable Cap: $14,468,588
Still, even with more creativity required, the Packers have been reportedly exploring a number of the available options on the market. Most of their interests have focused on inside linebackers with reports suggesting the Packers inquired about Joe Schobert, Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski, among others.
They were also set to host former Cleveland Browns starter and current free agent Christian Kirksey for a visit on Thursday. He is an immediate free agent after he was released on Tuesday.
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Packers Name New WR Coach, Announce Coaching Staff Changes