The Green Bay Packers have been knocking on the door of something great for the last few seasons. In the three seasons since turning to Jordan Love at quarterback, the Packers have gone a combined 29-21-1 with the league’s youngest roster. As the young talent on the roster has continued to grow, expectations have inflated in response, and the Packers have been primed for a playoff breakthrough for some time.
But so far, they’ve been unable to achieve that, winning just one playoff game in the last three seasons and losing in the wild card round each of the last two. As a result, the Packers have aggressively pursued upgrades at several positions over the last two offseasons, and that means one veteran starter might be out of a job this summer.
One Green Bay Packers Veteran Named to the Proverbial “Hot Seat”
GettyGREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 12: Carrington Valentine #24 of the Green Bay Packers reacts in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field on October 12, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Ben Solak examined a series of veteran starters across the league who are now on the “hot seat” after their teams added competition in free agency and the draft. For Green Bay, he named starting CB Carrington Valentine.
“Valentine’s starting job was already in question before the draft, as a bad 2025 campaign invited the signing of free agent corner Benjamin St-Juste,” Solak wrote. “The Packers were still live to take a cornerback, and they apparently ranked the need (or the player) so highly that they drafted South Carolina’s Brandon Cisse with the 52nd pick (the team’s first selection of the draft).”
“The Packers are notoriously patient with rookies, and Cisse is far from a finished product,” Solak continued. “South Carolina rotated its corners, and Cisse often didn’t play full games, even in his final season. But the most favored outcome in the Packers’ cornerbacks room is certainly Cisse winning the job over Valentine, who surrendered a passer rating of 126.1 when targeted last season. Only five outside cornerbacks were worse.”
“Even if Cisse doesn’t win the starting job outright, I would not be surprised to see him enter a rotation with Valentine (and St-Juste). Valentine struggles more with larger receivers, and Cisse and St-Juste should match up better.”
The Packers Face a Tough Road in the NFC North
Part of the reason the Packers have been unable to break through is because of the gauntlet that is their own division. The NFC North has arguably been the best division in the sport over the last three seasons, with the Lions, Vikings, and Bears all having dominant seasons in that stretch.
What that means is the Packers have very little margin for error during the regular season. Any little slip-up means Green Bay will be on the road throughout the playoffs, facing higher-seeded teams from a wild card berth rather than hosting a home playoff game.
If the Packers can ascend to the mountaintop of the NFC North this season — a feat that looks to be harder than ever in 2026 — perhaps they can finally have the playoff success that’s eluded them during the Love era.
Packers’ Veteran Starter Warned He Could Be ‘on the Hot Seat’ After NFL Draft