The extra spot for the playoffs has given a lot of teams the chance to have something to play for since the change was confirmed. That explains why so many franchises that should have been eliminated by now based on their bad records are still alive in that race. But the Packers and the Browns know it may be better to start planning for the future.
Green Bay had a disastrous season following the DaVante Adams trade to the Raiders. The offense was completely terrible, and Aaron Rodgers looked nothing like the one that won the last two MVP awards. Their year was so underwhelming that they hold an 6-8 record despite starting 3-0. Everything points to an elimination soon, so it makes sense to begin the reconstruction.
Cleveland had a disappointing campaign too following the Deshaun Watson saga. The quarterback missed 11 games because of the suspension he received, although his return was meaningless given the team was too far behind. Watson looked very rusty after almost two years out of the league, which means their idea of projecting for 2023 seems right.
Which players did the Packers and Browns sign?
For eliminated teams these weeks can be very relevant to start evaluating their free agency. There are a couple of games left to know which players they want to retain, and what are those that will be let go. They aren’t out yet, but they must be ready. This time both front offices saw the need to keep key factors before their contracts expire.
They thought about the offensive line before anything else. The Packers signed OL Elgton Jenkins to a four-year extension worth 68 million dollars, according to Ian Rapoport. It makes sense given he was set to hit the open market. As for the Browns, they did so with OT Jack Conklin giving him a 4-year, 60-million deal to avoid getting into a bidding war come March. He has 31 million fully guaranteed, per Adam Schefter.