Jason Wilde

The Packers season is over — and the questions are just beginning. On the penultimate episode of Season 2 of Weekly Wilde, Jason Wilde and Alex Strouf react to Brian Gutekunst’s first press conference since the end of the season and what it did (and didn’t) reveal about Green Bay’s direction. They discuss the GM’s messaging, frustration over vague answers, the continued loyalty within the coaching staff, and why some fans are struggling to see real accountability after another disappointing finish.

Plus, with Super Bowl week here, Jason shares stories about Ron Wolf and why his fingerprints are all over this matchup — from Green Bay to New England and beyond. They also dig into the Packers’ biggest roster questions heading into the offseason, including the defensive line, offensive line, cornerback, and what comes next with key veterans.

This is a big offseason for Green Bay — and this conversation sets the stage for what matters most.

ESPN Wisconsin reporter Jason Wilde joins Jen, Gabe & Chewy with a clear-eyed breakdown of the Green Bay Packers’ looming salary-cap decisions, focusing on Malik Willis’ rising free-agent value, Rashan Gary’s uncertain future, and why the front office must act quickly — even if they won’t say it publicly.

020626 Jason on JGC

Wilde begins by addressing the quarterback coach search, explaining that while outside names like Matt Schaub have been floated, the Packers already have internal options — including simply expanding Luke Getsy’s role, given his history working with both Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers.

🏈 Malik Willis: from afterthought to real market

One of the most revealing parts of the segment centers on Malik Willis, whose performance in Green Bay has dramatically altered his career trajectory.

Wilde explains:

Teams around the league are desperate for quarterbacks

Many will excuse Willis’ struggles in Tennessee due to organizational instability

His Packers tape will carry significant weight in evaluations

He’s likely to be signed to compete for a starting job, not just as a backup

Wilde compares the situation to Matt Flynn’s free agency, where opportunity — not guarantees — drove the market. The takeaway: Willis will have real leverage, and keeping him won’t be cheap.

🧠 Rashan Gary: no ‘Option C’

The conversation then turns blunt when discussing Rashan Gary.

Wilde lays out what he believes are the only realistic paths:

Restructure with a significant pay cut, allowing Gary to earn money back via incentives

Move on entirely and reclaim cap space

What doesn’t exist, in Wilde’s view, is a third option:

Leaving the contract as-is would be personnel malpractice.

After a season where Gary went 10 straight games without a sack, Wilde argues the Packers cannot justify paying him like an elite pass rusher without elite production.

💰 Josh Jacobs and the Aaron Jones warning sign

Wilde draws a direct parallel between current praise for Josh Jacobs and past praise for Aaron Jones.

He reminds listeners:

Gutekunst once said they’d do “whatever it takes” to keep Jones

The eventual offer told a very different story

Jones went on to produce immediately elsewhere

That history makes Wilde cautious about reading too much into glowing words. If the Packers truly want to keep Jacobs, they’ll need to:

Convert salary to bonus

Add void years

Lower his $10.4 million cap hit

Otherwise, the praise won’t matter.

🧮 Cap space doesn’t appear magically

A core truth Wilde stresses repeatedly:
The Packers cannot meaningfully participate in free agency without first creating cap space.

That likely means:

Restructuring contracts

Moving on from veterans like Elgton Jenkins or Rashan Gary

Accepting short-term dead money

Public optimism, Wilde says, is strategic — not revealing. Internally, decisions are already mapped out.

🌍 International games are coming

Before wrapping up, Wilde also weighs in on the NFL’s international expansion, saying he would be shocked if the Packers don’t play overseas this season — most likely in Munich, given Green Bay’s strong brand presence in Germany and previous league designations.

He references former team president Mark Murphy’s comments, noting once again that Murphy often floated league plans publicly long before they became official.

⚖️ The bottom line

Jason Wilde leaves listeners with a firm conclusion:

Malik Willis will have options

Rashan Gary’s situation must be resolved quickly

Josh Jacobs’ future depends on actual cap moves, not quotes

And the Packers’ “we can do whatever we want” rhetoric only works if they follow through

The next few weeks will reveal whether Green Bay is serious about competing — or simply managing the cap with optimism.

🎧 A grounded, insider look at Packers roster decisions, quarterback markets, and why the hard part of the offseason is already here — with Jason Wilde on Jen, Gabe & Chewy.

Green Bay Packers, Jason Wilde, Malik Willis free ...

Packers reporter Jason Wilde joined The Homer Hour to discuss whether the Packers need to add more veterans to help close out games next season. He also shared who could emerge as a “closer” if the roster remains young and which current Packers could be comparable to players from the 2010 Super Bowl team.

ESPN Wisconsin reporter Jason Wilde joins Jen, Gabe & Chewy with one of his most pointed critiques yet of the Green Bay Packers’ offseason messaging — arguing that too many things Brian Gutekunst said simply cannot all be true at the same time.

020526 Jason on JGC

The conversation begins with Wilde reacting to Gutekunst’s end-of-season press conference, which struck him as oddly upbeat given how dramatically the Packers underperformed relative to expectations. Wilde explains why the tone bothered him, not because it was dishonest — but because it was inconsistent.

🏈 “If everything’s great… then just say what went wrong”

Wilde lays out his core frustration:
If the Packers truly believe they were a “pretty damn good football team” derailed primarily by injuries, why won’t leadership just say that out loud?

Instead, Gutekunst praised nearly everyone — players, coaches, culture — while simultaneously acknowledging the team needs to “learn how to close games.” To Wilde, that creates a logical gap:

Either the roster was good enough

Or it wasn’t

But you can’t pretend everything is fine while also acknowledging major shortcomings

As Wilde puts it, both things can’t be true.

🧠 Ron Wolf vs modern messaging

Wilde contrasts Gutekunst’s approach with that of Ron Wolf, describing Wolf as a straight shooter who never worried about cushioning answers or protecting feelings.

Wolf told the truth — even when it was uncomfortable — and Wilde admits that honesty could be intimidating, but it also created clarity. Today’s approach, by contrast, feels overly careful and, at times, evasive.

Wilde wonders aloud whether:

Player sensitivity

Modern media cycles

Or internal politics

…have made executives hesitant to speak plainly — even when plain truth might actually help.

🔄 The Aaron Jones example — history repeating

One of the most telling comparisons Wilde raises is Aaron Jones.

He reminds listeners:

Gutekunst once said they’d do “whatever it takes” to keep Jones

Then offered a deal so low it effectively forced him out

Jones went on to rush for 1,000 yards with Minnesota

That history makes Wilde skeptical when Gutekunst now gushes about Josh Jacobs as an irreplaceable locker-room presence. Wilde asks the obvious question:

If he’s that important, what are you actually going to do to keep him?

Words without follow-through have consequences — especially with veterans.

🏈 Rashan Gary and accountability

The most heated portion of the segment centers on Rashan Gary, who finished the season with 10 straight games without a sack.

Wilde doesn’t dismiss pressures or effort — but he refuses to sugarcoat the result:

You cannot be paid like an elite pass rusher and go 10 games without a sack.

To him, calling that a “great year” isn’t optimism — it’s a refusal to apply accountability.

🧓 The veteran problem

Wilde circles back repeatedly to what he sees as the Packers’ biggest blind spot: the near-total absence of veteran leadership.

He references conversations with Evan Williams, who candidly admitted the team:

Doesn’t handle success well

Struggles with adversity

Lacks maturity in key moments

Wilde argues that a handful of veterans — not stars, just experienced pros — could act as on-field coaches, stabilizing young players the way veterans once did for him and others.

He cites examples like:

Eugene Robinson

Keith Jackson

Eddie West

Players who taught by example and filled gaps no coaching staff could reach alone.

⚖️ The bottom line

Jason Wilde’s conclusion is blunt but measured:

The Packers have talent

They have youth

They have culture

But they may be overvaluing harmony and undervaluing honesty.

Without clearer messaging, stronger accountability, and a willingness to invest in veteran leadership, the same problems — late-game collapses, emotional swings, and inconsistency — are likely to repeat.

🎧 A thoughtful, critical, and deeply informed breakdown of Packers philosophy, messaging, and why “everything’ ...

Packers reporter Jason Wilde joined The Homer Hour to break down GM Brian Gutekunst’s press conference, including why Gutekunst refused to blame injuries for how the season unfolded and what surprised Wilde the most from his comments. The discussion also covered whether Gutekunst believes the Packers can retain all of their free agents and if he truly feels special teams have improved under Rich Bisaccia.

The conversation wrapped up with a look at Matt LaFleur’s standing compared to the coaches hired during this offseason’s carousel and whether the Packers still need to learn how to finish games.