Jason Wilde

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.

Jason Wilde joins Jim, Matt & Molly to talk about the Green Bay Packers' continuing search for assistant coaches and GM Brian Gutekunst's first presser conference of the offseason tomorrow! First, Jason explains why being a good soccer/gymnastics/volleyball dad delayed his appearance today... They discuss the Chicago Bears interviewing one of the Packers' candidates for their next QBs coach, and Jason gives the top 3 questions that he's looking to get answered by Gutey tomorrow afternoon! Matt also asks Jason about the lack of confidence in a certain NFL owner who may also own a NBA team (both in the Midwest), and Jason explains why he actually gives Bucks GM Jon Horst a lot of credit for what he's done with Giannis.

Packers reporter Jason Wilde joined The Homer Hour to share his experiences covering the Super Bowl, including whether he’s attended one that didn’t involve the Packers and what Super Bowl week is like when Green Bay is in it. The conversation then shifted to the future, focusing on what the Packers are doing now to become Super Bowl contenders in 2026 and whether the current roster shakeup points toward contention as soon as next season.

Wilde also weighed in on whether he’d be surprised if the Packers re-sign Romeo Doubs and wrapped things up by sharing the one question he’s most eager to ask GM Brian Gutekunst at Wednesday’s press conference.

ESPN Wisconsin reporter Jason Wilde joins Jen, Gabe & Chewy for one of his most direct and critical assessments yet of the Green Bay Packers’ roster-building philosophy — questioning whether Brian Gutekunst’s aversion to veteran players has become a competitive blind spot.

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Rather than focusing on one loss or one season, Wilde zooms out to examine patterns — and why the Packers continue to struggle with immaturity, in-game adversity, and championship-level consistency.

🏈 “We’re immature” — and the evidence is there

Wilde recounts a revealing locker-room conversation with Evan Williams, who openly admitted the Packers:

Don’t handle success well

Struggle when teams punch back

Lose emotional control during momentum swings

Wilde explains why those comments matter:
Good teams don’t ride waves.
Veteran teams don’t panic.
Championship teams stay steady.

The Packers, in his view, still don’t.

🧠 Gutekunst’s biggest blind spot

Wilde doesn’t accuse Gutekunst of incompetence — but he does call out what he sees as a clear philosophical gap.

According to Wilde:

The Packers intentionally avoid second contracts

Gutekunst has publicly said the goal is to re-sign 1.6 players per draft class

Veteran leadership is treated as expendable rather than essential

Wilde contrasts that with Ron Wolf’s approach, where experienced free agents like Eugene Robinson and Sean Jones were used to stabilize young rosters and push teams over the top.

As Wilde bluntly puts it, today’s model feels closer to:

“Use them up and throw them away.”

🔄 Why veterans still matter

The discussion highlights specific examples:

Preston Smith, who rarely missed games and brought consistency

Rashan Gary and Elgton Jenkins, both likely on their way out

Marcedes Lewis, whose presence extended far beyond on-field production

Wilde argues that even aging players who aren’t stars anymore can provide:

Emotional ballast

Championship perspective

Accountability in tough moments

Young players alone, no matter how talented, don’t provide that.

💰 Free agency misses deserve scrutiny

Wilde also addresses criticism sparked by a headline calling $132 million in free-agent spending “up in flames.”

He clarifies:

The Packers haven’t actually paid most of that money yet

Contracts like Aaron Banks’ are structured with outs

But yes — Gutekunst deserves criticism for misses

Wilde explains why the Packers use free agency more now:

You use free agency because you missed in the draft.

Josh Jacobs, Xavier McKinney, and Micah Parsons were all signed because prior draft investments didn’t pan out as hoped.

⚖️ Why Gutekunst avoids the heat

One of Wilde’s sharpest observations:
Brian Gutekunst doesn’t face nearly the same public scrutiny as Matt LaFleur — despite roster construction being at the heart of many issues.

Wilde doesn’t call for Gutekunst’s job — but he does argue that evaluation must be evenly applied if the Packers truly want to compete for championships.

🏁 The bottom line

Jason Wilde leaves listeners with a pointed challenge:
The Packers don’t need to abandon youth.
They don’t need to sign every aging star.

But they do need:

A handful of experienced voices

Players who’ve survived playoff heartbreak

Veterans who don’t flinch when things go sideways

Until that changes, the same problems will keep resurfacing — no matter how talented the roster looks on paper.

🎧 A candid, uncomfortable, and deeply insightful breakdown of Packers philosophy, maturity, and why championships require more than draft picks — with Jason Wilde on Jen, Gabe & Chewy.

Green Bay Packers, Jason Wilde, Brian Gutekunst, Packers roster philosophy, Packers veterans, Packers immaturity, Packers leadership, Packers free agency, Ron Wolf, Packers championships, Packers offseason, ESPN Milwaukee, Jen Gabe and Chewy