Think of the Green Bay Packers as a community-owned Rorschach test. When you consider their outlook for the 2026 season, what do you see?
A talented Super Bowl contender led by a mastermind coach, a breakout still-young quarterback leading a scary-talented offense, paired with a swarming, opportunistic defense? Congrats, you’re an optimist.
Or an above average and underachieving team that’s made a habit of disappointing its fans, squandering its talent, along with its leads and leaving fans wondering what the heck happened far too often? And also wondering how the head coach kept his job. Condolences, you’re still reliving last season’s gut-punch playoff exit.
Do you see them as an overrated has-been of a franchise that’s stuck living off past glory, making desperate moves for guys like Micah Parsons while still being surpassed by the rest of the division; while knowing deep inside that the long-delayed, perpetually cold winter has finally arrived? Greetings, pessimist, or Chicago Bears fan.
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The confounding thing about the Packers is that each scenario is on the table, and good luck figuring out the most likely one. Usually, an NFL fanbase has a pretty good idea about what to expect. But in the land of Lambeau, all things are possible.
Would it really be all that surprising if Jordan Love, Matt LaFleur and Micah Parsons raised Lombardi’s grail of a trophy in five months’ time, because a healthy Packers team is a great Packers team. So, if Parsons returns to his dominant form with a just-like-new knee, as does Tucker Kraft, Green Bay would have more difference-makers than most.
You can also dream of the offensive line being healthy, not to mention effective, and that new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is a revelation. If you want to really get drunk on optimism, what if the revamped special teams’ unit is finally an asset rather than an abyss? Well, buy those tickets to SoFi Stadium.
However, it might be a good idea to just wait a bit on that purchase. The Packers could just as easily tread water this season, much like they did a year ago, looking equal parts impressive and mystifying. Parsons could be healthy enough to play, but too limited by that surgically repaired knee and sapped of his game-changing speed. The dark cloud of Josh Jacobs’ battery case could hang over the franchise and its fan base. The offensive line could be one of the worst in the league, and if all of these “maybes” come to be, could LaFleur somehow survive it again?
Even then, that might be too optimistic, because the Lions and Vikings and Bears (oh my!) could whisk the Packers back to their nightmarish wilderness of the 1970s and ’80s, when they made a grand total of two playoff appearances in 20 years. The Bears might just be talented enough to back up their coach’s annoying swagger, no matter where they’re playing in five years, the Lions might just rediscover their courage and the Vikings might have solved their quarterback problem. Then, dear Toto, we wouldn’t be in Kansas anymore, but someplace far, far worse.
It’s all about as clear as an inkwell or, if you will, an inkblot. Even Vegas is hedging, putting the Packers’ Super Bowl odds smack dab in the middle. Make of it what you will, just don’t stare for too long.
There’s a season to play.
