Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst walks the field prior to Green Bay's game against the Bears on Sept. 18, 2022.

 JEFFREY PHELPS, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES

Brian Gutekunst has been the general manager of the Green Bay Packers for more than five years, which should be ample time to assess just how good he is at his job.

Ditto for Packers coach Matt LaFleur, who has four seasons under his belt.

But the presence of Aaron Rodgers has made those evaluations tricky. A Hall of Fame quarterback can cover a lot of blemishes and elevate those around him, even the men building the roster and getting the team ready to play.

LaFleur admitted as much in March at the NFL meeting after it had become apparent the Packers were ready to move on from Rodgers, whom they eventually traded to the New York Jets last month.

“A lot of people have been rewarded, quite frankly, because of his ability to go out there and play — and play at such a high level,” LaFleur said.

LaFleur expressed disappointment he wasn’t able to help Rodgers win a second Super Bowl title. The Packers posted three consecutive 13-win regular seasons from 2019-21 but fell short in the playoffs each time, dropping home games as a No. 1 seed in back-to-back seasons that ended with Rodgers winning his third and fourth Most Valuable Player awards.

Rodgers’ play fell off last season and, not coincidentally, so did the Packers’ record. They finished 8-9, missed the playoffs and ultimately bid farewell to their franchise quarterback.

Trading Rodgers was the right move because it gave the organization the opportunity to get a solid return in a trade and begin the process of getting out from under the financial burden brought on by Rodgers’ massive contract.

A rebuilding phase was inevitable, and that’s where the Packers now find themselves. They don’t want to call this a rebuild, but there’s no other way to describe what’s going on as they make the transition to life after Rodgers.

This is a time in Titletown that’s both exciting and a little scary. Nobody knows exactly how this is going to play out, but at least we should have a better idea after the 2023 season whether Gutekunst and LaFleur are the right men for their respective jobs.

Gutekunst’s draft record is mixed, but his most recent one looks solid on paper. He addressed a need at edge rusher by taking Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness in the first round, used two early picks on promising tight ends (Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave and South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft), added a playmaker at wide receiver (Michigan State’s Jayden Reed) to pair with Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs and added some depth along the defensive line.

“I think we have great opportunity on our roster,” Gutekunst said following the draft.

Packers ink quarterback Jordan Love to a 1-year extension while mitigating their risk

Of course, a big part of how Gutekunst will be judged will depend on how someone he drafted three years ago — quarterback Jordan Love — performs after being handed the keys to the Green Bay offense.

Which brings us to LaFleur. Rodgers posted a 109.2 passer rating in LaFleur’s system, throwing for 111 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions while completing 67.1% of his passes. Again, divvying out the credit is challenging. How much does Rodgers get? LaFleur? Davante Adams? Others?

Ready or not, Love is now the starter and it’d be ridiculous to expect him to post Rodgers-like numbers right away. But it’s LaFleur’s job to help Love develop as quickly as possible.

“Certainly, I think we’re fooling ourselves if we think he’s going to go out there and perform at a level to the likes of an Aaron Rodgers,” LaFleur said at the NFL meetings. “This guy is a once-in-a-lifetime generational talent, and I don’t think it necessarily started that way when he first started. But he progressed into that.

“It’s going to be a progression.”

Packers are banking on Sean Clifford to back up Jordan Love — for now

Packers fans should expect some bumps along the way with Love and the young skill players around him. Ideally, Love will show progress this season and start hitting his stride in 2024 and 2025 just as the Packers regain some salary cap flexibility.

This team may flirt with the postseason in 2023 because it plays in a mediocre division, but realistically the Packers won’t be a Super Bowl contender until 2025 at the earliest.

“Every year in this league, there’s going to be transition, there’s going to be turnover,” LaFleur said following the draft. “Certainly I think we’re in a position right now where there’s been more than there’s been in quite some time here.

“So I think the challenge is how do you reinvent yourself each and every year knowing that the standards and expectations don’t change? We’re expected to win, that’s what this business is all about.”

Gutekunst notably called the Rodgers trade a “good day for the Packers, good day for the Jets,” and that might end up being true.

One thing is certain: Rodgers’ absence will make it easier to evaluate Gutekunst and LaFleur, for better or for worse.

Contact Jim Polzin at [email protected].

Originally published on madison.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.