Three years have passed since the Green Bay Packers sent Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, a trade that was both anticipated and disheartening. In a parallel universe, Adams would have been instrumental in the transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love, guiding Love through a new chapter in his career while working towards becoming the Packers’ all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.

Checking the career leaderboards shows just how close Adams was to those achievements. However, a rift between Adams and the Packers before the 2021 season prevented that future from unfolding. During training camp, Adams and Aaron Jones joked about reaching out to Russ Ball (notably excluding Brian Gutekunst) to finalize a deal, but no agreement was reached, except for the one that sent Adams to the Raiders.

Now, Adams is with his third team since the Packers, having moved to the Jets and then the Rams, while the Packers continue to search for his replacement, both as an individual and collectively. Although letting Adams go might have been the right decision, Gutekunst’s real challenge has been finding a suitable replacement at wide receiver. Likewise, Gutekunst has struggled to replace any of the stars from the Thompson era with the same success as his predecessor did when he took over as general manager.

Gutekunst’s time as GM has been marked by a decline in Green Bay’s fortunes. Since he assumed the role, he has spent much of the past decade moving away from the stars of the Thompson era that helped the Packers thrive in the 2010s, without adequately replacing them with comparable talents. His tenure is more defined by the players the Packers have traded or released—such as Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Aaron Jones, and David Bakhtiari—than by those he has developed.

To be fair to Gutekunst, some of these moves were necessary. Rodgers’ era in Green Bay was over. Bakhtiari’s physical condition had deteriorated. The Adams trade was an attempt to salvage a fractured relationship, one in which the Packers’ GM had a role in the breakdown. Gutekunst is now entering his eighth season as GM. By this time, Thompson had drafted Aaron Rodgers, Nick Collins, Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji, all the pass catchers from that famous Sports Illustrated cover, T.J. Lang, Josh Sitton, and Bryan Bulaga. He had hired Mike McCarthy and even won a Super Bowl.

Thompson also made difficult decisions in his early days as GM, moving on from Pro Bowl guards Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle, cutting All-Pro safety Darren Sharper, and trading wide receiver Javon Walker. Yet, he rebounded from those moves, turning the second-round pick from the Walker trade into Greg Jennings, for instance. Thompson began his tenure from a lower starting point than Gutekunst, which may have made early successes more attainable.

Nonetheless, he achieved those successes at a higher rate within the same timeframe than Gutekunst has managed. While Gutekunst has not shied away from making tough decisions, he has not matched Thompson’s success in effectively following up on those choices, leading to the Packers’ struggles. While Gutekunst has had some successes, they often come with reservations. Jaire Alexander was a strong first pick, but injuries have plagued his career and he seems likely to leave.

Elgton Jenkins has revitalized his career post-ACL injury but has been shifted to center, potentially not the best use of his skills. Rashan Gary has shown promise, yet appears to be at his peak as a solid secondary pass rusher. The Packers have finished in the bottom half of the NFC North in two of the past three seasons and entered this offseason with evident weaknesses. So far, Gutekunst has not addressed these issues.

The pass rush remains as weak as it was at last season’s end, and it’s unlikely any pass rusher available at their draft position will make a significant impact. Their wide receiver corps is dangerously thin, and an injury to one player could elevate Malik Heath to a major role. There is still ample offseason time, and they could hit another draft home run, which they seem to need.

However, the primary reason for this need is that their GM’s bold strategies have not yielded equally compelling solutions. The Packers are at a precarious stage in their team development. The cap situation for next year is uncertain, and many young players Gutekunst has brought in are nearing free agency or require extensions. This should be the time when the Packers are among the emerging contenders in the NFC, if not the NFL.

Instead, they are facing an offseason filled with uncertainty, largely of their own making. The Packers didn’t just happen upon this situation. They were led here. Now, three years after the trade that sent Davante Adams to the Raiders, the gap between the Packers and the NFC’s elite remains a self-inflicted wound and a symbol of their decline since Rodgers’ departure.