As we are in the final few days of the 2010s, it’s time to look back at the best players for the Green Bay Packers over the last 10 seasons.
Here are the criteria for the team:
1. We only consider what a player did between 2010-2019. If a player was outstanding for the Packers in 2009 or earlier, it is not included in this analysis.
2. Only what a player did for the Packers is taken into consideration.
3. Feel free to comment about who I chose or who you think deserved to be on this team but didn’t make the cut.
Offense:
QB Aaron Rodgers (2010-present)
Could there really be any other choice? Rodgers is a two-time NFL MVP, a Super Bowl MVP and the Packers most important player of the decade.
He can make throws that few other quarterbacks can make, is an expert at scrambling around in the pocket to prolong plays and may be the best Hail Mary passer in NFL history. He also rarely turns the ball over which is what sets him apart from his predecessor at quarterback, Brett Favre.
Rodgers is a future Hall of Famer.
RB Aaron Jones (2017-present)
Jones led the Packers in rushing in 2018 and 2019 and has had a breakout season this year with 16 rushing touchdowns and 19 overall touchdowns, one short of the Packers franchise record.
If he gains 16 yards in the season finale, he will be the first Packers running back to gain 1,000 yards rushing in a season since 2014.
Jones is a strong, quick, one-cut runner who can break a long run on any play.
He has worked hard to improve his pass blocking and pass receiving since coming into the league and it has paid off.
Jones still should have some excellent football ahead of him and right now, the offense revolves around him.
RB Eddie Lacy (2013-2016)
The second-round pick out of Alabama burst onto the scene with 1,178 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns as a rookie and followed that up with another 1,000-yard season in 2014.
Lacy had trouble staying in shape, however, and his production fell off the following two seasons before the Packers let him go.
Lacy was briefly a stud back who opponents had trouble bringing down. Had he dedicated himself to staying in better shape, he could have gone on to a great career, but he was still one of the best Packers RBs of the decade.
WR Jordy Nelson (2010-2017)
Nelson was Rodgers’ favorite receiver for most of the decade. He was an impeccable route runner with good hands and the strength to win battles for contested catches.
Nelson had three seasons of 10 or more touchdown catches including a league-leading 14 in 2016. He also topped 1,000 yards in a season four times during the decade.
A preseason injury cost him to miss all the 2015 season, but he was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year the following year when he had 97 catches for 1,257 yards and 14 scores.
Nelson will go down as an all-time great Packers receiver at a position that may be the deepest in franchise history.
WR Davante Adams (2014-present)
Adams had a breakout season in 2016 and has been Green Bay’s top receiver for the last four years.
Adams’ best season came in 2018 when he had 111 catches for 1,386 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was on pace for another 100 catch, 1,000-yard season this year before a turf toe injury caused him to miss four games and slowed him down in several others.
The Fresno State alum has excellent hands and body control and is a very strong receiver who can make reliable short catches and make splash plays deep.
He was named to two Pro Bowl teams during the decade.
WR Randall Cobb (2011-18)
Cobb was by far the Packers best slot receiver of the decade. He made an immediate impact in Green Bay, scoring two touchdowns in his first career game on national TV against the Saints.
The Kentucky alum’s best season came in 2014 when he made a career-high 91 catches for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Nagging injuries slowed Cobb down in later years, but he was always a smart route runner and a reliable target for Rodgers throughout his career in Green Bay.
TE Jermichael Finley (2010-2013)
Finley was by far the Packers most dangerous downfield receiver at the tight end position this decade, but injuries cut short his promising career.
His best season came in 2011 when he had 55 catches for 767 yards and eight touchdowns.
Finley’s ability to stretch the field led to big plays whether he got the ball, or he created space on the field for other receivers.
The Packers have been looking for his replacement every year since he was forced to retire.
OT David Bakhtiari (2013-present)
Bakhtiari became an instant starter after the Packers drafted him in the fourth round in 2013. He is one of the NFL’s elite pass blocking tackles.
Bakhtiari was voted to the Pro Bowl outright for the first time this season but was a two-time All-Pro for his outstanding blocking ability.
Rodgers would not have been able to connect on so many long passes down field without the protection Bakhtiari and his teammates have provided over the course of the decade.
G Josh Sitton (2010-2015)
The Packers selected the 6’3”, 318-pound Central Florida product in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Sitton became a starter in his second season in Green Bay and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
Sitton was athletic, strong and tough as nails. He was a scrapper who never backed down from a confrontation along the offensive line.
The Packers let him go as a free agent after the 2015 season.
C Corey Linsley (2014-present)
The former Ohio State Buckeye has been a mainstay in the middle of the Green Bay line for six seasons. Linsley is hard working, consistent and a smart lineman who is athletic enough to make blocks on the second level.
Although he has never been selected to the Pro Bowl, Linsley has been a consistently good player who calls signals for the offensive line and leads by example.
G TJ Lang (2010-2016)
Lang started for the Packers for six seasons at right guard and was named to the Pro Bowl after the 2016 campaign.
The Eastern Michigan product was tough and durable and a solid blocker in front of Rodgers during his tenure with the Pack.
Lang was a backup on the Packers Super Bowl winning team in 2010 before becoming a full-time starter the following season.
T Bryan Bulaga (2010-present)
The Packers selected Bulaga in the first round of the 2010 draft out of Iowa and he became an immediate starter at right tackle.
Bulaga is scrappy and knows how to use a variety of moves to counter defensive pass rushers. He is also a very good run blocker.
Bulaga has had trouble staying healthy some seasons, but when he’s in the lineup, he’s been a consistent force at right tackle who opens holes for the running game and does a great job protecting his quarterback.
Defense
DE Ryan Pickett (2010-2013)
The Packers signed Pickett as a free agent prior to the 2006 season and the former St. Louis Rams star blossomed as a run stuffer along the Green Bay defensive line.
Pickett was a big part of the Packers 2010 Super Bowl championship team and was a fixture in Green Bay for eight seasons.
Pickett could line up either on the nose or on the outside and did a good job of occupying blockers to free up edge rushers to get at the quarterback.
DT Kenny Clark (2016-present)
Like Pickett, Clark can line up on the nose or on the outside along the defensive line. The former UCLA star often occupies multiple blockers along the line and gains penetration to pressure the quarterback on passing plays.
Clark has now had back-to-back six sack seasons with a chance to set a new career-high if he can record a sack in the season finale in Detroit.
DT Mike Daniels (2012-2018)
Daniels was a five-year starter along the defensive line and was outstanding at clogging up the middle and occupying multiple blockers on running plays.
The Iowa alum had five straight seasons with four or more sacks and made the Pro Bowl after the 2017 season.
DL BJ Raji (2010-2015)
Raji was a Pro Bowler in 2011 but enjoyed his most productive season in 2010, the Packers last Super Bowl campaign.
The big Boston College product is best remembered for his interception return for a touchdown in the NFC Championship Game against the Bears that helped clinch a trip to the Super Bowl for Green Bay.
Raji had a career high 39 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 2010.
He retired after the 2015 season.
OLB Clay Matthews (2010-2018)
Matthews was the Packers best pass rusher during this decade, finishing with 73.5 sacks. His numbers probably would have been higher, but Matthews moved to inside linebacker for parts of two seasons when injuries and a lack of talent there made the move a necessity for the team.
Matthews was a vocal leader and always seemed to enjoy himself on the field.
His most famous play was a key fumble in Super Bowl XLV that helped the Packers extend their lead in the fourth quarter.
ILB Blake Martinez (2016-present)
Martinez has been a tackling machine since the Packers drafted him in the fourth round out of Stanford in 2016. He has finished each of the last three seasons with more than 140 tackles and had a career-high five sacks in 2018.
Martinez calls the defensive signals for the Packers and is one of the team’s leaders on defense.
His contract is up after this season and GM Brian Gutekunst will have a tough decision to make about whether he can afford to keep Martinez and sign him to a new deal.
ILB AJ Hawk (2010-2014)
Hawk spent the first half of this decade patrolling the middle of the Green Bay defense and he was a key contributor to the team’s win in Super Bowl XLV.
His best overall season came in 2013 when he recorded 118 tackles, five sacks, broke up five passes, intercepted one and recorded 13 tackles for losses.
Hawk spent nine of his 11 NFL seasons in Green Bay and was a starter all nine seasons.
OLB Julius Peppers (2014-2016)
The Packers signed Peppers as a free agent in 2014 and the former Panthers and Bears star paid instant dividends. Peppers provided leadership, experience, versatility and the ability to rush the passer.
He qualified for the Pro Bowl after the 2015 campaign which he finished with 10.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and 16 quarterback hits.
CB Tramon Williams (2010-2014, 2018-present)
Williams made the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2007 and went on to become a Pro Bowl performer at cornerback.
His best season was 2010 when he made a career-best six interceptions, forced one fumble and recovered three more.
In the playoffs that year, Williams had three interceptions including a pick-six against the Falcons in Atlanta in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.
Williams left the Packers after the 2014 season but returned in 2018 as a nickel back and veteran presence. He even moved to safety in 2018 when injuries and poor play created a need there.
Williams has the respect of every player in the locker room and his hard work, dedication and attitude inspire his teammates.
S Nick Collins (2010-2011)
Collins was a seven-year starter for the Packers and had been selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls before injuries prematurely ended his playing career early in 2011.
He had 17 interceptions between 2008-2010 and covered a lot of ground from his free safety position.
Collins’ most memorable play was an interception return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLV off Ben Roethlisberger that gave the Packers an early 14-0 lead they never relinquished.
S Morgan Burnett (2010-2017)
Burnett was a versatile defensive back who could play either strong safety or free safety. The Georgia Tech alum was a hard hitter and had four straight seasons with more than 100 tackles from 2011-2014.
In 2011, Burnett had a career high three interceptions and 11 passes defended. He added two playoff interceptions during his Packers career and returned a fumble for a touchdown against the Lions in 2013.
CB Jaire Alexander (2018-present)
Alexander has been a confident cover corner since the Packers selected him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Louisville alum is supremely confident and relishes the challenge of covering the opposition’s top receiver.
He has 27 passes defended in two seasons with the Packers.
DB Charles Woodson (2010-2012)
Woodson was one of the Packers best free agent signings and his strong play made him a four-time Pro Bowler while with the Packers.
Woodson was a leader on the 2010 Super Bowl team and his injury during the game left the Green Bay secondary vulnerable to a late comeback attempt by the Steelers.
Woodson had seven interceptions in 2011, his final Pro Bowl campaign with the Pack and returned one of them for a touchdown.
Special Teams
K Mason Crosby (2010-present)
Crosby is the Packers all-time leading scorer by a wide margin and has been a consistent performer for the Packers since joining the team in 2007.
Crosby has gone over 100 points in a season eight times this decade and needs five points in the season finale against Detroit to make it nine.
His consistency is even more impressive when you consider he kicks outdoors in the cold at Lambeau Field every season.
P Tim Masthay (2010-2015)
Masthay was a consistent punter for the Packers for six seasons and averaged 44.2 yards per punt over the course of his career. He was also capable of kickoff off which he did extensively in 2013.
Masthay was the Packers punter during their 2010 Super Bowl title run and punted in 12 playoff contests during his tenure in Green Bay.
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