Man, 2017 was a weird year to be a Packers fan. You look at the Green Bay roster 2017 and it feels like a fever dream now. It started with so much hope—the whole "Run the Table" momentum from the previous year was still fresh—and then, well, Anthony Barr happened in Week 6. Everything changed in a split second in Minneapolis.
Honestly, that roster was a strange mix of "last dance" veterans and young guys who hadn't quite figured it out yet. You had Aaron Rodgers at the absolute peak of his powers, looking like he could carry a high school team to the playoffs, and then you had a defense that was... let’s just say "inconsistent" to be polite. It was a roster built on the assumption that #12 would be under center for 16 games. When he wasn't, the cracks didn't just show; the whole house basically fell down.
The Quarterback Room: Life After Aaron
We have to talk about Brett Hundley. When people search for the Green Bay roster 2017, they usually remember the Rodgers injury, but they forget just how much of the season rested on Hundley’s shoulders. He had been in the system for three years. Everyone thought he was the next great trade bait QB, like Matt Hasselbeck or Aaron Brooks before him.
He wasn't.
Hundley finished the year with 9 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. It was rough. The offense went from a Ferrari to a 1998 Corolla with a bad transmission overnight. Rodgers eventually tried to come back against Carolina in Week 15 to save the season, but he threw three picks and it was clear he wasn't 100%. Behind them, you had Joe Callahan, a fan favorite from Division III Wesley College, but he was never meant to see the field in meaningful games.
The Backfield and a Changing of the Guard
This was the year the Packers finally found a running game, almost by accident. At the start of the season, the Green Bay roster 2017 featured Ty Montgomery as the primary back. Remember that? The wide receiver who switched to jersey #88 in the backfield? It worked for a minute, but his ribs just couldn't take the pounding of a full-time NFL workload.
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Then came the rookies.
Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones. It’s wild to think they were both fourth and fifth-round picks in the same draft. Jones showed flashes of absolute brilliance—specifically that game against Dallas where he went for 125 yards—but Mike McCarthy was notoriously slow to give him the full workload. Williams was the thumper, the guy who could pass protect and grind out four yards when you needed three. Looking back, that draft class was probably the biggest win of the entire 2017 campaign for Brian Gutekunst and Ted Thompson.
The Receiving Corps: Jordy's Last Ride
It's still kinda heartbreaking to think about Jordy Nelson in 2017. He and Rodgers had a psychic connection. In the first five games, Jordy had six touchdowns. He was on pace for a monster year. But once Rodgers went down, Jordy’s production evaporated. Hundley just didn't have the timing or the arm talent to find him in those tight windows where Jordy excelled.
- Jordy Nelson: The reliable veteran who ended up with 53 catches and only 482 yards—his lowest output in years.
- Davante Adams: This was the year he officially became "The Guy." He caught 10 touchdowns and proved he could produce even with backup-level quarterback play.
- Randall Cobb: Still a factor in the slot, but injuries were starting to sap that elite lateral quickness.
- Geronimo Allison: A solid depth piece who stepped up in big moments but wasn't a WR1.
Martellus Bennett was also there. Briefly. That was a disaster. The "Black Unicorn" was supposed to be the missing piece at tight end, but he ended up being waived with a "failure to disclose a medical condition" designation after only seven games. He went back to the Patriots and the whole thing left a sour taste in everyone's mouth in Green Bay.
A Defense in Transition (and Trouble)
If you look at the defensive side of the Green Bay roster 2017, you see why Dom Capers was eventually let go after the season. The talent was there in spots, but the secondary was a revolving door.
They had Kevin King as their top pick. He was 6'3" and fast, but he struggled with shoulder injuries right out of the gate. Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins—two former high picks—were struggling to find their footing. Randall actually got sent to the locker room during a game against the Bears. Not great for chemistry.
The pass rush was basically "Clay Matthews and Nick Perry or bust." Perry had a decent year with 7 sacks, and Clay had 7.5, but they couldn't stay healthy at the same time. When they were off the field, the defense couldn't get off the field on third down. It was a recurring nightmare for fans. Kenny Clark was the one true bright spot. He was only 21 or 22 at the time and was already starting to look like the dominant nose tackle he’d eventually become.
The Offensive Line: The Unsung Heroes
People forget how much shuffling happened up front. David Bakhtiari missed games. Bryan Bulaga tore his ACL. The Green Bay roster 2017 was forced to rely on guys like Justin McCray and Lucas Patrick way more than anyone anticipated.
McCray was basically the ultimate utility man, playing almost every position on the line at some point. It wasn't always pretty, but that group fought. Without them, Hundley probably wouldn't have survived the season. Corey Linsley remained the iron man at center, starting all 16 games and providing some much-needed stability in a locker room that felt like it was shifting under everyone's feet.
Special Teams and the Final Record
Mason Crosby was his usual steady self, which was one of the few things fans didn't have to worry about. But the return game was lackluster. Trevor Davis had speed but often made questionable decisions on when to bring the ball out of the end zone.
The Packers finished 7-9. It was the first time they missed the playoffs since 2008.
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It felt like the end of an era. And in many ways, it was. Ted Thompson moved to an advisory role shortly after, and the front office underwent a massive shift. The 2017 season served as a wake-up call that you can't just rely on one legendary quarterback to paper over every single crack in the roster.
Key Takeaways from the 2017 Campaign
If you're looking back at this roster for fantasy research, historical context, or just pure nostalgia, here are the things that actually matter:
- The Aaron Jones/Jamaal Williams Arrival: This was the birth of the modern Packers backfield. Even though they weren't used perfectly in 2017, the talent was obvious.
- The Secondary Struggle: The failure of the Randall/Rollins/King trio led to the eventual massive investment in Jaire Alexander and others.
- Davante Adams' Ascension: This was the year he proved he was a true WR1 regardless of who was throwing the ball.
- The Backup QB Lesson: Green Bay realized they couldn't neglect the backup position, eventually leading to more aggressive moves in that department later on.
To really understand the Green Bay roster 2017, you have to watch the film of the overtime win against the Browns or the narrow victory over the Bucs. Those were games where the team played with massive "grit" but clearly lacked the elite depth needed to compete with the likes of Philadelphia or Minnesota that year. It was a season of "what ifs" that ultimately forced the franchise to modernize its approach to roster building.
Moving forward, if you're analyzing this era, pay close attention to the snap counts of the rookies in the second half of the season. That's where the future of the team was actually being built, even while the playoff hopes were dying. Check out the coaching staff changes that followed—specifically the move away from the 3-4 defensive looks that had become stale—to see how this specific roster's failures shaped the next five years of Packers football. Watch the Week 5 Dallas game highlights if you want to remember what that roster looked like when everything was clicking before the injury. It’s the best evidence of what might have been.