​The Green Bay Packers were arguably the most disappointing team in football last year, and few clubs seemed to have as much talent and squander it as decisively as Packers coach Matt LaFleur. Going into the 2025 season with one of the league’s strongest rosters, Green Bay shocked many by trading for star defensive end Micah Parsons just ten days before the season began. The move lit up the fan base, and Packer Nation pictured their first Super Bowl appearance since 2010.
But the reality was far different. Green Bay posted a frustrating 9-8-1 record and finished as the NFC’s seventh seed for a third straight year. In the Wild Card round, the Packers squandered a 21-3 halftime lead against Chicago, allowed 25 points in the fourth quarter, and fell 31-27 to their longtime rival. “No way you should lose games in this league when you’re up that much,” said running back Josh Jacobs.
After starting 9-3-1, Green Bay slumped to five consecutive losses to end the season. The team now enters 2026 with one of the league’s longest active losing streaks. The late collapse defined Green Bay’s 2025 campaign.
The questions about resilience and execution persisted, as the Packers endured a brutal run in free agency and entered the draft without a first-round pick. Their first training camp practice is set for July 29. In the lead-up, I will count down the “30 Most Important Packers” for the 2026 campaign. At No. 17 is center Sean Rhyan.
Rhyan opened the 2025 season by starting four games at right guard and averaging 62.3 snaps per contest. He then played only 11 snaps while backing up Jordan Morgan in Week 6, and didn’t participate in a single offensive snap in Week 7. After being benched, Rhyan admitted uncertainty about his future with Green Bay, saying, “I don’t know. Right now it doesn’t look good.”
Events shifted when center Elgton Jenkins suffered a season-ending fractured fibula on Nov. 10 against Philadelphia. Rhyan moved to center, adapting to a new position on the fly, and gradually improved as the season progressed. He finished with an overall grade of 58.5 from Pro Football Focus, ranking 31st out of 40 qualifying centers. Despite the modest rating, the Packers were impressed enough to give Rhyan a three-year, $33 million contract with an $11 million signing bonus ahead of his free agency in March.
Rhyan, a 2022 third-round pick, faced setback when he was suspended during the prior season, but his late-season versatility and development earned him another chance in Green Bay. “Man, if you told me that I would be here with a second contract about a year ago, or even eight months ago, I would have said, yeah, you must have some crystal ball that I don’t know about,” Rhyan said.
As Rhyan enters his next chapter with the Packers, the organization will be counting on him to solidify the interior line and contribute to a more competitive 2026 squad.