With an eye toward the future Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson pulled one of his many surprises on draft day 2015 when he selected Oklahoma fullback Aaron Ripkowski in the 6^th round.  The payoff from that selection will likely come as soon as this season.

Fullback was not a position of need at the time and the Packers would subsequently bring back ageing but still effective John Kuhn to compete with the rookie.  Coming into training camp Kuhn was looking at a spirited battle just to remain on the roster against younger and cheaper competition.  No surprise, Kuhn came through once again.

While almost every other team in the NFL has devalued the position, the Packers still hold the fullback position in esteem.  John Kuhn, the man and player, has also earned near universal respect around the league.  To top off his year Kuhn was elected a captain for the 2015 - 2016 playoff run.  It is hard to find a more popular player and leader on the Green Bay Packers.

Yet professional football is a young man’s game and father time waits for no one.  The nine-year veteran will turn 34 prior to next season (September 9) and his replacement is already in the building.  Kuhn is an unsigned and unrestricted free agent and the market for his services will be minimal.  A succession plan for the fullback position is already in place and will almost surely come to fruition for the 2016 season when the Packers will likely allocate only one slot to the position and bid adieu to Kuhn.

Yet John Kuhn will be a hard person to part ways with as 2015 showed that he still had the stuff to contribute to his team.

One of the more obvious changes when head coach Mike McCarthy resumed play-calling duties in mid-season was the additional workload for Kuhn.  With Clements at the controls Kuhn played a total of 140 snaps in 12 games.  Under McCarthy Kuhn logged 223 snaps in just six games including career highs for a single game - first against Oakland (47) only to eclipse that mark (53) against the Minnesota Vikings. 

At his age the 6’0” 250 lb. Kuhn is almost no threat to run or catch the ball anymore. His modest stats for the season were 9 carries for 28 yards and 6 catches on 10 targets for 56 yards.  Where Kuhn is most effective is his short yardage contribution where he recorded two touchdowns. 

ProFootball Focus * has Kuhn statistically ranked as the 5^th best fullback with a cumulative score of 66.1 – Patrick DiMarco of the Atlanta Falcons was number one at 83.0.  Yet his pass blocking score of 73.9 was third best in the entire league for the position.

Kuhn is also a key contributor on special teams and with his knowledge of the Packers offense his presence on the field is akin to having another coach in the huddle.

Aaron Ripkowski made a case for himself with his special teams’ contribution during the 2015 season.  At 23 (he will not turn 24 until December) he is 10 years Kuhn’s junior.  Physically imposing at 6’ 1” and 246 lbs. Ripkowski also logged 309 special teams’ snaps and recorded 9 tackles - good for fifth on the team.  Ripkowski is said to be smart, tough, an accomplished enough runner and an above average receiver.

If Thompson decides to go with just Ripkowski it likely won’t be a financial decision.  As a 10 year veteran Kuhn is eligible to sign for the veteran’s minimum which would aid the team’s salary cap ramifications.  The current system works like this:  Veterans with 4 or more seasons making the minimum salary for their service (and with bonuses not [currently] greater than $65,000) are subject to the Minimum Salary Benefit.  Players qualifying under this scenario only count against the cap by the contract amount for a veteran with two credited seasons. This allows fringe or older veterans who don't command large contracts to remain in the league without becoming too expensive for teams.

To guard against in-season injures at key positions during the season such as wide receiver, cornerback and offensive line, it would be surprising to keep two fullbacks again for 2016.  But with Kuhn’s proven value to the team an invite to training camp wouldn’t be a total surprise.  Making the roster, however, would have to be considered a long shot, but don’t tell that to John Kuhn who has become a master at overcoming long odds.

*Pro Football Focus’ ratings go from 0-100; 0-59 = replaceable, 60-69 = backup, 70-84 = starter, 85-89 = Pro Bowler, 90-100 = Elite