The Packers' 2016 season kicks off Sunday as Green Bay travels to Jacksonville to take on the up-and-coming Jaguars in a non-conference matchup.
Here is a look at the official starters on offense, defense and special teams, along with some interesting stats and facts and how to connect with them.
OFFENSE
Jordy Nelson, WR
Stat: Before missing all of last season with a torn ACL, he ranked second in the NFL among wide receivers in touchdown catches from 2011-2014 with 43, behind only Dez Bryant's 50.
Fun fact: In Kansas, Nelson won 3A track titles in the 100, 200, 400 and long jump at the 2003 state meet.
Interact: @JordyRNelson
David Bakhtiari, LT
Stat: He's started 46 of 48 regular-season games since being drafted in 2013, second-most on the offensive line over that span, behind T.J. Lang's 47.
Fun fact: His given name is David Afrasiab Assad Bakhtiari.
Interact: @DBak69
Lane Taylor, LG
Stat: He started the first two games of his career last year, at right guard Week 13 in Detroit and at left guard Week 17 vs. Minnesota.
Fun fact: While the Packers decided not to negotiate with Josh Sitton, who was entering the final year of his contract this season and got released last week, Taylor was signed to a two-year, $4.15 million contract on March 8.
Interact: @lanetaylor65
JC Tretter, C
Stat: He saw the most significant action of his career in 2015, appearing in all 16 games with three starts at center in place of an injured Corey Linsley, who's currently on the physically unable to perform list.
Fun fact: After being recruited to Cornell as a tight end, Tretter grew from a 238-pound freshman to a 300-pound All-American left tackle by his senior year.
Interact: @JCTretter
T.J. Lang, RG
Stat: He started 78 games over the past five seasons (2011-15), the most by any Green Bay offensive player over that span.
Fun fact: Lang has played all five line positions in his career.
Interact: @TJLang70
Bryan Bulaga, RT
Stat: He has not played 16 games in a season since his rookie year in 2010.
Fun fact: Bulaga is one of only two starting linemen, with Taylor, who is under contract beyond this season.
Interact: @BBulaga
Jared Cook, TE
Stat: According to NFL.com, before being drafted, he reportedly ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash and posted a 39.5-inch vertical leap in 2007.
Fun fact: In his seven pro seasons with the Titans and then Rams before signing with Green Bay, Cook played with 11 different quarterbacks (Kerry Collins, Vince Young, Rusty Smith, Matt Hasselbeck, Jake Locker, Sam Bradford, Kellen Clemens, Austin Davis, Sean Hill, Nick Foles, Case Keenum).
Interact: @JaredCook89
Randall Cobb, WR
Stat: He had a career-high 13 rushing attempts last year, though they only gained 50 yards (3.8-yard average).
Fun fact: Despite being recruited to Kentucky as a standout high school quarterback, he's only attempted one pass in his first five NFL seasons (it was incomplete).
Interact: @rcobb18
Aaron Rodgers, QB
Stat: He had the lowest passer rating of his career as a starter in 2015 (92.7).
Fun fact: Rodgers pitched for his high school baseball team for one all-important season.
Interact: @AaronRodgers12
Eddie Lacy, RB
Stat: He's one of only two NFL players, along with LeSean McCoy, to have three or more 100-yard rushing games each of the past three seasons.
Fun fact: Lacy's weight is still officially listed at 234 pounds, as it's been since his rookie year.
Interact: @Lil_Eazy_Ana_42
Aaron Ripkowski, FB
Stat: In 15 games as a rookie last season, he caught one pass for 18 yards and did not have a rushing attempt.
Fun fact: "Rip" only started 17 games during his four-year college career at Oklahoma.
Interact: @AaronRipkowski
Mike Daniels, DT Letroy Guion, NT Dean Lowry, DE Clay Matthews, OLB Blake Martinez, ILB Jake Ryan, ILB Julius Peppers, OLB Damarious Randall, CB Sam Shields, CB Morgan Burnett, SS Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, FS Mason Crosby, K Jacob Schum, P Brett Goode, long snapperDEFENSE
Stat: He was ranked 95th on NFL.com's Top 100 players of 2016 list.
Fun fact: Daniels is a fan of Japanese anime manga comics.
Interact: @Mike_Daniels76
Stat: He's played in all 29 games in which he's been eligible since joining Green Bay in 2014 (he was suspended the first three contests last year).
Fun fact: Guion is a cousin of recently released former Packers linebacker Sam Barrington.
Stat: As a senior at Northwestern last year, Lowry recorded 13.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Fun fact: At 6-foot-6, the rookie is the Packers' second-tallest defensive player, after 6-7 Julius Peppers.
Interact: @DeanLowry94
Stat: He started all 16 games for the second straight season in 2015, playing every contest at inside linebacker and earning his sixth selection to the Pro Bowl (first at ILB).
Fun fact: He originally was a walk-on at Southern California.
Interact: @ClayMatthews52
Stat: He led Stanford in tackles as both a junior (102) and senior (141), ranking first in the Pac-12 and seventh nationally in tackles in 2015.
Fun fact: "Machinez" earned his degree in management science and engineering at Stanford.
Interact: @Big__Blake50
Stat: Including the postseason, he tallied six or more tackles in six of the seven games he started as a rookie last year.
Fun fact: In college, Ryan wore his blonde hair long, like Matthews and former Packer linebacker A.J. Hawk, but he now keeps it short.
Interact: @JakeRyan_47
Stat: He has played in 218 games with 216 starts during his career, appearing in all 16 contests in 12 of his 14 years in the NFL, including both seasons with Green Bay.
Fun fact: At 36, Peppers is the oldest player on the Packers by four years (Rodgers, 32).
Stat: Was tied for second among NFL rookies in interceptions with three, returning one for a touchdown in 2015.
Fun fact: Randall played baseball at Butler Community College (Kansas) in 2010 and has two older brothers who were minor-leaguers.
Interact: @RandallTime
Stat: According to ProFootballFocus.com, he only allowed one receiving touchdown in 2015, which was tied for second in the NFL among players who played at least 50 percent of their team’s defensive snaps.
Fun fact: In college at Miami, Shields was a wide receiver until his senior year, when he transitioned to cornerback.
Interact: @ShieldSam37
Stat: He tied for the team lead in forced fumbles last year with two and has seven in his career.
Fun fact: Burnett's nickname is "Uno."
Interact: @MoBetta_42
Stat: He started all 16 games in 2015 and led the team with a career-best 117 tackles (97 solo) in his second pro season.
Fun fact: Clinton-Dix played in 99.7 percent of the defensive snaps in 2015, tied for the second-highest percentage among defensive players in the NFL, behind Philadelphia's Malcolm Jenkins 99.8 percent, according to footballoutsiders.com
Interact: @haha_cd6
SPECIALISTS
Stat: With 1,145 career points, he ranks first on the all-time franchise scoring list, having surpassed Ryan Longwell (1,054) last season.
Fun fact: Crosby once speared a 35-inch grouper.
Interact: @crosbykicks2
Stat: He played in all 16 games for the Buccaneers last year, averaging 41.9 yards per punt (38.0 net average) on 56 attempts.
Fun fact: He was signed on Aug. 30 when the Packers released veteran Tim Masthay.
Interact: @JakeSchum
Stat: He was one of only two Packers, along with Crosby, to appear in all 112 regular-season games from 2008-14.
Fun fact: He was re-signed on Sept. 5 after being out with a knee injury since Week 15 of 2015 and not on the roster.
Interact: @BGoode61
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
