With the recent extensions of receiver Christian Watson and punter Daniel Whelan now finalized, let’s take a look at what the Green Bay Packers’ next move could be, as far as in-season extensions go. According to Over the Cap, the Packers are set to be over the 2026 salary cap already with just the players they have under contract next year, not including new extensions, their expected six-man 2026 draft class, the cost of practice squad players or the salaries of players who might end up on injury
lists next season.
From this point forward, any new signings would mean that the Packers will likely have to borrow cap space from future years to juice the current roster. This doesn’t include extensions for the 2023 draft class, either, which will be eligible for multi-year extensions for the first time next spring. Starters among the 2023 class include defensive end Lukas Van Ness, receiver Jayden Reed, tight end Tucker Kraft, defensive tackle Colby Wooden and cornerback Carrington Valentine.
Just keep that in mind when we discuss these 2026 free agents potentially inking extensions with Green Bay during the 2025 season. Every dollar is going to start mattering for the Packers’ cap calculations.
2026 Unrestricted Free Agents (8)
- QB Malik Willis
- WR Romeo Doubs
- TE John FitzPatrick
- LT Rasheed Walker
- RG Sean Rhyan
- DE Kingsley Enagbare
- LB Quay Walker
- LB Nick Niemann
The starters here, the players most likely to receive multi-year extensions, are receiver Romeo Doubs, left tackle Rasheed Walker, right guard Sean Rhyan and linebacker Quay Walker. In all likelihood, quarterback Malik Willis, tight end John FitzPatrick, defensive end Kinglsey Enagbare and linebacker Nick Niemann will probably test the open market, even if they eventually come back to Green Bay.
Based on the Packers’ recent actions, it seems like they’re ready to move on from Romeo Doubs and Rasheed Walker. Green Bay had the choice to sign Doubs to a multi-year extension this offseason, but instead chose to draft two top-100 selections at his position and give Watson a one-year extension to give them three contract-year players at receiver in 2026. It doesn’t take a genius to read between the lines here. The Packers also went out of their way to bank snaps at left tackle for 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan this preseason, which should allow them to move on from Walker in 2026 while having confidence that they have an answer at the position next year.
As far as I see it, the most likely extension candidates among this group are Rhyan and Quay Walker. With center Elgton Jenkins commanding a massive cap hit in 2026, he’s the most likely cap casualty on the roster going into next season. If the Packers wanted to name Rhyan as their 2026 starting center, he wouldn’t come close to the $24.8 million cap hit that Jenkins is slated for in 2026. That’s one way to save some cap space. In an ideal world, if Green Bay can get Rhyan to sign on a palatable number, the Packers’ line in 2026 probably looks something like Morgan, Aaron Banks, Rhyan, Anthony Belton and Zach Tom (left to right).
I’m not really sure what the holdup is with the Walker extension. He’s a season-long team captain. He’s the green dot on the defensive side of the ball. He’s played every snap of defense for the team thus far this year. But the Packers turned down his sub-$15 million fifth-year option this offseason, despite picking up defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt’s option. $15 million is a key number, as that’s what Nick Bolton and Jamien Sherwood signed for on a per-year average of multi-year contracts this spring. If Walker’s representation is smart, they wouldn’t take a dollar less than $15 million per on an extension.
2026 Restricted Free Agents (8)
- RB Chris Brooks
- RB Emanuel Wilson
- WR Malik Heath
- TE Ben Sims
- OL Darian Kinnard
- DE Brenton Cox Jr. (IR)
- CB Bo Melton
- S Zayne Anderson
There is no starter in this group, and the most-played offensive or defensive contributor out of these eight players is Darian Kinnard, who only played 17 snaps at right tackle in Week 2 compared to Belton’s 48. Like the non-starters who are unrestricted free agents, these players are most likely going to test the market in free agency before potentially re-signing with the Packers. If they come back to Green Bay, it would have to be on a cheap deal.
The minimum cost to tender these RFAs would be the $3.5 million right of first refusal tender. It’s hard to imagine that the Packers will commit to that number for any of these players, barring a 2026 breakout that has yet to begin.
2026 Exclusive Rights Free Agents (2)
- G Donovan Jennings
- CB Kamal Hadden
Both Jennings and Hadden will almost certainly return to the 2026 team because tenders for ERFAs are equal to non-guaranteed league-minimum salaries based on their service years. There’s essentially no downside to the Packers holding their rights for an extra season.
With players like Willis, Doubs and Walker likely hitting free agency and signing with other teams next offseason, Green Bay will need to backfill with cheap contracts so that they don’t lose 2027 compensatory draft picks (which they’ll desperately need) by offsetting losses with outside signings. Both Jennings and Hadden will help the team there.
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So who is next up? Probably just Quay Walker and potentially Sean Rhyan, though a Rhyan extension might be tricky considering that it would signal that the team is moving on from a current starter in Elgton Jenkins. Because of that factor, the Rhyan extension might have to come after the 2025 season. Morale matters, especially when Jenkins held out and then held in during the summer.
After that, expect to see Green Bay lock up tight end Tucker Kraft on a multi-year deal in the spring and then get ready for second- and third-wave free agency moves where the Packers will try to bring back their own for cheap, as they will try to cover the holes on their roster going into the 2026 draft without offsetting potential 2027 compensatory picks.
