The Green Bay Packers wanted a deal done. Tucker Kraft wanted a deal done. And so, just ahead of the start of the 2026 NFL regular season, a deal is indeed done, and it appears to be a great deal for both sides.
Tucker Kraft is now under contract with the Packers through the 2030 season, having reportedly signed a 4-year extension to keep him in Green Bay. According to multiple media reports, Kraft’s deal comes in at an initial base value of $75 million in new money over those four additional years
for an average value of $18.75 million, but it has another $17 million in bonuses and escalators that could make the maximum value of the contract $92 million in total.
That base number does not set a new record for tight ends — George Kittle still holds that mark at $19.1 million — but if Kraft hits the bonuses, that would push him well over Kittle’s mark. Interestingly, this structure seems to find a middle ground for both sides: the Packers avoid giving Kraft a market-setting deal with him coming off a torn ACL, but Kraft gets plenty of opportunities to increase his compensation, presumably by hitting various individual and team goals.
Kraft’s signing bonus is $26.5 million, according to Adam Schefter, which is likely the only fully guaranteed money in the deal. While he does not get the highest average annual value for a tight end on this deal, that signing bonus is the biggest ever for a player at that position.
This compensation now gets added on to his remaining contract for 2026, which had been set to pay him a base salary of $3,624,000 thanks to the NFL’s Proven Performance Escalator program.
Perhaps most remarkable is that Kraft seems fully ready to justify this deal despite not played a down of competitive football since tearing his ACL last November. Still, his recovery has been right on schedule, and he is set to be active with minimal if any limitations for Sunday’s season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
