For years, Lukas Van Ness has lived in a place called potential.
Everything about Van Ness as a prospect has been tantalizing. A raw but promising skill set as a pass rusher. Incredible athleticism. Positional versatility. He has always had it all. And what has it become?
Not much, if we’re being honest. The promise of potential has always loomed large for Van Ness, and despite plenty of positive talk from every coach and player who interacts with him, he’s always been just short of becoming the player people
seem to believe he can be.
But when does he take the leap? Does it ever happen? Can it?
That’s the question, but the Packers have made a big bet on Van Ness doing it. Picking up his fifth year option puts the Packers on the hook for a fully guaranteed 2027 salary of $13.7 million dollars. That’s not a bank-breaking number for an edge rusher, but it’s a big commitment for a player whose career has still been defined by potential to this point.
I still think Van Ness can be a useful player. What exactly that looks like is still up in the air, up there with his potential, I suppose. But that’s the tradeoff with potential. Sooner or later, it may turn out that a player has just become all he’s going to be. The promise of potential doesn’t always come through.
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