Packers upcoming free agents put pressure on the front office as difficult decisions officially begin
Brian Gutekunst has a lot of work to do.
The Green Bay Packers lost to the Chicago Bears, 31-27, and their 2025 season is officially over. Now, general manager Brian Gutekunst is already thinking about 2026 — and he better be, because there will be a lot of work to do in the offseason to keep building this roster.
The Packers have 10 pending unrestricted free agents, and some are impactful players who could leave Green Bay in March. There are also seven players slated to be restricted free agents, which is rare in the NFL.
Unrestricted free agents
- WR Romeo Doubs
- LB Quay Walker
- QB Malik Willis
- LT Rasheed Walker
- C Sean Rhyan
- EDGE Kingsley Enagbare
- S Zayne Anderson
- LB Nick Niemann
- TE John FitzPatrick
- LB Kristian Welch
Quay Walker is probably the player on this list that Brian Gutekunst wants to keep the most, but the linebacker market and Walker’s underwhelming performance throughout his rookie contract put his situation at risk. It’s possible the Packers try to keep one of Rhyan or Walker — more likely Rhyan, who’s cheaper given his position and would allow the Packers to release Elgton Jenkins from his $20 million contract.
Green Bay would also love to keep backup quarterback Malik Willis around, but he played great over the past two years, and it’s very likely that he will receive an opportunity to at least compete for a starting job — something he won’t with the Packers.
Restricted free agents
- RB Emanuel Wilson
- RB Chris Brooks
- EDGE Brenton Cox Jr.
- T Darian Kinnard
- EDGE Arron Mosby
- TE Josh Whyle
- DT Jonathan Ford
According to Over The Cap, the projected RFA tenders for 2026 are: first-rounder ($7.893 million), second-rounder ($5.658 million), and rights of first refusal ($3.453 million). The original round tender hasn’t been projected, but it should be something around $4.5 million.
This is how it works: If the Packers apply the tender, the player could simply sign it and play in 2026 under this one-year deal. However, another team can offer the player a long-term contract. If that’s the case, the Packers would have the option to match the offer or to allow the player to leave, receiving the corresponding compensation.
None of these players is a starter, so it’s unlikely that the Packers will need to offer him a big tender. One or two may receive the rights of first refusal — one of the running backs, for example, Brenton Cox, and/or Darian Kinnard.
Nevertheless, the most likely scenario is that the Packers don’t apply a tender on many of those players, making them unrestricted free agents. By that point, Green Bay could bring them back on cheaper deals, but they would be free to sign elsewhere if they wanted.
Exclusive-rights free agents
- WR/CB Bo Melton
- CB Kamal Hadden
- G Donovan Jennings
- C Lecitus Smith
Those are easy ones because the Packers can apply the ERFA tender, which is the minimum salary, ranging from $885k to $1.075 million depending on the player’s NFL experience. And the player has no option but to accept it or retire from the league.
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