Since 2011, the NFL has done a smart job of adjusting the market for young players. They are drafted (or go undrafted) with pre-established salaries, and can’t sign extensions early even if the performance is great.

Based on the current CBA, drafted players can only sign an extension after three regular seasons. Undrafted players, who have a three-year original contract, are eligible for extensions after two seasons.

Important note: if the player is waived and clears waivers, the original contract is over and the extension rules don’t apply anymore.

So starting on Monday, nine players from the Green Bay Packers are already eligible to receive a contract extension, even though the team is still in the playoffs. Obviously, it’s hard to imagine any deal being done throughout the postseason, as these things usually are negotiated after the season is over. But they can already do it.

Eight of them are players drafted in 2022 who are still in their original contracts:

• LB Quay Walker
• DT Devonte Wyatt
• WR Christian Watson
• G Sean Rhyan
• WR Romeo Doubs
• T Zach Tom
• DE Kingsley Enagbare
• T Rasheed Walker

The other players are wide receiver Malik Heath and defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. They signed with the Packers as undrafted free agents in 2023 and are still in their original rookie contracts. And the eleventh one is Malik Willis, whom the Packers acquired from the Tennessee Titans — he was drafted in 2022 and is still under his original contract.

All these 11 players are under contract for 2025, but the Packers have the option to extend him if needed/wanted.

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Safety Tariq Carpenter (San Antonio Brahmas, UFL), defensive tackle Jonathan Ford (Chicago Bears 53-man roster), and wide receiver Samori Toure (Chicago Bears practice squad) were also drafted by the Packers in 2022, but are not a part of the team anymore.

The extension rules don't apply to wide receiver Bo Melton (drafted in 2022) and offensive lineman Kadeem Telfort (UDFA in 2023) because they have been waived from their original contracts and signed new ones since.

Priorities

Right now, extensions for the two first-round picks (Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt) are unimaginable. The Packers won’t probably exercise their fifth-year options either, but they will let their contracts play out.

The realistic extension candidates are both wide receivers (Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs) and the two starting tackles (Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom).

As a fourth-round pick, Tom is certainly the most likely candidate to get a new deal, and Walker is right behind him. As for Watson and Doubs, it makes more sense to wait at least the start of the 2025 regular season.

There are a lot of tough decisions to make, and early extensions could be helpful to lock in good players while they are still cheap. Especially because, based on general NFL market rules, they will only get more and more expensive.

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