The Green Bay Packers’ latest injury update might have determined that a former high draft pick won’t play another snap for the team. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was asked on Thursday whether tight end Luke Musgrave will play again this season as he recovers from a neck injury. LaFleur’s answer didn’t offer much clarity about a 2026 return.

“That’s tough to say right now,” LaFleur said. “Until proven otherwise, I would say no, but I would never close the door on that.”

That isn’t the tone of a team expecting its tight end back anytime soon. And with Musgrave in the final year of his rookie contract, the timing makes his situation even more significant.

A long road back from the neck injury

Musgrave suffered the neck injury during the offseason program and opened training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Green Bay then moved him to the reserve/PUP list to start the regular season, which forced him to miss at least four games. The expectation, though, was that he would eventually miss much more than that.

At that point, the Packers said Musgrave could potentially return at some point during the season. Since then, his situation hasn’t become any clearer. Based on LaFleur’s comments, it doesn’t sound promising for the former second-round pick.

From Day 1 starter to afterthought

Green Bay selected Musgrave in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft, and he immediately took over as the starting tight end. However, he suffered a lacerated kidney in Week 11 of his rookie season, and he never was the full-time starter again for the Packers.

Part of that came from Tucker Kraft taking the position by storm. But more than that, Musgrave never developed as a blocker or as a YAC player. He is a solid receiver, but he never materialized into what the front office expected when it drafted him. Because LaFleur’s offensive structure demands blocking from tight ends, Musgrave gradually became an afterthought on the depth chart.

In his three seasons with the Packers so far, Musgrave played 35 games with 22 starts. He totaled 65 receptions, 649 yards, and just one regular season touchdown. He also appeared in four playoff games, catching seven passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. That score came as a rookie against the Dallas Cowboys.

Now, Musgrave is in the final year of his rookie deal, and it’s unclear whether he will stay in Green Bay beyond this season. More likely than not, he won’t. Therefore, if Musgrave misses the rest of the year, he has potentially already played his final snap as a Packer.

A rebuilt tight end room

The Packers somewhat rebuilt the tight end room right before the regular season. Kraft and Josh Whyle remain in place. Green Bay also traded a 2028 seventh-round pick to acquire Mark Redman from the Los Angeles Rams. The team also signed veteran Jonnu Smith, a former Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers tight end, in free agency.

Those four tight ends make up the position group on the 53-man roster. Redman is more of a blocker, while Smith handles the receiving role Musgrave was supposed to fill. The Packers also have Drake Dabney on the practice squad.

That depth explains why there is no urgency to rush Musgrave back. The front office already found answers for both sides of the job, so his recovery timeline doesn’t dictate anything for the offense. For a player who arrived with high expectations, that’s a quiet way for his time in Green Bay to potentially come to an end.