Former promising Packers offensive weapon still offers reasons for optimism despite uncertain future
Tight end Luke Musgrave is entering the final year of his rookie deal. He’s not what the Packers once expected, but that doesn’t mean he has no value.
It’s easy to get trapped in a situation where you can’t see the value of Luke Musgrave. After all, the Green Bay Packers drafted him in the second round and projected him as a starter from Day 1. His rookie season was promising until he suffered an injury, and his career in Green Bay has gone South since.
At this point, the lack of production and fit questions in Matt LaFleur’s offensive scheme make it hard to believe that Musgrave will ever be what the Packers expected back in 2023.
Nonetheless, there’s no need to rush any plan to get rid of Musgrave. Three years later, the tight end is still a decent part of the roster.
The talent is still there
The Packers signed Luke Lachey this week to fill a need for a new Y-tight end on the roster. And that’s a position general manager Brian Gutekunst himself admitted was a necessity. While the first reaction for some could be framing it like Musgrave wasn’t the top backup tight end anymore, that’s absolutely not the case.
Lachey was a seventh-round pick last year and he didn’t even see regular season action. He’s fighting for a 53-man roster spot at best, perhaps a practice squad spot.
The fact is that the roster doesn’t have great options behind Tucker Kraft. And while Musgrave isn’t what was expected from him early on, he’s still the second best tight end of the group.
Contract situation
Luke Musgrave is in the final year of his rookie deal. His salary isn’t insignificant, but it’s not prohibitive either, as he’s making $1.905 million in 2026.
Theoretically, the Packers could move him for a Day 3 pick and get rid of the salary. But at this point, having a decent tight end with real pass-catching ability is more valuable than a late-rounder.
Luke Musgrave should be a better receiver to compensate for his lack of blocking ability to actually shine in LaFleur’s offense the way Kraft has. However, he did show some signs of improvement last year. The sample size isn’t huge because the coaching staff protected him, but Musgrave had the highest pass-block grade amongst Packers tight ends in 2025 (76.6), ahead of Kraft (53.5), Josh Whyle (60.3), and John FitzPatrick (73.6).
While Kraft was better as a receiver, especially generating yards after the catch, Musgrave had the second-most yards per route run (1.19) and a solid 100.5 passer rating when targeted.
The Packers will possibly be able to recoup the draft capital anyway if Musgrave leaves in free agency next offseason. For now, though, he can still be a solid pass-catching option in the middle of the field, even if his presence forces the staff to be less versatile.