While the Green Bay Packers still have five regular-season games to play after completing the season sweep of the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day with a 31-24 victory, plus, if all goes well down the stretch, one to four playoff games, it's never too early to start thinking about the offseason.
And what an interesting offseason it could be, as the Packers have close to 20 players set to hit some sort of free agency, a list that includes several starters and key contributors on both sides of the ball. And given that the Packers currently have just over $10.26 million in available salary cap space for the 2026 season—and actually go into the negative once you take the money allotted for their 2026 draft picks into account—they're simply not going to have enough money to keep everyone.
Contracts can (and will) be restructured to create more space, of course, and the cap number will undoubtedly rise to make even more, but Green Bay will still have to say goodbye to some players. And let's get real; they'll also want to say goodbye to some players, one of whom will actually help their salary cap situation, which is where we'll kick off our list.
Elgton Jenkins, C
Even before Elgton Jenkins suffered a fracture in his lower left leg in the Packers' Week 10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, his future in Green Bay was up in the air after he staged a hold-in during training camp as he sought a reworked contract with more guaranteed money to better secure his transition from left guard to center.
He eventually accepted the transition, as the Packers stood firm in their stance of keeping his contract exactly as it was. But Green Bay could very well go ahead and rework that contract this offseason by simply ending it.
The Packers would take on $4.8 million in dead cap money by releasing Jenkins, whose 62.0 overall PFF grade ranks 24th among 37 eligible centers, but would also save $20 million in cap space, a number that can't be ignored.
Rasheed Walker, LT
Sticking with the offensive line, we come to left tackle Rasheed Walker, who has been extremely cheap over the last four seasons thanks to his seventh-round draft status.
But all that is about to change. While Walker isn't one of the elite tackles in the NFL, currently ranking 40th among 81 eligible players at the position with a 66.3 overall PFF grade, he'll still likely receive upward of $20 million per season on his next contract, as tackles are often overpaid.
The Packers won't be paying that amount, nor should they, but if Walker does receive that figure elsewhere, Green Bay could get a fourth-round compensatory pick in the 2027 draft out of it.
Truth be told, the Packers could also part ways with Sean Rhyan, but getting rid of three starting offensive linemen obviously isn't ideal. We'll just have to wait and see how Rhyan performs at center as the rest of this season progresses.
Malik Willis, QB
The Packers may not want to part ways with backup quarterback Malik Willis, who has done a fine job of filling in for Jordan Love when called upon, but he may simply want to go someplace where he has a legitimate chance to compete for a starting job.
The Minnesota Vikings come to mind for obvious reasons, but we'll be nice and won't pull at the J.J. McCarthy thread right now.
Backup QBs are much more expensive than they were even a few years ago, so keeping Willis may not work from a financial standpoint anyway. He may actually command somewhere between $6 million and $8 million per season, as that's where the market for higher-end backups is right now. So, again, that might just be too much for Green Bay to pay at this point.
Bo Melton, CB
Much was made this offseason about Bo Melton switching from wide receiver to cornerback. But do you know how many snaps the 26-year-old has played at corner this season? That would be all of zero.
Melton has spent much of his time on special teams and has taken some snaps with the offense, tallying two receptions on six targets for 28 yards, with both of his catches going for first downs.
His versatility is nice, but unless the Packers can bring him back on some sort of minimum contract, this relationship likely ends once this season concludes.
Romeo Doubs, WR
This will undoubtedly be one of the trickiest decisions the Packers will have to make this offseason, as Romeo Doubs is having a solid season and actually leads Green Bay with 542 receiving yards.
Of course, that has to be taken with a grain of salt, with Jayden Reed missing most of the season, Tucker Kraft being lost to a season-ending injury, and Christian Watson having only appeared in six games thus far. But those yards and his five touchdowns have obviously still been helpful.
However, there's a bit of a difference in being a genuine WR1 or even a WR2 than the go-to receiver when options are limited, and Doubs has clearly been the latter more often than not. Nevertheless, he'll likely want to test the market, given the success he's had this season, and one would assume that some team will pay him the $12 million to $14 million he might command.
But that team likely won't be the Packers. Watson, Kraft, Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks, who had a great day against Detroit, are all set to become free agents in 2027, so Green Bay will obviously have to take care of some of those contracts as well. Plus, with Matthew Golden and Savion Williams now on the roster, Doubs is more expendable than he was a season ago.