With nearly 25 players set to enter some sort of free agency this offseason, the Green Bay Packers certainly have plenty of decisions to make in the very near future, as the 2026 League Year begins on March 11, with the negotiating period opening two days earlier.
Among the names on that list are several starters, including a pair of offensive linemen in Sean Rhyan and Rasheed Walker. Elgton Jenkins may also find himself available, as his $24.33 million cap number for the 2026 campaign makes him a prime cut candidate since the Packers would only take a dead cap hit of $4.8 million.
Then, of course, there's the matter of wide receiver Romeo Doubs, who led Green Bay in receptions (55) and receiving yards (724) and tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns (6). Backup quarterback Malik Willis is also in line to hit the open market and is expected to have several suitors.
However, ESPN believes the most important decision the Packers have to make regarding their own free agents revolves around linebacker Quay Walker.
The Packers have a big decision to make on Quay Walker
The NFL Nation team at ESPN recently listed one free agent for each team "whose contract status will shape that franchise's offseason the most." And Rob Demovsky feels Walker is that player for the Packers.
"Given that receiver Romeo Doubs and backup quarterback Malik Willis are likely luxuries the Packers can't afford, Walker becomes the biggest decision. They declined the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, but GM Brian Gutekunst has claimed all along he wants Walker back on a long-term deal. There had been on-and-off negotiations, but it's clear Walker won't come cheap. So the question is how much the Packers value him and whether they think they're positioned to replace him and make Edgerrin Cooper the centerpiece of the linebacker group."
Gutekunst did indeed discuss his desire to ink the 2022 first-rounder to a long-term extension last summer. But just as there were questions about why the Packers didn't exercise his fifth-year option, there were also questions about why a new deal didn't materialize before the 2025 season began.
And the likely (and somewhat simple) answer to both questions, of course, is that Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur just wanted another year to see if he'd be worth it, a decision some Cheeseheads likely didn't mind, as the former Georgia Bulldog has been quite the polarizing player for quite some time now.
Walker certainly had a solid enough season, at least for a guy making $4.4 million, setting a new career high with a team-best 128 tackles, with eight tackles for losses, the second-best total of his young career, and five passes defensed. He also produced his third consecutive season with 2.5 sacks.
Once again, however, he failed to make many genuinely impactful plays, recording zero interceptions, zero forced fumbles, and zero fumble recoveries for the second straight season. And there's no getting around the fact that he got torched in the Packers' postseason loss to the rival Chicago Bears, as PFF charged the 25-year-old with seven completions for 105 yards and a touchdown.
As for his PFF grades for the year, Walker's overall mark of 48.5 ranked 74th among 88 eligible linebackers, his 62.0 pass-rush grade ranked 49th, his 54.5 run-defense grade ranked 74th, and his 44.9 coverage grade ranked 70th. That's not what you want in a contract year.
Now, the good news about a below-average season is that his price tag won't be as high if the Packers want to bring him back. Walker's fifth-year option on his rookie deal would have cost Green Bay $14.75 million for the 2026 season. As it stands now, Spotrac projects his next contract to cost a little under $9.7 million per year.
Even at a cheaper rate, though, Green Bay may not even want him back, seeing as how Edgerrin Cooper and Isaiah McDuffie each had strong campaigns, perhaps putting the Packers in a position to replace Walker in the draft.
We now just sit back and wait to see how things play out.