The Green Bay Packers have taken care of many of their best young pass catchers in the last few months, as Christian Watson and Jayden Reed have been handed long-term contracts. The next man up for such a contract is tight end Tucker Kraft, who has evolved from a third-round pick to a player who is performing like one of the best in the league at his position.
The market for top tight ends isn't too outrageous, as San Francisco's George Kittle and Arizona's Trey McBride were the only players making more than $18 million per season prior to Tuesday afternoon. The $18 million club grew by one, as the Atlanta Falcons gave former top pick Kyle Pitts a three-year, $54 million contract, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The Packers now have a new baseline from which they can start to operate in Kraft extension talks. Even if he doesn't get that sort of contract, any hope they had of Kraft asking for less than $15 million seems to have gone by the wayside. It's now incumbent on Green Bay to decide if that price is worth paying at this point.
Packers may need to pay up for Tucker Kraft after Kyle Pitts extension
Kraft, who was averaging over 60 yards per game last season before injury took away half of his 2025 campaign, will likely end up as the fourth-highest-paid tight end in the game. The sweet spot will be sandwiched in between Pitts at $18 million and New York Giants free agent Isaiah Likely at just under $14 million.
No one is doubting Kraft's skills as a receiving tight end, as he has shown the ability to beat even the best coverage linebackers like drums over the course of his career. His health is a question mark, but that likely won't be any sort of barrier that will prevent a deal from getting done.
It might cost quite a pretty penny to keep Kraft, and it seems unlikely that both he and former second-round pick Luke Musgrave will both be signed to long-term contract extensions, but the Packers would be kidding themselves if their vision of a passing game that helps them break through in an increasingly crowded NFC doesn't include the South Dakota State star.
The Pitts deal simply means that it'll cost this front office a few million more a year. This team has shown no indication it won't splash the cash for Jordan Love's top targets, however.
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