The Green Bay Packers' season may have just ended in heartbreak, leaving major questions about who will return in 2026, but for GM Brian Gutekunst, it's business as usual.
There is no time to waste. Roster building is a 365-day process, and he must immediately turn the page to the new year. The first step was to sign several players to reserve/futures contracts. They will join the team's 90-man roster at the beginning of the new league year in March.
Gutekunst wasted no time signing 16 players to reserve/futures deals following Green Bay's playoff exit.
Packers sign 16 players to reserve/futures contracts after playoff elimination
The Packers have officially announced the 16 signings, all of whom spent time on the practice squad this season.
- T Brant Banks
- DL Dante Barnett
- G Karsen Barnhart
- DL Anthony Campbell
- TE McCallan Castles
- T Dalton Cooper
- TE Drake Dabney
- DL James Ester
- K Lucas Havrisik
- CB Tyron Herring
- LB Jamon Johnson
- RB Damien Martinez
- S Mark Perry
- WR Will Sheppard
- RB Pierre Strong Jr.
- TE Messiah Swinson
Many of the names above will stay with Green Bay throughout the offseason program and into training camp, giving them an opportunity to make an impact and eventually secure a spot on the 53-man roster.
Throughout the offseason, teams can hold up to 90 players on their rosters and don't have to reduce that number to 53 until the end of the preseason.
The player who stands out the most is kicker Lucas Havrisik, who played three games for the Packers this season in place of an injured Brandon McManus. During that time, he converted all four field goals, including a franchise-record 61-yarder, as well as seven of his nine extra-point tries.
Might there be a kicking competition this summer? When healthy, McManus was generally steady, but the veteran put in an awful performance in the playoffs, missing a 55-yard field goal before the half, an extra point, and then a 44-yard field goal. The Packers lost by four. He also missed a field goal in last year's playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He has saved his worst moments for the biggest stage.
Time will tell. For many of the players signed to reserve/futures contracts, they will have an opportunity to prove themselves just a few months from now when the offseason program begins.