The Green Bay Packers look to build off an 11-win season this year. Certain players on the Packers' roster have a lot to prove in 2025 due to factors such as injuries, poor play, and contract situations.
Some players will naturally have a shorter leash than others. For some, it may only be a matter of time before the team moves on.
With competition being brought in at positions like wide receiver, cornerback, and linebacker, the better players should come out on top as training camp approaches, ahead of a crucial season for this young football team.
Here are the five Packers with the most to prove heading into 2025.
These Packers players have everything to prove in 2025
WR Christian Watson
Time may have flown by, but this is the final year of Christian Watson's rookie contract. After starting out hot as a rookie, Watson's tenure in Green Bay has been marred by injuries, along with some costly drops that make Packers fans grimace.
Watson is recovering from a torn ACL, which he suffered in the Week 18 showdown with the Chicago Bears, an injury that could hold him out for a significant portion of 2025. Head coach Matt LaFleur said that Watson is "ahead of schedule" in his recovery, which is good news.
With remarkable size and speed and an ability to make contested catches, Watson has been the Packers' explosive threat down the field. With plenty of wide receiver talent in Green Bay already, the latest being first-round rookie Matthew Golden, Watson needs to stay on the field and show up in a big way if the Packers are to keep him. With Watson desperate to get back on the field, his future will be in his hands.
DE Lukas Van Ness
Lukas Van Ness did not have the breakout season many hoped for from the former first-round pick. Although he did show some progression following the Preston Smith trade, finishing the year with just three sacks is not productive enough.
Van Ness did say recently that breaking his thumb early in the year did make it difficult to play, which makes sense, given how important hands are to an edge-rusher's game. The Packers' lack of pass-rush production led to a coaching shakeup, with the team bringing in DeMarcus Covington as the new defensive line coach.
The Packers have a talented front seven on paper, with veterans like Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark leading the way. As a powerful rusher nicknamed "Hercules," Van Ness needs things to click fast before the Packers look elsewhere for support.
LB Quay Walker
The Packers chose not to exercise the option on Quay Walker's rookie deal, meaning this is his last year under contract. With fellow linebacker Edgerrin Cooper looking like a star in the making, Walker is most certainly on the hot seat, as he has had plenty of ups and downs during his tenure.
Through missed tackles and blown coverages, Walker's career has not necessarily panned out as the Packers envisioned after selecting him in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. If Walker were able to perform at his best consistently, he would have been able to stay off this list, but that is exactly what he has to prove.
Walker's lack of consistency has kept him from being a solid starter in the front seven and is part of the reason his fifth-year option was not picked up. All hope is not lost because if he can step into a consistent second linebacker to play alongside Cooper, there is a spot for him on this team beyond 2025.
WR Dontayvion Wicks
It is becoming apparent that there may just be too many bodies in this Packers' wide receiver room.
Dontayvion Wicks is entering his third year in the NFL and may be falling behind many within the group. With other receivers such as Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Christian Watson all outproducing Wicks, the addition of rookies Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, along with Mecole Hardman's veteran presence, there are limited opportunities.
Wicks' route-running and potential make him a promising young talent, but there may not be enough opportunities in Green Bay to keep him around long-term. With Watson and Doubs both entering their last seasons under contract, perhaps Wicks is seen as a better long-term project than keeping either of them around.
But he will have to prove himself. Per Pro Football Focus, Wicks had nine drops last season, tied for the seventh-most in the NFL. Wicks has potential but everything to prove.
CB Keisean Nixon
Former All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander is gone. Besides the addition of Nate Hobbs, the Packers failed to add much to their cornerback room (outside of the seventh round of the draft). Keisean Nixon is once again being asked to step up and prove he can be a legitimate first-option cornerback on the outside.
Along with Nixon, the Packers have the aforementioned Hobbs, as well as Carrington Valentine, two solid pieces in the secondary. The Packers can no longer rely on their All-Pro being healthy to fill the void in the room because they decided it was in their best interest to move on from him.
Nixon's responsibilities have only grown since Alexander's release, and he must prove the Packers are not putting too much on his plate. Nixon always believes in himself and is ready to take on the top wide receivers in the NFL. Now, he has to back up his words with his play on the field and prove that the Packers don't need to look elsewhere for secondary help.