The Green Bay Packers are still recovering from their sudden end to the 2025 season, which came in a 31-27 loss to the Chicago Bears on Saturday night. But they haven’t wasted time putting the wheels in motion for 2026, as a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggested the team and head coach Matt LaFleur are working on a contract extension that would keep him in Green Bay for the foreseeable future.
Packers fans haven’t reacted well to the report, and it could signal that the status quo is staying in Green Bay. With LaFleur likely to return, it’s even worse news for a group of players that could benefit from a fresh start and could either keep them in the doghouse to begin the new year or find a new team at some point this summer.
1. CB Keisean Nixon
Keisean Nixon’s year required plenty of patience from LaFleur and his staff. Moments after the 2024 season ended, Nixon found ESPN’s Rob Demovsky and declared that he was done with returning kicks. He also stated that he saw himself as a “CB1” and was granted the opportunity when the team moved on from Jaire Alexander last June.
Life in the NFL has a funny way of repeating itself, and Nixon could be on a similar path as Alexander after this year’s performance. The 28-year-old allowed 48 catches for 548 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season. Worse than that, when he wasn’t getting burned for a score, Nixon was usually grabbing onto his opponent, tying Riley Moss of the Denver Broncos with 12 penalties, according to Pro Football Focus.
Even then, there may have been a path for Nixon to be on the 2026 roster if he agreed to go back to kick return duties. But he may have forced his way out of Green Bay with his performance against the Bears, allowing five catches for 53 yards with a penalty on six targets and appearing to jump out of the way as D’Andre Swift scored a touchdown that cut Green Bay’s lead down to 21-16 with 10:08 to play.
Given their ability to get out of the final year of his contract, LaFleur may deem Nixon no longer worth the trouble.
2. RB Emanuel Wilson
If there’s one thing that LaFleur has shown during his tenure, it’s that he loves Josh Jacobs. Jacobs has 2,258 yards and 28 touchdowns since signing with Green Bay before the 2024 season. The favoritism extended to special teams when Jacobs returned a pair of kicks in Saturday night’s loss to the Bears. These are key signs that Jacobs isn’t going anywhere with LaFleur’s return, but could tell a different story for Emanuel Wilson.
Wilson’s stats won’t blow anyone away with 998 yards and seven touchdowns on 228 carries over the past two seasons. However, it felt like he was more deserving of a bigger role than the one he was getting. The 26-year-old racked up a 58.8 percent success rate over that timeframe, and he looked like a lead back during a Nov. 23 win over the Minnesota Vikings, running 28 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
Had LaFleur been fired, it may have been an avenue for Wilson to get that bigger role in Green Bay. But with Monday’s news, it’s more likely that LaFleur will continue to ride Jacobs as much as he can while Wilson watches from the sideline. With his turn in free agency approaching, Wilson could look to go to another place where he could see more action.
3. CB Nate Hobbs
Packers fans may need a refresher on Nate Hobbs after he was absent for most of the second half of the season. In the first year of a four-year, $48 million free agent contract, Hobbs didn’t come close to an adequate return on the investment, allowing 17 catches for 239 yards and three touchdowns with two pass breakups on 25 targets per PFF.
In addition to the poor performance on the field, there were plenty of struggles off of it. Hobbs couldn’t stay healthy, suffering a torn meniscus during the preseason, a sprained MCL in the middle of the season and an undisclosed knee injury that ended his season in December. He also drew the ire of LaFleur for hitting too hard during the opening practices of training camp and was involved in a play that injured running back MarShawn Lloyd after being warned by the coaching staff.
Hobbs has an out in his contract, but the Packers may want to give him another chance due to the current state of the defensive back room. Unlike the first two players on the list, it means Hobbs could be back, but he’ll need to put his best foot forward to get into LaFleur’s graces next season.