The Green Bay Packers are entering a pivotal season, both for their immediate Super Bowl chances and their long-term outlook.
For now, the salary cap picture looks healthy. Green Bay has just over $25 million in space this season, the eighth-most in the NFL. Any money they don’t use will roll over into 2026, giving them a valuable cushion.
That’s where things get tricky. According to Spotrac, the Packers currently project to have $51.1 million in space next year. On paper, that looks like a comfortable figure, but it will disappear quickly.
Green Bay has nine players set to hit unrestricted free agency—including multiple starters and key rotational pieces—along with eight restricted free agents and two exclusive-rights free agents.
That sheer volume of contracts means the front office won’t be able to keep everyone. Difficult decisions are coming, and the roster will almost certainly look much different in 2026.
With so much uncertainty looming, it’s fair to say several Packers are entering what could be their final season in Green Bay.
1. Malik Willis, QB
Green Bay struck gold when they landed Malik Willis from the Tennessee Titans for a seventh-round pick. What once looked like a throwaway trade quickly became a steal. Willis blossomed into a capable backup, filling in admirably and helping the Packers secure several wins last year when Jordan Love was banged up.
But the future is less clear.
Willis is set to hit unrestricted free agency after this season, and the odds of him staying in Green Bay are slim. He’ll want two things the Packers can’t provide: a hefty contract and a legitimate chance to start.
The silver lining is Green Bay should recoup more than what they gave up. The NFL’s compensatory pick formula rewards teams that lose quality free agents, and Willis projects to fetch a solid draft asset. For comparison, the Minnesota Vikings are in line for a fourth-rounder after Daniel Jones left in free agency. If Willis lands a big deal elsewhere, the Packers could be looking at a similar return.
That’s the type of forward-thinking move the front office has to consider as they juggle win-now aspirations with next year’s roster puzzle. Willis gave them value in 2024 and 2025, but his future almost certainly lies elsewhere.
2. Romeo Doubs, WR
The Packers will have plenty of questions to answer at wide receiver in the years to come, starting with the most obvious: who will eventually emerge as their true No. 1 option?
That’s a question for a different day, but the immediate question is which wideouts Green Bay will actually keep around once their rookie contracts start expiring.
Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson both hit unrestricted free agency in 2026. A year later, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks will follow. Add in the fact that Green Bay just invested significant draft capital in first-rounder Matthew Golden and third-rounder Savion Williams, and it’s clear that the front office is already planning ahead for major turnover at the position.
If one of the current core is the odd man out, Doubs feels like the most likely candidate. Watson still has tantalizing untapped potential that the Packers may be reluctant to walk away from.
Doubs, meanwhile, has been steady and reliable but may not have the ceiling the team wants as they reshape the room.
When healthy, Doubs has shown flashes of being a dependable chain-mover with red zone ability. A strong year could make him a popular name in free agency.
Ultimately, Green Bay may be forced to let him walk. With so much young talent under contract and a pair of recent investments at wide receiver, the Packers may simply decide to allocate their resources elsewhere in 2026.
3. Rasheed Walker, OT
If you want proof of the Packers’ ability to develop offensive linemen, look no further than Rasheed Walker.
A seventh-round pick in 2022, Walker started out buried on the depth chart, worked his way into the rotation, and eventually carved out a full-time role protecting Jordan Love’s blindside. He’s gone from late-round flier to reliable starter, the exact kind of success story Green Bay prides itself on.
Walker is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency after this season, and the Packers may have already drafted his replacement.
In 2024, Green Bay used a first-round pick on Jordan Morgan, a talented tackle who looks like the long-term answer at the position. Morgan has already pushed Walker during training camp and could be in the starting lineup sooner rather than later.
That leaves the Packers with a choice: pay Walker starter-level money to keep him around, or let him walk and hand the reins to Morgan, who will be on a cost-controlled rookie contract for the next several years. Given Green Bay’s financial juggling act in 2026, the latter path may be more appealing.
4. Sean Rhyan, RG
Switching from left tackle to right guard, the Packers will soon face another decision on the offensive line. Truth be told, it may not be all that difficult.
Green Bay has never seemed overly high on Rhyan. Despite being a third-round pick in 2022, he didn’t log a single offensive snap as a rookie. He got a little more action in Year 2, but still failed to start a game.
Heading into 2024 training camp, it looked like Jordan Morgan was lined up to win the right guard spot after a competition with Rhyan. But when Morgan went down with injuries, Rhyan stepped in and held onto the job.
That didn’t stop the Packers from drafting Anthony Belton in the second round in 2025. Belton projects to slide inside at the NFL level and could be Rhyan’s long-term replacement. The writing may already be on the wall for Rhyan, who looks likely to hit unrestricted free agency next spring.
5. Kingsley Enagbare, DE
The Packers still haven’t solved their pass rush puzzle. Between the hefty extension for Rashan Gary and premium draft picks spent on Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Devonte Wyatt, and Kenny Clark, the front four should be more than just average.
Unfortunately, Enagbare doesn’t project as the missing piece. He’s flashed during camp and appears to be developing nicely as a rotational edge rusher, but he’s best suited as a fourth defensive end—not a starter.
That reality could push him to seek greener pastures and a bigger role elsewhere in free agency next offseason. Green Bay might have interest in bringing him back, but only on a team-friendly deal that reflects his value as depth rather than a cornerstone.
6. Quay Walker, LB
When the Packers declined Quay Walker’s fifth-year option for 2026, it left the door open for him to return—but not at the inflated price tag. At the time, it seemed Green Bay still valued him, just not at that number.
Then the preseason shifted the conversation. It’s not that Walker has been bad, it’s that Ty’Ron Hopper has been hard to ignore.
The 2024 third-round pick essentially redshirted as a rookie, but he’s made a leap this season. Hopper has been flying around the field, attacking run lanes with controlled aggression and showing progress in coverage. The strides he’s made could convince coaches he’s ready to take over a starting role.
If that confidence sticks, the Packers may decide to move on from Walker rather than pay him a hefty second contract, opting instead to roll with Hopper on a cost-controlled rookie deal.