The Green Bay Packers overhauled their pass-catchers' corps ahead of the 2026 season. Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs are no longer in the mix, which inevitably puts much more pressure on those who stayed.
That should be especially true of Tucker Kraft. The talented tight end was in the midst of a breakout season before an ACL tear cut his campaign short, and he's shown the ability to be the team's primary target.
The problem? Kraft is about to enter the final year of his contract, and while both parties have said all the right things about an extension, nothing is official until he puts pen to paper. Now, NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal chose him as the league's third-best 2027 free agent.
The Packers can't afford to let Tucker Kraft test free agency
"Both the Packers and Kraft have expressed confidence that a deal will get done soon, despite last November's ACL tear. The 6-foot-5, 259-pounder has rare value as a complete tight end," Rosenthal wrote.
Only Puka Nacua (No. 1) and George Pickens (No. 2) ranked ahead of the Packers' star. He would immediately be one of the most sought-after guys in the league if he were to test the open market, even with an ever-growing tight end market.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said that things could get complicated at the finish line. He was confident in the team's ability to get a deal done sooner rather than later, but that's definitely not what you want to hear with Week 1 just around the corner.
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that Kraft is unhappy, that he will hold out, or even that he wants to leave. Even if they don't strike a deal, he'd probably give the Packers a legitimate chance to convince him and keep him around in free agency.
That said, that's simply not a risk they can afford to take. There's no need to get to that if he wants to stay, and the Packers want to keep him around. There's still time to reach an agreement and put this story to bed once and for all.
Given how these situations usually unfold, the holdup might be more about guarantees and language than about money. The Packers have enough cash to pay him, but he's coming off a major injury, so they might want to protect themselves.
Kraft has emerged as Jordan Love's favorite and most reliable pass catcher. And with all the uncertainty surrounding Josh Jacobs and the running game, he might be in for an even bigger role this season.
Just pay the man already.
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