Entering the 2026 offseason, the running back position has been one of the hottest topics concerning the Green Bay Packers, and that continued to close the month of February as one veteran appears to be on his way out the door in America's Dairyland.
While it remains to be seen what ultimately happens with MarShawn Lloyd, as he works his way back from yet another injury-riddled season, Green Bay could be moving forward without the luxury of having Emanuel Wilson as part of the fold behind starter Josh Jacobs.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, the Packers have no intention of placing a tender on Wilson ahead of free agency, making the 26-year-old an impending unrestricted free agent.
Packers Seemingly Moving Forward Without Emanuel Wilson
Seeing Brian Gutekunst and the Packers' front office come to this decision is a bit puzzling, especially when you consider how Wilson has been a consistent producer for Green Bay's offense over the last two seasons, playing in all 34 games, logging 998 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on just 228 carries.
However, as Fowler reported, what's done is done, and now that the Packers have opened up Wilson's availability to the rest of the league, it is hard to envision a scenario where he returns to Green Bay for the 2026 campaign.
If Wilson's tenure in Wisconsin has come to an end, the Packers will need to make some sort of move at the RB position just to ensure there is enough depth at that spot to make a serious push toward competing for a Super Bowl.
Given the fact that fellow backup RB Chris Brooks is set to enter restricted free agency in March, Green Bay has at least one option to potentially fall back on as depth behind Jacobs, and potentially Lloyd, assuming the former USC Trojan is ever healthy enough to put a full season together.
That being said, going into the 2026 campaign with the main options behind Jacobs being an unproven, albeit talented, recent draft pick, and potentially Brooks, who has 395 career rushing yards in 41 career games is not a scenario that any Cheesehead hopes to see play out between now and the start of training camp.
This is where Gutekunst earns his paycheck. The Packers' GM has already made it clear that Jacobs will be returning as Green Bay's RB1. There doesn't appear to be any wiggle room there, which makes the decisions that will follow regarding the pecking order of rushers behind the 28-year-old as important as any the front office will make in the coming weeks and months.