The Green Bay Packers have been active this offseason as they attempt to get to the top of the most competitive division in football. The Detroit Lions had the best record in the NFC last season at 15-2. The Minnesota Vikings were right behind them at 14-3. Rumors of Aaron Rodgers landing in Minnesota have only widened the gap with the Packers, who finished with an 11-6 record but feel like a distant afterthought from their divisional rivals.
That’s not to say the Packers have had a bad offseason. The free agent signings of Aaron Banks and Nate Hobbs shored up needs along the offensive line in the secondary. But their best chance to keep up with their rivals may be to improve their pass rush.
The Packers’ efforts came up short early as Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby wound up staying with their original teams and Trey Hendrickson could be on the verge of an extension after some initial offseason drama. But a new name that could be available could help solve the Packers’ problem and help them gain ground on their NFC North counterparts.
Jaguars Reportedly Willing to Listen to Travon Walker Offers
According to Walter Football’s Charlie Campbell, the Jacksonville Jaguars are willing to listen to offers for edge rusher Travon Walker. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Walker has recorded double-digit sacks in back-to-back campaigns and could be looking for a contract extension ahead of next season.
While some sources told Campbell that Walker remains part of the team’s long-term plans, he heard from others that suggested the 24-year-old could become available in order to fill the holes on the team’s roster.
“To be clear, Jacksonville likes Walker, and they are not shopping for him,” Campbell wrote. “However, they do not feel that Walker is a dominating force that like Garrett, Crosby or Hutchinson can be. One might expect that Walker will want to be paid like Crosby or Garrett and sources say the Jaguars would have to listen to offers and consider a trade package if it brought them a package of early-round picks.”
It’s a situation that is popping up more across the leagues. Defenders are breaking the bank more often and the market exploded in the opening months of the offseason. The Cleveland Browns gave Garrett $40 million per season to convince him to rescind his trade request earlier this month and Crosby got $35.5 million to stay with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Walker’s asking price could also go up in the coming weeks as the Detroit Lions are in the “planning stages” of a contract extension with Aidan Hutchinson. If Hutchinson agrees to a deal, Walker could want more money, prompting the Jaguars to consider whether it would be a better move to acquire pieces to build around quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
If that happens, Brian Gutekunst should make the call immediately. The Packers have eight total selections in this year’s draft and have all of their picks in the 2026 draft available to make a move. Gutekunst has also shown a willingness to trade this year’s first-round pick (No. 23 overall) and Walker could be a good reason to send it to Jacksonville.
After missing on most splashes, adding Walker to pair with Rashan Gary and Kingsley Engabare seems like a good move to the future. But it’s all dependent on whether the Jaguars become the latest team to pay their star edge rusher.