The Green Bay Packers have had an impressive start to the season, and a big reason for that has been their defense. The Packers jump-started the group by adding Micah Parsons to the fold just before the season began. The real winners, though, have been the players who have taken another step around him, including linebacker Quay Walker.
Walker is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is playing for a new deal after the Packers declined his $14.75 million option for the 2026 season last spring. While the move is usually indicative that a player is not in the team’s long-term plans, Walker has used it as an opportunity to cash in. With a strong four-game start, that plan is succeeding, and it could help the former first-round pick land a big contract when the season ends.
Quay Walker’s Hot Start Could Force Packers to Pay Up
The Packers didn’t turn down Walker’s option because they thought he was a bad player, but they did so to create financial flexibility. According to Over The Cap, accepting the option would have made Walker the seventh-highest-paid linebacker in the NFL next season, putting him behind former All-Pros Fred Warner, Roquan Smith, and Zack Baun, as well as Pro Bowler Tremaine Edmunds.
The other names on the list are more relevant to Walker’s case. Jamien Sherwood has an AAV of $15 million in his latest deal with the New York Jets, and Nick Bolton inked a similar contract with the Kansas City Chiefs to set the market. Neither player has become an All-Pro to this point in their careers, and at age 25, it sets the stage for Walker to cash in.
To this, Walker has taken advantage of the opportunity. His 42 tackles lead the NFL after four games, and while he has yet to record a sack, he has been everything the Packers have asked for. Walker currently holds a career-high 63.2 overall grade and 67.1 run defense grade, according to Pro Football Focus. While he allows a 109.6 passer rating in coverage, his attacking style fits what defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley wants to do on defense.
It’s a similar path that helped Bolton and Sherwood get paid as well. Bolton had better seasons on his resume, including a 77.3 overall grade with the Chiefs in 2022, but Kansas City opted to hang onto him after he posted a 63.7 overall grade and a 65.8 run defense grade last season. Sherwood has been the better of the two linebackers after tearing his Achilles during his rookie season in 2021 and was one of New York’s best defenders with a 73.8 overall grade and a 77.1 run defense grade last season.
Walker has had bumps and bruises along the way and has become a team leader for the Packers' defense after a costly penalty and ejection during the 2023 season finale. While his turnaround wasn’t enough for an immediate reward, Walker is doing his best to make sure the money is coming at the end of this season.
This puts the Packers in an interesting situation. Holding onto one of their top defenders seems like a good idea, but the Parsons deal currently has them $1.3 million over the cap heading into next season. While money can always be shifted around, it has also become taboo for teams to spend money on linebackers, opting to dedicate more of the salary cap to premium positions such as edge rusher, defensive tackle, and cornerback.
All this leads to a bigger question about where Walker could end up next year. But wherever that may be, it’s looking like he’ll be compensated well to play there.