The Green Bay Packers have been looking to upgrade their offensive line this season, and the changes have already begun during the opening week of free agency. The Packers struck early to retain Sean Rhyan on a three-year, $33 million contract extension, but Green Bay presumably took a hit when Rasheed Walker departed for the Carolina Panthers.
Walker’s final contract of one year and $10 million was surprising to Packers fans who expected he would get double the money as part of a multiyear deal. It also may have had some wondering whether keeping Walker was a good idea to keep a starter in the mix.
But with the ink still drying on Walker’s new contract, the Packers already find themselves as winners of the decision and could reap the benefits when next season begins.
Packers Gain More Than They Lose As Rasheed Walker Leaves for Panthers
The price was a key reason many believed Walker wouldn’t be returning to Green Bay when he became a free agent. But his performance was another reason to move on. According to Pro Football Focus, Walker’s overall grade of 63.0 ranked 59th out of 94 qualifying tackles last season, and his 40 pressures allowed ranked 16th among that group with five sacks on 588 pass-blocking snaps.
The worst part about Walker is that the more he played, the worse he seemed to get. Last year’s overall grade was a career low and a steep dropoff from his career-high of 68.7 established in 2024. But his last eight games in a Packers uniform were particularly concerning, posting an overall grade of 56.5 and allowing 18 pressures with two sacks and seven penalties (one declined) in 269 pass-blocking snaps.
Those numbers are probably why most teams balked at the idea of giving Walker a lucrative contract in free agency. But they also shine light on why the Packers believed it was a good idea to let him go.
The most obvious benefit is promoting Jordan Morgan into the starting lineup. The 2024 first-round pick has spent his first two seasons playing at guard and tackle, but showed significant splits between his time at guard and his time at tackle last season.
Playing Guard | Playing Tackle | |
|---|---|---|
Total Snaps | 435 | 240 |
PFF Overall Grade | 56.1 | 74.5 |
Run-Blocking Grade | 54.2 | 75.7 |
Sacks Allowed | 2 | 2 |
Pressures Allowed | 14 | 5 |
While having Morgan focus all of his efforts on protecting Jordan Love’s blindside is a plus, so is the $10 million the Packers are saving by letting Walker head to Carolina. While signing a free agent to shore up the cornerback room or add another pass rusher would be beneficial, the Packers could also use that money to lock up some core pieces, with Tucker Kraft and Christian Watson among the players who could be looking for an extension in the next year.
Walker’s departure also continues the Packers’ current trend of stockpiling 2027 draft picks. Trading Gary to the Dallas Cowboys netted Green Bay a fourth-round pick in next year’s draft. The Packers could have even more on the way with Over The Cap projecting a pair of fourth-round picks (Malik Willis and Romeo Doubs), a fifth-round pick (Quay Walker), and a sixth-round pick (Rasheed Walker) as part of the league’s rules for compensatory picks for players that leave in free agency.
Even if Morgan doesn’t live up to his potential with a move to the starting lineup, the Packers could use those 2027 picks to move up or down the board in next year’s draft. For a team that won’t have a first-round pick in 2027 due to the Micah Parsons trade, it could be the push to get a draft-day deal done, giving them flexibility to move up and down the draft board.
In the end, losing a four-year starter has some repercussions for the Packers. But the reward outweighed the risk of letting Walker go and could help Green Bay reload after several players left in free agency this offseason.