With the 2026 NFL season officially underway, the Green Bay Packers are on the clock to finalize a contract extension with team captain and starting tight end Tucker Kraft. The 25-year-old appears fully healthy after suffering a torn ACL midway through last season and has no injury designation heading into their Week 1 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.
Packers fans have been waiting for their team to finalize a new deal with their standout tight end all offseason, but it still hasn't come to fruition, leaving many to wonder if Kraft will play out the last year of his deal and hit free agency next offseason. However, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter offered some hope during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
"The Packers have a relatively strong offer out there [to Tucker Kraft]. I think it's hard, coming off an ACL, to turn down real money," Schefter said. "Now I don't know what the guarantee the Packers have to Tucker Kraft [is], but those conversations will go on up until the weekend, and I'm just saying, common-sense-wise, I could see Tucker Kraft getting it done."
If Schefter's reporting is true and Green Bay has a serious offer on the table for Kraft, it's hard to imagine a former third-round selection coming off an ACL tear turning down that kind of money.
Tucker Kraft and the Packers have a responsibility to get a contract extension finalized before Green Bay's season opener.
Allowing these negotiations to linger into the season doesn't serve anyone involved. Green Bay knows it wants to keep Kraft, and from everything we've seen thus far, it seems like Kraft wants to remain in Green Bay. It should be as simple as that, but it never is in business or contract talks unless it's a max deal.
Through two and a half seasons, Kraft has 1,551 career receiving yards and 15 touchdowns with a 73.4% catch rate. Before the injury, he was an explosive receiving threat whose ability to rack up yards after the catch made him one of the most effective offensive weapons in the Packers' lineup.
Based on the pre-season and training camp cycles, it appears that Kraft is back to full strength, or as close as is possible this soon after an injury of that magnitude. Unless they have underlying reasons to be concerned about his long-term health besides the obvious, it's in everyone's best interest to get a deal done sooner rather than later.
That way, Kraft can go out on the field in Week 1 and not have to think about the pressure associated with returning from a serious injury while playing for a contract. We oftentimes forget about the mental aspect of an injury like this and how it could change a player's perspective. Green Bay has put a strong vote of confidence behind Kraft, and the messaging from head coach Matt LaFleur follows that.
Now the front office needs to put its money where its mouth is and get the deal done.
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