The Green Bay Packers have plenty of priorities this offseason, but one of them is an extension for Tucker Kraft. General manager Brian Gutekunst said at his end of season press conference that he has already been in touch with the tight end’s camp to discuss an extension and that talks on a new contract would happen “in the near future” via Packers team writer Wes Hodkiewicz. But with Kraft coming off a torn ACL suffered last October, they were always going to be complicated.
The degree of difficulty got turned up on Monday morning when NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport announced that the Atlanta Falcons are planning on franchising tight end Kyle Pitts. The top tight end on the free agent market, Pitts will get a one-year, $15 million contract if he signs the tender, but Rapoport adds that “the hope is to work out a long-term deal rather than the tag.”
With a July 15 deadline, the Falcons have plenty of time to work out an extension with Pitts. But that could be bad news for the Packers, who may have to put their contract talks with Kraft on pause until Pitts’s contract is finalized in Atlanta.
Kyle Pitts’s Franchise Tag Could Heavily Influence Tucker Kraft’s Next Packers Contract
Kraft’s contract is one of the biggest storylines for the Packers this offseason. A third-round pick in the 2023 draft coming out of South Dakota State, Kraft has become one of the league’s top tight ends, catching 113 passes for 1,551 yards and 15 touchdowns. Those numbers could have been even more impressive had he not injured his knee in a Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers, and are reflected in his Spotrac market value projections of $15.5 million per season and a total projection of four years and $62 million.
Those projections could go up in the aftermath of the Falcons’ decision to use the franchise tag on Pitts. The fourth overall pick of the 2021 draft, Pitts has come up short of expectations after a Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro rookie season. But he showed promise by catching 88 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns last season.
Pitts’ next contract isn’t the only deal that Kraft should have his eyes on. This year’s free agent class is a strong one, with Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, David Njoku of the Cleveland Browns, Isaiah Likely of the Baltimore Ravens, and Dallas Goedert of the Philadelphia Eagles all available. While the contracts of those players could be known when the NFL’s free agent period kicks off in two weeks, Pitts' contract could be the most important of all, as it could be the closest to what Kraft could command in an extension.
This could play out in the Packers’ favor as they can continue to monitor Kraft’s rehab. Green Bay also has time compared to the other situations, as Kraft is under contract for the 2026 season. But it also could be a pain, as Green Bay may want to have that money accounted for as they make offers to free agents in the coming weeks.
In the end, the Pitts news has turned Kraft’s contract into a waiting game, and it may not have a resolution until later this summer.