Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker will be entering the final year of his entry-level contract this season. The Packers already declined to pick up his fifth-year option. But Packers GM Brian Gutekunst told Cheesehead TV earlier this week that the team is working on an extension with the former first-round pick out of Georgia. But when should this deal be finalized and what should it look like?
Walker has been a starter from his first game as a Packer. He has led the team in tackles in each of his first three seasons with the team. He has good speed for a linebacker and wears the green dot on his helmet to communicate with the coaches prior to the snap of the ball and to call defensive signals.
The issue with Walker has been a lack of consistency. Yes, he made a lot of tackles, but he often didn’t read plays quickly and many of his tackles were made downfield after the opposition already gained several yards. He has also not made many big, game-changing plays in his first three seasons with the team.
Walker has developed into a solid starting off-ball linebacker. He has yet to make a Pro Bowl or to be considered a serious candidate to go there, but he’s a starting caliber player with the potential to still improve his game.
Gutekunst indicated the team wanted to sign Walker to an extension even though they chose not to sign him to a one-year deal on the fifth-year option.
“My expectations are really, really high [for Walker],” Gutekunst said in his interview with Aaron Nagler and Corey Behnke. “The only reason we didn't do the fifth-year option is a lot of the outside linebackers are calculated into that number, so it didn't make a lot of sense. We're going down that road with him [to negotiate an extension], as well to see if we can make that happen as well.”
The fifth-year option for Walker would have cost $14.75 million for a one-year guaranteed contract with no signing bonus. The Packers will probably look to lock him up longer term in the $8-10 million per year range.
Gutekunst still believes Walker can be even better in the future. “We've been bullish on Quay since he got here,” Gutekunst added. “He's played a lot of really, really good football for us and we think his best football is still in front of him. Just a consummate pro, does everything the right way. Has a level of toughness and focus that our defense needs.”
The Packers want to get a new deal done with Walker, but the first question is when is the best time to sign it? Walker’s play picked up late in the 2024 season. He had a few games in a row that saw him make more plays and anticipate better. The key question for the Packers to determine is whether this was a hot streak or the new normal for Walker.
The Packers could look to sign Walker to an extension before training camp starts or at least before the season starts. That would be preferable for Walker who doesn’t want to risk injury before signing a new deal. Or the Packers could take a wait-and-see approach to see how well Walker plays in 2025. That could cut both ways. If Walker plays well, the price to sign him likely goes up. If he plays poorly, obviously it will have the opposite impact on negotiations.
The next question is how many years do you want to offer Walker? He just turned 25 last month. A four-year deal properly structured should make sense at this stage in Walker’s career if the team is truly high on his potential. There could always be void years added to make the deal more cap friendly and to allow the team to restructure the deal down the road if need be.
One thing Gutekunst indicated was how excited he was to see Walker and second-year man, Edgerrin Cooper play together full time in 2025 and hopefully beyond. “Really having those two guys on the field at the same time, the athleticism and size that brings, the ability to rush the passer, the ability to cover. I think those two guys are going to work well off each other as we move forward,” Gutekunst said.
The negotiations with Walker will be interesting as will Walker’s performance in 2025. The time for him to take his game to the next level has come. If he doesn’t do it this year, he may never get there.