Quay Walker has come a long way since his rookie season. The former first-round pick out of Georgia has demonstrated both better play and increased maturity on the football field. As we approach the halfway mark of the 2025 NFL season, it’s time for the Green Bay Packers and GM Brian Gutekunst to step up and give Walker a contract extension that will keep him in Green Bay beyond this season.
The Packers selected Walker with the 22nd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He became a starter right away and has led the team in tackles in each of his first three seasons. Walker gave the Packers defense speed at off ball linebacker, something the team had lacked for far too long before his arrival.
He was still learning the NFL game so some of his tackles tended to come downfield after offensive players already gained substantial yardage, but that gradually improved over the course of his career. Late in the 2024 season, it became clear Walker was taking his game to another level. He also assumed the play calling duties on defense, wearing the green dot on his helmet.
The addition of Edgerrin Cooper to the lineup last season certainly helped Walker. Now, the defense features two exceptionally fast off ball linebackers. That gave defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley more options to design blitz packages and schemes that could keep offenses off balance and limit what they were trying to do.
One issue for Walker during his rookie season was his temper. He was ejected from two different games for getting physical after the whistle. In one incident, he struck a practice squad player from the Bills on the sideline. In the second during the 2022 season finale, he struck a Lions trainer who came onto the field to treat an injured player.
This past week against Pittsburgh, a similar incident arose. To his credit, Walker kept his cool when wide receiver DK Metcalf appeared to go full Three Stooges on Walker and poked him in the face. He did not retaliate, and it was Metcalf who was penalized 15 yards on the play. That helped disrupt a key Steelers drive in the Packers eventual 35-25 win.
“Just remembering how I felt after that ejection and stuff like that, just done came a long way. It’s just all about putting the team first and not making the selfish decision like that, responding back, so that’s the main thing,” Walker said after the game. “I just done matured a whole lot, I’ll say, in that situation, so I just knew automatically how to respond.”
Walker had been working on his temper since those incidents during his rookie season. He started meditating last year with former Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander who had been meditating for some time. He also worked with the Packers medical staff to improve the way he responded to anger and other difficult emotions.
This season, Walker has continued the upwards trajectory of his play that we saw late in 2024. He was also named one of the team’s three defensive captains this season, something that was difficult to envision during his rookie campaign. Once again, he is leading the team in tackles. He has also been effective when blitzing the quarterback and in coverage against running backs or tight ends. Walker has 1.5 sacks, five quarterback hits and four tackles for loss over the first seven games this season. He has also broken up four passes.
Over the offseason, the Packers declined to pick up Walker’s fifth-year option. Gutekunst explained this was because the NFL doesn’t distinguish between edge rushing linebackers and off ball linebackers when calculating the value of the fifth-year option. Gutekunst did indicate he wanted to keep Walker in Green Bay long term.
Now, it’s time for the Packers to reach an agreement with Walker. He has matured, demonstrated growth on and off the field and become a leader on defense. The Packers should sign him sooner rather than later, so they don’t run the risk of losing him in free agency next offseason. Walker has earned it.