Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has been a busy man this week. As the NFL legal tampering period ended and the new league year began, Gutekunst has been quietly making moves to add players to address the team’s needs. None of these can be considered blockbuster signings, but that doesn’t mean the newly signed players can’t help the Packers win in 2026.
To get the Packers under the cap, Gutekunst parted ways with some players who have played vital roles on the team. Elgton Jenkins, Rashan Gary, Quay Walker, Romeo Doubs, Malik Willis, and Nate Hobbs are among the players who are now ex-Packers.
Meanwhile, Gutekunst has made moves to begin to address many of the team’s biggest areas of need. He traded for linebacker Zaire Franklin from Indianapolis to help fortify the linebacking unit which was thin after Walker’s departure.
He signed free agent cornerback Benjamin St-Juste to replace Hobbs. St-Juste has good size, tackles well and is better suited to playing the boundary than Hobbs was. He also has a track record of staying healthy.
Gutekunst added defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to replace Colby Wooden who was traded for Franklin. Hargrave should help give the Packers more pressure from the interior of the defensive line along with a healthy Devonte Wyatt.
Special teams were not ignored by Gutekunst. He brought back core special teams players Kristian Welch and Nick Niemann. Then, he signed free agent return specialist Skyy Moore. The hope is that Moore can improve the Packers field position next season and keep players like Matthew Golden and Savion Williams from having to return kicks or punts.
Gutekunst will likely add a few more moderately priced free agents this offseason. The team will also use their draft picks to fortify many of these positions of need as well.
Because of how the free agent process has played out this week, the Packers will likely get a good haul of compensatory draft picks in 2027. The departure of Quay Walker, Doubs, Willis and (when he signs) Rasheed Walker will likely add several valuable mid-round picks to the Packers that will be a big help for a team without a first round pick this year and next year.
But there is another set of important decisions that Gutekunst has to keep in the back of his mind this offseason while signing free agents and making other roster moves. The GM must determine which of the Packers potential 2027 free agents he wants to keep, at what price and how they fit in with the team’s future. He may also sign a free agent or draft a player with the idea of replacing a player he doesn’t wish to re-sign.
The list of players on expiring contracts in 2026 includes some very important contributors. At wide receiver alone, there are three key players on expiring deals. The team’s number one wideout, Christian Watson will be playing on a one-year extension he signed last year. When healthy, Watson demonstrated elite ability and his game matured in 2025. The Packers will likely want to keep their top wideout in Green and Gold beyond the coming campaign.
Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks will also be on expiring contracts this season. It would be difficult for the team to retain all three of them, so Gutekunst must determine who he wants to keep and who he wants to let explore the market. Again, these decisions don’t have to be made right away, but Gute has to keep them in mind when signing players and figuring out the available cap space going forward.
Starting tight end Tucker Kraft will also be in the final year of his rookie deal this season. Kraft is coming off a serious injury but was playing at a Pro Bowl level before he got hurt. His backup, Luke Musgrave, will also be in the final year of his rookie deal.
Devonte Wyatt will be playing this season on his fifth-year option barring a new deal so a decision must be reached on his future with the team. The Packers must also decide by May whether to pick up the fifth-year option of Lukas Van Ness.
Other potential UFAs next offseason include cornerback Keisean Nixon, linebacker Isaiah McDuffie and cornerback Carrington Valentine, all of whom have started for the Packers.
These are all things Gutekunst has to keep in the back of his mind as he continues to make moves to improve the Packers this offseason.