The fact that it’s a one-year deal shouldn’t impact the Packers, from a compensatory draft pick perspective, in any way. All the formula looks at is what a player’s average per year (APY) is. If he got an APY of $20.5 million or north, it’s pretty safe to assume that Green Bay will be rewarded with a third-round pick in 2027 for letting him walk this cycle (barring major injury). If it’s lower than that APY, the pick could slide to a fourth-round pick.
Walker was drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 draft and was able to make 48 starts for the Packers over his rookie contract. Generally, he was a solid pass protector who struggled a bit in the ground game, but you can also argue that his worst stretch as a starter came late in the 2025 season.
The Packers got ahead of the tackle position in 2024, when they drafted Jordan Morgan in the first round. Once Zach Tom signed his contract extension last offseason, it was obvious that Green Bay was going to roll with Morgan and Tom as the team’s bookends in 2026.
Update: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is now reporting that Yosh Nijman, a former Packer, was expected to be the Panthers’ stopgap left tackle in 2026, and that Nijman’s retirement earlier this week pushed Carolina into the tackle market. Their starting left tackle, Ikem Ekwonu, ruptured his patellar tendon in the Panthers’ playoff loss in January.
Update #2: Walker’s deal is worth $10 million, according to Jordan Schultz. It will be interesting to see if that’s a base number or if that number will be worked up by incentives. If it’s just $10 million straight up, it’ll be a sixth-round comp pick for the Packers in 2027 on paper right now, but should jump to the fifth-round range if Walker is a full-time starter throughout the year.