It’s been an anticlimactic free agency period for general manager Brian Gutekunst and the Green Bay Packers. He watched a handful of players leave in free agency for other teams, brought back some familiar faces, and sent a few others packing. Gutekunst was active over the last couple of weeks, but not in free agency per se. Per Spotrac, the Packers rank 26th in free agent spending.
2,727 offensive snaps, 2,988 defensive snaps, and 663 special teams snaps - those are all of the snaps from last season that are no longer on the Packers roster and joined other teams over the last week. That’s a lot of turnover. Gutekunst let many of his key contributors go, and he didn’t do a ton over the last week to fill the voids those players left.
Why was Gutekunst so dormant? For starters, he wants the compensatory picks that the team will receive for free agents leaving in free agency. He has also been planning for this, in some cases, one to two years in advance. He’s relying on his draft-and-develop model and sprinkling in a few calculated, low-risk moves to shore up some concerns. In short, Gutekunst wasn’t very active because he didn’t have to be.
The Packers roster is most likely worse today than it was last season. There are many holes that someone will need to fill. That said, there’s reason to believe that the Packers will also have some addition by subtraction. The team let some players go, and some of their replacements have the chance to be even better. It’s a risky approach, but will it work out?
I think there’s going to be a lot of addition by subtraction for the Packers and I’m not talking about Malik Willis, Romeo Doubs, or Kingsley Enagbare. https://t.co/JeBm9A0cNr
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) March 14, 2026
Romeo Doubs ➡️ Matthew Golden
Doubs played 779 offensive snaps last season, the most amongst all Packers’ pass catchers. He caught 63 of his 94 targets for 848 yards and seven touchdowns. Jordan Love had a passer rating of 115.9, and Doubs also led the team in contested catches. It was a strong season from Doubs, and it led to him signing a four-year, $68 million contract with the New England Patriots. Replacing him won’t be easy, but it's a good thing the Packers have a first-round draft pick ready to take over.
Matthew Golden has the potential to be everything Doubs was and more. His most notable traits are his elite speed (4.29 40-yard dash) and reliable hands. Golden also demonstrated the potential to separate at a high level. Despite playing almost 500 snaps, Golden didn’t see many opportunities last season due to all of the mouths to feed. He only saw 46 targets, catching 33 of them for 445 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers will drastically improve next season.
Golden’s rookie season was fairly underwhelming, but that’s not uncommon for wide receivers in Green Bay. Jordy Nelson caught 33 passes for 366 yards and two touchdowns. Randall Cobb caught 28 passes for 413 yards and one touchdown. Davante Adams caught 46 passes for 570 yards and four touchdowns. That doesn’t mean Golden will become Jordy Nelson or Davante Adams, but sometimes it takes a season for rookie wide receivers to get fully acclimated.
Bottom line: There will be days next season when the Packers find themselves missing Romeo Doubs, but Golden has the potential to take a massive leap in Doubs’ absence.
Brian Gutekunst talking about Matthew Golden in Year 1 and expectations for what's ahead.
🎥 @FF_TravisMpic.twitter.com/YqZedSMv3l
— Wendell Ferreira (@wendellfp) February 24, 2026
Rasheed Walker ➡️ Jordan Morgan
Rasheed Walker was a fixture at left tackle since taking over for David Bakhtiari in 2023. He started 52 games over the last three seasons and played a team-high 1,057 offensive snaps in 2025. Walker allowed five sacks and 40 hurries across 588 opportunities. His pass block efficiency score of 96.2 ranked 34th amongst all qualified NFL tackles. Walker gave the Packers almost 3,000 snaps over his four seasons with the team. What more could the Packers want from a guy they took as a late-round flier?
Jordan Morgan will now take over the job of protecting Jordan Love’s blindside. He’s only played left tackle once at the NFL level, and that came last season against Minnesota. It was a glorified exhibition game, so take his performance with a grain of salt, but over 51 snaps, he allowed one pressure and a sack. The only other time he played left tackle last year was in the preseason. He didn’t allow a single pressure or sack over 61 snaps. The sample size is small, and the caliber of competition wasn’t elite, but there is reason for optimism.
“A jack of all trades is a master of none.” That’s been Morgan’s downfall. Morgan played 191 snaps at left guard, 358 at right guard, 148 at right tackle, and 51 at left tackle last season despite spending most of training camp at left tackle. Even the coaching staff acknowledged they’ve done him a disservice. When asked if Morgan was being spread too thin, Matt LaFleur said, “...when you look at playing multiple spots in one game. I don’t think that’s easy on anybody, especially a guy who’s still a relatively young player. That’s something we’ve certainly got to look at.”
Bottom line: Rasheed Walker gave the Packers more than what they could’ve asked for over the last four seasons, but he was trending in the wrong direction, and his free agent market demonstrated that. Walker, who was once expected to earn a long-term, lucrative contract, signed with the Carolina Panthers on a one-year, $10 million contract. Now it’s time for former first-round pick Jordan Morgan to take over, and he’ll have a full offseason and training camp to prepare for the opportunity.
Anthony Belton and Jordan Morgan are coming into their own pic.twitter.com/JIKEtvn4xr
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) March 10, 2026
Elgton Jenkins ➡️ Sean Rhyan
After spending most of his career at left guard, Elgton Jenkins moved to a new position last season. The Packers were hoping the two-time Pro Bowler would be better at center than Josh Myers was the season before. Jenkins started the first nine games and played 538 snaps before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. Jenkins allowed just two sacks and ten pressures, and his pass block efficiency score of 98.0 ranked 22nd amongst qualified centers. It wasn’t the consistency the Packers were hoping for.
The Packers had their replacement at center all along without even knowing it. Sean Rhyan, who started the season at right guard, was benched midway through the season in favor of Anthony Belton. But when Jenkins went down, it was Rhyan tasked with taking over. At the center position, Rhyan gave up 17 pressures, but no sacks, and was only called for one penalty. He really improved at the position as the season went on, despite never playing it before.
The Packers could’ve easily had a huge hole to fill on their offensive line. They were never going to keep Elgton Jenkins around with a cap number over $20 million, and Rhyan could’ve signed elsewhere in free agency. The Packers could’ve made a huge splash and gone after Tyler Linderbaum for $27 million per season or targeted Cade Mays for a similar cost, but rather than getting into a bidding war on the open market and risk losing a compensatory pick in 2027, Gutekunst decided to retain his own guy on a three-year, $33 million contract extension.
Bottom line: Elgton Jenkins was one of the best and most versatile Packers’ offensive linemen of the last decade. He will undoubtedly be in the Packers Hall of Fame one day. He also hadn’t been the same player over the last 18 months and needed to be replaced. It’s a gamble, but Sean Rhyan not only showed he can be a better center than Jenkins, but at a lower cost.
👋 Elgton Jenkins is all but gone
🍼 Jacob Monk hasn’t played
🛒 and the Free Agent pool is slim at best.
🧀 More Sean Rhyan for 2026? Or do the Packers have alternate plans at Center? pic.twitter.com/k2vHpbLVCQ
— CheeseheadTV 🧀 (@cheeseheadtv) February 17, 2026
Rashan Gary ➡️ Lukas Van Ness
Rashan Gary was another cap casualty the Packers had no intention of keeping around for how much money he was scheduled to make. The Packers eliminated him from their 2026 plans and gained a 2027 fourth-round pick in return. Gary played 653 snaps for the Packers’ defense last year, generating only 31 pressures and 7.5 sacks. He was stout in the run game, but he wasn’t very effective as a pass rusher. Gutekunst’s decision to move on from a more than serviceable player for an unproven guy will be a gamble.
Ready or not, it’s time for Lukas Van Ness to take over. It’s undeniable that the former first-round pick has had an underwhelming start to his career. He only has 33 pressures and 8.5 sacks total in his career. But for whatever it’s worth, PFF graded Van Ness very strongly. His overall grade of 75.5 ranked 27th amongst all edge rushers. It was also much higher than Gary’s grade, granted Van Ness played 387 fewer snaps. Van Ness also had a significantly higher pass-rush win rate.
Banking on Van Ness to step up as the top edge across is a true roll of the dice, but if there’s one person who is on board with the decision, it’s Micah Parsons. "That guy, he's a very selfless player, like very selfless,” Parsons said last season. “He's one of them guys that can go anywhere. He plays the run, he does everything. He's the high-quality player that you just want to be around…I believe in him. I told him, 'I think you can be like a Cameron Wake, [or] you could be like a Julius Peppers. You're a 4.5 guy, and it's time for you to show it.' And we're going to put it together.... and I'm excited to see how that turns out for him."
Bottom line: Gary is the more expensive player, and his performance has regressed. Surprisingly, Gary was willing to take a pay cut in Dallas, which allowed Gutekunst to get a fourth-round pick for him. Not to mention, he has a player in-house who is ready to take the next step. Van Ness isn’t going to be Julius Peppers, but he can be better than what Rashan Gary has been.
Kingsley Enagbare ➡️ Barryn Sorrell
Brian Gutekunst let Kingsley Enagbare walk in free agency, and he’s had a contingency plan in place since last April. Enagbare gave the Packers’ defense about 500 snaps per season as a rotational edge rusher, including 521 in 2025. He also logged 159 snaps on special teams. Enagbare produced only 15 pressures in 17 games and just two sacks. Enagbare was a solid contributor for a guy Gutekunst took in the fifth round, but he didn’t really move the needle either direction.
Barryn Sorrell can give the Packers defense exactly what Enagbare did. The former fourth-round pick only played 206 defensive snaps a season ago, and they came all along the defensive line. He wasn’t strictly an edge rusher. He was still able to record 1.5 sacks, despite never really getting his footing at any one spot. He also played 76 snaps on special teams.
Bottom line: Enagbare was a good return on investment, but Gutekunst will happily let the New York Jets pay him $10 million next season. Gutekunst will get similar production from Barryn Sorrell, save some cap space, and collect a compensatory pick next year.
Zaire Franklin’s answer when he was asked about working within the familiar system of Jonathan Gannon’s and how it aligns with his skill set via the @jimrome Show:
“Obviously, you know, he's from a system in which I had a lot of success in. You know, I'm able to play fast, get… https://t.co/e6Tpi2tH36 pic.twitter.com/3ZGXf1B0QE
— Matt Froehlich (@Matt_Fra_) March 14, 2026
Quay Walker ➡️ Zaire Franklin
Quay Walker sure seemed to believe that he was going to get a contract in free agency that averaged at least $15 million per season. The Packers reportedly tried to extend Walker for months last year, but Walker held firm on a price point that Gutekunst refused to match. Once it became obvious that Walker was going to leave in free agency, Gutekunst made other plans to replace Walker, and Walker ended up getting a three-year, $40.5 million deal from the Las Vegas Raiders.
Walker has been at the center of the Packers’ defense since being drafted in the first round back in 2022. He played over 800 snaps every season, including a career-high 978 snaps in 2025. Walker recorded over 100 total tackles every year of his career. He also wore the green dot, was named a team captain, and had the trust of Jeff Hafley and the coaching staff. That’s a pretty significant void to fill.
The Packers had no interest in finding Walker’s replacement in free agency. Gutekunst wasn’t going to get into a bidding war for the top guys on the market, and many of the other off-ball linebackers were Will linebackers, not Mikes. He also didn’t want to wait for the draft, especially when the Packers have limited draft capital. Gutekunst went a different route and traded for 30-year-old linebacker Zaire Franklin.
Franklin has been with the Colts since 2018 and has been the starting Mike linebacker for the last four years. Franklin was a team captain, wore the green dot, and was named an All-Pro in 2024. He’s also recorded over 125 total tackles in each of the last four seasons. Franklin was with the Colts at the same time as Jonathan Gannon, so the two are familiar with one another. 2025 was a down season for Franklin in a new defense. Now that he returns to a defense he’s comfortable in, the Packers are hoping he can return to his 2024 form, and they're banking on it by giving Franklin a $2 million pay raise.
Bottom line: Franklin is older and coming off his worst season, but he can be just as productive as Walker, if not more. Gutekunst did have to give up Colby Wooden to get Franklin, but the compensatory pick he’ll get in 2027 will more than make up for it.
Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make, or the moves you already made. Gutekunst allowed several key players to leave in free agency, but was able to do so because all of the heavy lifting was already done. He didn’t need to go into free agency and spend irresponsibly to fill some holes. He added by subtracting.
Gutekunst didn’t just sit still and do nothing during free agency. He made a few signings at positions of need. The Packers needed bodies on the defensive line, especially after moving on from Colby Wooden, so they signed Javon Hargrave to a two-year, $23 million contract. It was a no-brainer move because Hargrave reunites with Jonathan Gannon, and he immediately becomes Green Bay’s second-best defensive lineman. Gutekunst also brought in Benjamin St-Juste on a cheap two-year deal to compete at cornerback, paving the way for Nate Hobbs to be released. Neither addition was a big splash, but they were calculated signings that will help the team in 2026.
All of the Packers' top free agents are off the board. Here's a look at where their 2027 draft picks unofficially stand.
2nd
3rd
4th
4th (Malik Willis)
4th (Romeo Doubs)
4th (Rashan Gary)
5th
5th (Quay Walker)
6th (Rasheed Walker)
7th
Some of those compensatory picks could be…
— zach jacobson (@zacobson) March 13, 2026
The Packers didn’t spend much in free agency, and that’s not a bad thing. The team didn't spend much money, and the Packers remain in a good position to extend some key players in the near future, like Tucker Kraft or Christian Watson. The Packers will also get up to four compensatory picks next year. Combine that with the fourth-round pick they got for Rashan Gary, and they have the potential of having ten picks next year. That’s great business for a team without a first-round pick.
It might be boring that Gutekunst didn’t do a ton, but he didn’t have to. He relied on his draft-and-develop approach to fill most of the holes, and then made a few small, intentional signings to address other concerns. The Packers roster is far from finished, but there’s reason to believe it will be better next season, despite all of the players who left.