Life in the NFL is ever-evolving, with dollar signs as the main motivator for many. In Green Bay, operating as the only nonprofit can bring about its own obstacles. Therefore, Green Bay Packers CEO and president Ed Policy may have to make some tricky decisions in the years to come.
Policy will have to strike a balance between what’s in Green Bay’s financial best interest and the community and fans.
The Packers raised ticket prices again for the 2026 season for both Green and Gold season ticket package holders. That didn’t come as a huge surprise, nor did the 2.8% to 11% increase in those ticket packages, depending on seat location.
Being a season ticket holder for the Packers is as valuable as it gets among professional sports teams. There’s a reason there’s a waiting list of over 155,000 people.
However, this marked the 16th time in the last 24 years that season tickets had increased in price. Elsewhere in the NFL, teams like the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints opted not to raise ticket prices in 2026. For the Lions, it came on the heels of back-to-back years with significant bumps in season-ticket costs. At the other end of the scale is Chicago, where the Bears announced a 13.5% average increase in season-ticket sales.
The Packers raising prices again will cause some to roll their eyes. However, Policy noted in February that Green Bay sits in the middle of the pack in the NFL in terms of season ticket pricing.
Our overall average ticket price, which includes general bowl and premium seating components, is expected to be near the middle of the NFL’s pricing. This is the benchmark we aim for to represent a great value for the top-rated Lambeau Field gameday experience, to remain competitive among NFL clubs and to perform as a good business partner leaguewide in terms of shared ticket revenue.
With increasing wealth pouring into the league annually and the Packers operating differently from all 31 other teams, it’s a safe bet that there won’t be many years in the near future without a hike in season ticket prices. In fact, Policy and the Packers may have to make more significant increases if they don’t explore other options.
Those other avenues could come in the form of naming rights. There are approximately zero Packers fans who would be thrilled to see the team’s home called “Lambeau Field presented by Google” or “Lambeau Field presented by Apple.” Maybe if Sargento or Piggly Wiggly wanted the naming rights, it would help cushion the blow.
While it isn’t imminent that a step such as naming rights for the stadium could be coming, Policy isn’t ruling it out, as he noted, pointing to the wind-down of Soldier Field in Chicago.
We’re soon to be the only stadium without naming rights. That’s not a threshold we’re looking to cross any time soon, but we might be a little more aggressive with some of the other entitlement inventory we just hadn’t taken advantage of in the past, including things like training facility entitlements and the Titletown campus.
Policy deserves credit for trying to find other ways to generate revenue before changing the name of the NFL’s Taj Mahal.
The harsh reality of being “owned by the fans” is that, while operating as a nonprofit, keeping up with the rest of the league puts the Packers behind the eight-ball.
“If you think about it, any other team, they’ve got deep-pocketed owners,” Policy said. “Most of them are worth significantly more than that, and they could sell less than 10% of their team, give up no controlling interest, and raise a heck of a lot more than that.”
Policy noted that many of the potential revenue-producing options aren’t immediate pressing matters, but he’s keeping an eye on what could continue to happen as the NFL grows. Trying to make it work while not upsetting the fanbase won’t be easy when the time comes to have these discussions more seriously. And it seems more a matter of when, not if.
Green Bay is so much different than every other NFL community, for a variety of reasons. No fanbase is ever going to be 100% satisfied with the decisions made by powerful people in the organization. For Policy and the Packers, it’s crucial to keep the community and fans in mind in the years to come as revenue concerns become more prominent.
It won’t be an easy task, but Policy doesn’t strike anyone as the type who will shy away from it. That’s a good start.