Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker could be the best player at his position to hit free agency in 2026. Green Bay is not expected to re-sign Walker before his contract expires, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, which would make him one of the biggest prizes of the offseason.
Starting-caliber left tackles rarely make it to free agency, much less a prototypical physical talent like Walker who has already established himself in the NFL. He was originally projected to be a Day 2 pick before falling on draft weekend due to lingering injuries from college.
The Packers took a change with the No. 249 pick, and a little over a year later, it paid off when David Bakhtiari suffered a season- and ultimately, career-ending injury. Walker stepped right in and has started all but one game since. This year, his 94.3% pass block win rate ranks seventh among the league’s offensive tackles, per ESPN’s Matt Bowen, and the 25-year-old still has room to grown.
The Packers have just $10.2MM in 2026 cap space with only 41 players under contract, per OverThe Cap. They can obviously find ways to create more room, but they just paid right tackle Zach Tom this offseason and already have an expensive interior offensive line. A seventh-round pick like Walker may also want to hit his full earning potential by auctioning his services to the highest bidder.
That should set him up to eclipse Dan Moore‘s four-year, $82MM deal with the Titans, an example of how much even unheralded left tackles can make on the open market. He hit free agency last offseason and earned a contract that put him in the company of Garett Bolles, Dion Dawkins, and Ronnie Stanley, who have all received Pro Bowl and/or All-Pro recognition in their careers. Walker is thought to be better than Moore and one NFC executive expects him to get “paid paid,” per Fowler.
Packers would be wise to release Mixon, Banks and maybe Jenkins at the end of the season to possibility of Walker.
Seems like quite a bit of “dead money” if they release Jenkins and especially Banks. But there are so many ways to play the cap shell game I guess they could make it happen. I’d keep Nixon.
Jenkins is gone. I think they’ll try and make something of Banks yet but both big FA deals seem like swing and a miss rn.
Interesting that Bearmeat is being critical of the Packers brass and their free agent signings, yet Bearmeat will defend his sidepiece man crush Gutey to the death. I guess love isn’t completely blind.
Releasing Jenkins would be foolish, someone would be willing to pay even a mid round pick for a guy who can play T, G, and C on the left side well enough as a starter.
No one is going to trade for a 31 year old who hasn’t been a plus starter in two years with a massive cap hit coming off a major injury.
Bearmeat’s crystal ball is working overtime folks.
Future Bear loading. Both teams tend to steal the other’s players during my lifetime lol.
Bears do not have the cap space for this move. All their money is in the interior line & linebackers LMAO. King Poles anyone? hahaha.
If you can weaken a division rival by poaching from their coaching staff or roster why not try? Someone on here implied that Howie Roseman was a “vulture” by using that approach but it paid off for the Eagles.
Walker leaving would most likely not weaken the packers. Morgan has looked good at OT when given the opportunity
Please supply statistical data to support your analysis. Oh wait…this is Bearmeat who made the comment. There will be no data or supporting documentation. How dare I try to bring facts to this discussion.
This kid screams signs a huge free agent OT contract which hamstrings cap space, gets hurt almost immediately, the lingering injury saps his game and we see another big ticket OT bust.
Definitely wouldn’t surprise me with his injury history. But he’ll get a bag.
Morgan, who has not been good at OG, has played very well at OT when given the chance. He will be either LT or RT next year, with Tom switching sides. Sheedo has been solid, but he’s about to be a 3rd round comp pick for the Packers in 27.
Bearmeat has obviously already consulted with Packers upper management on this. How else would he know their plans? There is NO WAY he would just pull something out of thin air would he?
He played good against other teams backups in the preseason. Walker is a lot better player but can they afford him.
No. He played well against starters in the preseason and when Walker was hurt this year. I am not saying he is a slam dunk. But it’s a reasonable assumption that he will be at least serviceable.
Good is a very subjective term. It lacks any actual basis that quantifies someone’s performance. What might be good to one is substandard to another. For example, Bearmeat probably thinks he is “good” at posting comments and debating others in this page, while others call him out for the complete idiocy that he spews and subjects us all to. To each their own I guess.
Guy will get paid this offseason – 30mil per easily maybe more.
This is what happens when you pay a mid QB top tier money and over pay for even an elite defender.
They probably could have extended Walker this offseason at a lower rate then he’ll get now if they had funds.
First off. Love is really good. Second. GBs plan was always to move to Morgan. They’ve been trying to replace sheedo for years.
Jordan love is a mid tier QB, hasn’t shown yet that he’s really good
Sorry. You are wrong.
Every stat except counting stats disagree with you. He has shown that he’s really good and can be elite. The only reason people hate on him is that they box score scout and rely on priors.
Thanks for supporting my comment below regarding your man crush.
lol I am not wrong, he’s a mid tier QB
Hate away. You already look foolish and it’s only going to get worse.
Pot…..meet kettle.
Haha foolish? Love isn’t a top 10 QB, so in other words, he’s a mid tier QB. Obviously, you seem to be very bias and can’t comprehend that he’s nothing special
Evidence required sir. Show me the stats. How valuable is he per pass compared to his peers.
You’ll find out you are wrong and just trying to prove your priors. Either that or you’re just a foolish hater.
We are still waiting on your stats as previously requested sir.
By the way, great job going back to the old reliable “hater” insult. We can always count on that one when you paint yourself into a corner and have no where else to go.
I have this feeling you tried diving headfirst into an empty pool as an adult? Something’s not right. We’re making up stats? Per pass value? Throwing out foolish hater like it’s common. Are you special?
AYA, AYC, EPA per pass, CPOE, Big time throw %, INT %, bad throw %. QBR, PFF rating… Love is top 10 in all of these, and top 5 in many. The only thing he is not top of the heap in is the counting stats: number of completions, yards, TDs. And do you know why? Because he hasn’t thrown the ball 450 times so far this year like Stafford and Dak have.
He has been one of the most efficient and effective QBs in the NFL all year.
So. Nice try, hater. Work harder or pick lower hanging fruit next time.
I’m basing it off completed years. If he continues to play like the way he’s playing for the full year, maybe that mid tier label changes. Until then, he’s a mid tier QB
Fine. He has seven games left and he will finish the year as top 10 undeniably. And go ahead and Throw out the last half of 2023 and when he was hurt the entire year last year and still played relatively well. You know. The history and trajectory of the player.
Like I said. You and those who think like you will only look more silly when you come late to the party.
Hahaha throw away bad games huh? Crazy how stats look much better when you erase the players bad games! So pathetic
What? That’s not what I said at all. By halfway through his first season starting he was balling and was hurt badly the first half of last year. And yet he was still middle of the pack on those games.
Top shelf otherwise
Not true, and stop with the excuses
Ok. You do you. Just know that you sound foolish. Your reading comprehension skills are, sadly, lacking and you seem to hate the Packers or Love so much that you can’t see logic that’s right in front of your face.
Not shocking foolish is your favorite word…the excuses are insane. Love is a mid tier QB until he puts a full season of top 10 play as a QB. Not very hard to understand. Well, for you, maybe not the case
😆
Bearmeat has a hard time understanding most things, but things that don’t fit his narrative are especially difficult for him to understand.
Go bears
They still suck. They will always suck. And they will lose next week.
By the way. Love was fire on Thursday. I tried to tell you 🤡
Yeah bears are horrible, first place in the north. Just a terrible team. Love is mid tier, go bears
Lololol
That’s what happens when your QB is mid tier. Packers won’t go all the way with a QB like Love
Lololol
Go bears!!! That’s what it looks like with a top tier QB lol
Hahahahahahah. Bears fans are drunk. It took alllll those injuries and flukes to barely win at home.
You aren’t going anywhere in the playoffs. If you do get there, we will get the pleasure of ending your season and it won’t be close.
If love plays. That game is a blowout.
Lmao malik looked better than love. Of course you blame injuries 😂😂. If Rome and Burden were playing it would’ve been a blowout. Like I’ve been saying, Love is a mid tier talent. Bears have a top tier talent under center…facts!
You are delusional. I guess I don’t blame you. Bear fan football IQ has always been subpar.
You’re going to cry so hard when our QB sends your QB back home in 3 weeks.
Your average QB isn’t worrying anybody lmao. Talk about delusional if you think otherwise. Bears are a better football team. More talented QB, running backs, receivers, tight ends, offensive line and secondary. Good luck with that though 😂😂
LOLOLOL There is not one stat that Caleb is better than Love. And while I’ll agree with you on OL and CBs, not on anything else.
Caleb is more talented than Love, no question about it. Any coach that has their choice of QB, they picking Caleb over love every time. At the same time, they definitely choosing the trio of DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden over Watson, Reed and Doubs lol!! Only position group that is clearly an upgrade for the packers are their defensive line. I know it’s hard for you to acknowledge but the bears are now the superior team against the packers, sorry
Word on the street is Bearmeat rode the short bus to school…….just saying….
RyanO, you have no idea how big a man crush Bearmeat has on Love. We are talking a shrine of lit candles around a giant photo of Love outlined by the shape of heart. Don’t ever insult Bearmeat’s greatest QB of all time. He doesn’t take it well.
Ryan, you are wrong here. Love this year is making 10% of the salary cap this year which is only 13th in the league, he is 9th for average guaranteed money in his contract. Next year his cap hit is 14th in the league, 11th in 2027, and it explodes in 2028 and he can be cut with only a 16 min hit and a near 60 mil cap save.
Micah is only 3, 6, 8, and 12% of the cap this year and the next 3 and when they cut/trade him in the 2029 he will only cost 8 mil in dead cap and save over 100m in future commitments.
You should really look into these things before you type. This information is all publicly available for reference. So even if you were right about Love being mid-tier, he is paid exactly like a mid-tier QB.
Hahaha what does his contract have to do with him being a mid tier QB? That has nothing to do with the conversation, nothing! Thanks though
Next year move Tom over to LT and put Jordan Morgan who’s a natural tackle to the right side. Jenkins when he’s healthy back at guard and center with Rhyan
due to a substantial tackle shortage currently in the league, Walker’s free agenct contract will absolutely DEMOLISH previous precedent, and rival the earnings of quarterbacks. The total $ figure will make your heads explode. Please prepare yourselves.
Hey, Rasheed!
Ryan you literally said in the same sentence mid tier qb top tier money.
So the answer to your question, is you.
Different Ryan lol
There are many Ryans.
That’s a line from Dark Matter. Worth a watch.