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Green Bay Packers News & Rumors

Packers Discussing Extensions With RT Zach Tom, LB Quay Walker

June 24th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Adam La Rose

Zach Tom has established himself as a key member of the Packers’ offensive line over the past two seasons in particular. One year remains on his rookie deal, meaning a free agent departure could be in store next spring.

Efforts have begun to ensure that will not happen, however. Tom – Green Bay’s right tackle since the start of the 2023 season – has been the subject of recent extension discussions. General manager Brian Gutekunst is aiming to work out a long-term deal with the 26-year-old.

[RELATED: Packers Unlikely To Extend Gutekunst, HC Matt LaFleur]

“We’ve had really healthy conversations with Zach about locking him up,” Gutekunst said during an interview with Cheesehead TV (video link). “Certainly that’s something we’d like to do. These things take time.”

Tom entered the league with tempered expectations given his status as a fourth-round pick. He made five starts as a rookie, though, logging nearly 300 snaps at left tackle. He has operated at the opposite tackle spot on a full-time basis since then, finding success in that role. Tom ranked 15th in terms of PFF evaluation amongst qualifying tackles in 2023 and improved his overall mark to 85.8 last season. That figure was good enough for sixth overall.

As a result, a long-term investment in this case would make plenty of sense. Tom has not missed a game during his two years serving as the Packers’ right tackle, something which will help his bargaining power. The Wake Forest product is in line to collect $3.53MM this season, whereas 14 offensive tackles are currently attached to a deal averaging at least $11.5MM annually. Tom should not be expected to reach the top of the right tackle market (Penei Sewell at $28MM per year) on a second contract, but a notable raise will be in store if an agreement can be reached this summer.

To little surprise, Gutekunst added the Packers have also spoken about an extension with linebacker Quay Walker. Green Bay declined his fifth-year option this spring, since exercising it would have locked him into $14.75MM in earnings for 2026. The figure for linebackers is affected by pass rushers, so it has become increasingly commonplace around the NFL for off-ball players to see their options turned down.

Gutekunst has consistently maintained, however, that the Packers want to keep Walker in place beyond the coming campaign. The Georgia product has recorded at least 102 tackles in each of his three seasons to date, adding 6.5 sacks and 12 pass deflections along the way. Walker, 25, is due $4.4MM this year as he prepares for what will likely be an increase in time spent alongside 2024 second-rounder Edgerrin Cooper. A notable bump in pay will be needed if Walker is to remain in place for 2026 and beyond.

Green Bay is currently projected to be mid-pack in terms of cap space for 2026. Extending one or both of Tom and Walker would eat into their funds for next year, but deals on these fronts would keep more members of their young core in place for the long-term future. It will be interesting to see if an agreement is reached with either player before training camp opens next month.

CB Rasul Douglas Does Not Anticipate Packers Reunion

June 23rd, 2025 at 12:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

Rasul Douglas is among the notable corners still unsigned at this point of the offseason. The ninth-year veteran’s next destination is unclear, but a return to the Packers should not be expected.

While responding on X to a fan’s question regarding a potential Green Bay reunion, Douglas made it clear he does not think that will happen. The 29-year-old played 36 games with the Packers during his tenure with the team, a run which came to an end when he was sent to the Bills ahead of the 2023 trade deadline. Douglas was a full-time starter in Buffalo, but he was not retained this spring.

The Seahawks lined up a free agent visit with Douglas in May, an indication of interest on the team’s part. No deal came of it, however. The former third-rounder is also known to be a potential Dolphins target as Miami prepares for a 2025 cornerback setup not featuring Jalen Ramsey. Alongside the likes of Kendall Fuller, Asante Samuel Jr. and Mike Hilton, Douglas will look to line up his next opportunity before NFL training camps open next month.

Talk of a Douglas return to Green Bay came about in the wake of the Jaire Alexander release. The Packers moved on from the two-time Pro Bowler after no trade partner could be found and a restructure could not be agreed to. Alexander’s absence leaves Green Bay without a full-time starter at the cornerback spot, but a move aimed at replacing him this summer should not be expected at this point.

Matt Schneidman of The Athletic writes an outside addition is not anticipated in the wake of Alexander’s release (subscription required). Green Bay has returnees Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine along with free agent addition Nate Hobbs atop the CB depth chart entering training camp. The team has also experimented with receiver Bo Melton at corner, although a full-time position change is not currently being planned.

The Packers find themselves near the top of the league in terms of spending power with over $35MM in cap space. An addition to their secondary would therefore be affordable, but pursuing one of the available options – especially Douglas – would come as a surprise.

CB Jaire Alexander Preferred To Remain With Packers?

June 19th, 2025 at 12:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jaire Alexander sweepstakes came to an end on Wednesday when he agreed to a deal with the Ravens. 2025 will mark the first season of his career played outside of Green Bay.

Alexander’s future was a talking point for much of the offseason, with the Packers holding trade talks on multiple occasions during the spring. Those efforts did not yield an agreement, as suitors were understandably leery of taking on the remaining two years of his contract. In the end, the two-time Pro Bowler got his wish in terms of being released (and thus choosing his next team via free agency) as opposed to a trade.

Before the Packers elected to move on, though, a push was made to work out a pay cut agreement. A restructure – in particular, one which would have made Alexander a free agent next offseason – was offered. It would appear the proposed short-term pact did not feature guaranteed compensation, a key factor a determining the end to this situation. Alexander’s father Landis spoke about the split with the Packers during an appearance on ESPN Wisconsin radio (video link).

“[Head coach] Matt LaFleur had reached out to him on his birthday, things like that,” Alexander said about discussions which took place with his son. “He wasn’t upset or angry with anybody. He wanted to come back. I thought that he was going to be there.”

At issue in this case, as Landis Alexander noted, was the fact the Packers’ pay cut offer did not feature any locked in money up front. None of the base salary originally owed ($16.5MM) was guaranteed, but a compromise was sought on Alexander’s side in which a reduction in overall pay was accompanied by a guarantee figure. Without any salary locked in or a signing bonus present in the offer – per the elder Alexander’s account of the negotiating process – the parties elected to move on.

Immediate interest was show once Alexander hit the open market, although the Ravens were not initially reported to be a suitor. Still, it comes as little surprise the Louisville product chose to reunite with college teammate Lamar Jackson for 2025. Alexander will collect $4MM in base pay with another $2MM available through incentives. That compensation falls well short of the $21MM annual average value of his previous deal, but the fact guaranteed money is present marks a contrast to the Packers’ stance.

It was reported yesterday the Ravens’ offer was not the most lucrative one Alexander fielded, something corroborated by The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec (subscription required). Now, the 28-year-old will join a secondary including other first-rounders at cornerback (Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins) and safety (Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks) as Baltimore looks to avoid the pass defense struggles which were prevalent for much of last season. The Packers, meanwhile, will proceed with a secondary no longer featuring its highest-paid member for 2025 and beyond.

Packers Not Expected To Extend Matt LaFleur, Brian Gutekunst In 2025

June 17th, 2025 at 10:16pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s unlikely that extensions are coming for Packers leadership. Incoming Packers president/CEO Ed Policy said he won’t be signing head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst to extensions in 2025, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.

Both LaFleur and Gutekunst still have two years remaining on their contracts, and since they’re not in lame-duck status, Policy refuses to give the duo new deals. The same goes for executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball, and Demovsky notes that all three decision makers will report directly to their new team president.

“All three of them [are] under multi-year contracts,” Policy said (via Demovsky). “None of them are up at the end of this year. We won’t be doing anything going into this season.”

With Mark Murphy retiring, Policy will officially take over as the franchise’s boss in the middle of July. The timing of the move has nothing to do with the president’s refusal to hand out extensions; in fact, Policy has worked with the Packers for more than a decade and was involved in the interviews with both LaFleur and Gutekunst. Rather, Policy’s decision appears to come down to personal preference.

However, the executive did admit that he doesn’t like having head coaches or GMs operating as impending free agents.

“I’m generally opposed — I’d never say never — [but] I’m generally opposed to a coach or GM going into the last year of their contract,” Policy said. “That creates a lot of issues. I think normally you have a pretty good idea of where that relationship is going when you have two years left — not always, but normally.

“So I think generally speaking I would avoid lame-duck status. It’s oftentimes difficult on everybody involved. But there are certain situations that probably call for it, so I would not say never.”

As Demovsky notes, that sentiment would make the 2025 campaign especially important for the head coach/GM duo. The Packers would seemingly have to be a major disappointment next season for the team to not extend LaFleur and Gutekunst. The head coach won 13 games in each of his first three seasons at the helm (Gutekunst was hired as GM a year before LaFleur caught on), and the Packers have made the playoffs in five of the past six seasons.

While speaking with the media, Policy revealed a handful of ways he may operate differently than his predecessor. The executive noted that he’ll “increase the amount and the time of formal meetings with football leadership” in an attempt to remove any silos between his top decision makers. However, Policy was quick to clarify that he’ll let his top leaders do their jobs.

“I’d stay out of their business,” Policy said. “I would not meddle in what they do. I would communicate very frequently and openly and directly with them on all things, but certainly no team needs two head coaches or two GMs. Not a lot of change in the way Mark had done that.”

Packers Announce Scouting Promotions

June 15th, 2025 at 10:02pm CST by Ely Allen

Earlier this week, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst announced four promotions and a new hire to the team’s scouting department. Mike Owen was promoted from college scout to national scout, Daric Whipple and Sam Fleming were both promoted from scouting assistant to pro scout, Connor Koch has been promoted from scouting intern to northeast area scout, and Dan Zegers has been hired as scouting coordinator.

Owen is the longest-tenured of the staffers receiving new titles. He first joined the team in 2012 as a college scout, holding the role for all of the past 13 years. Throughout his time in Green Bay, he’s covered different areas, but the last 10 seasons were spent covering the northeast region and parts of the mid-Atlantic region. Koch will now cover the northeast area vacated by Owen. He earns the role after just one season as a scouting intern.

Whipple joined the team as a scouting assistant in 2023. He came to scouting straight after concluding his collegiate career as a wide receiver at Iowa State and Northern Iowa. Fleming, also a collegiate wide receiver at Samford, first worked as a player personnel assistant for the Bulldogs when his playing career concluded. He was elevated to director of football operations the following year. From 2021 to 2024, Fleming also earned experience as a scouting assistant for the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. After a successful 2023 training camp scouting internship in Green Bay, Fleming was brought back as a scouting assistant alongside Whipple. The two will continue to share a title in 2025 as pro scouts.

Zegers is actually reuniting with the Packers. He originally worked with the team as a 14-year-old equipment assistant in 2004. At 17 years old, Zegers began helping out in the team’s scouting department, as well. He left in 2013 to get experience as a personnel assistant for the Chiefs, holding the role for four years before earning a promotion to college scouting coordinator. In 2018, Zegers joined the Browns as their personnel coordinator, getting promoted to area scout in 2020. He most recently worked as the midwest area scout in Cleveland, but he’ll return to Green Bay in 2025 after being away from the team for 12 years.

Packers Trying Bo Melton At Cornerback

June 14th, 2025 at 1:11pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Packers are trying wide receiver Bo Melton out at cornerback this spring, according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.

Melton will be the first to say that he’s no Travis Hunter, but his coaches think that his special teams prowess can translate to defense. He plays on the outside for both punt coverage and returns, giving him experience with open-field tackling and backpedaling to stymie opposing gunners.

“We just thought that if there is somebody that can potentially do both, he would be that guy,” said head coach Matt LaFleur, who previously asked Melton about playing cornerback when he first arrived in Green Bay in 2022, per Schneidman.

Melton downplayed his time at cornerback during spring practices, calling it “just something that came up.”

“I want to give it a shot,” said Melton (via Schneidman), before clarifying, “I’m still a wide receiver, so I’m not really transitioning to no cornerback, but if it works, it works.”

The Packers are careful to note that Melton’s time at cornerback is more of an experiment to develop versatility rather than a full bore position change.

“It’s just something we’re going to take a loot at and see if that’s a possibility,” said general manager Brian Gutekunst (via TMJ4’s Ashley Washburn). The Packers are especially thin at cornerback after parting ways with Jaire Alexander, but Melton would still face an uphill battle to contribute on defense this year. However, if he can become comfortable enough at cornerback to serve as an emergency option, it could help him hold onto a roster spot in a crowded wide receiver room.

“If he’s able to add to his arsenal, that makes him really valuable for us,” Guteknust said.

LaFleur echoed that message, saying, “I think versatility is critical and it creates added value for that player. I just love everything about the guy, how he shows up every day ready to compete and give his best effort.” 

Bills Engaged In Jaire Alexander Trade Talks; CB Drawing Immediate Interest

June 10th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jaire Alexander‘s Packers tenure officially came to an end yesterday. Green Bay’s decision to move on came after multiple attempts at working out a trade fell through.

One of the teams which pursued an Alexander trade was the Bills. Buffalo and Green Bay discussed a swap this offseason, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports. After no agreement was reached, the Bills moved on to other CB options. Given the nature of Alexander’s contract, it is fair to assume finances represented a barrier to a deal being worked out in this case.

Cornerback was seen as a priority for the Bills this spring, one in which Christian Benford was among the many recent draftees who received a long-term extension. Buffalo’s first-round pick was used on Maxwell Hairston, and the Kentucky product will presumably join Benford and Taron Johnson as a starter in 2025. Alexander would have provided Buffalo with a high-profile boundary cover man, but his injuries (10 missed games in each of the past two years) were obviously a source of hesitation on the part of suitors.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes the Packers attempted to trade Alexander in March, something the team openly discussed prior to the start of free agency. After those efforts failed to yield a deal, per Breer, Green Bay’s attempts were repeated during the draft. With no offers deemed sufficient being made at either juncture, the team’s attention shifted back to the possibility of a pay cut arrangement.

Deep into the offseason, it became clear there was not a restructure to be worked out, however. As a result, Alexander now finds himself on the market in June. In the immediate aftermath of his release, it was reported a strong market would likely exist for the Pro Bowler’s services; it appears that is indeed the case.

Six teams immediately checked in once Alexander was released, The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson reports. The number of suitors for the 28-year-old should increase now that parting with draft capital and taking on the final two years of his contract are no longer necessary. Per Schultz, it is unclear if the Bills are among the teams which will make a free agent push. Given their prior interest, though, it would certainly not come as a surprise if that were to be the case.

Alexander was attached to a $21MM-per-year pact prior to his release, but a less lucrative commitment no doubt awaits him this summer. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for him to choose his next destination as he weighs a number of possibilities.

Packers Release CB Jaire Alexander

June 10th, 2025 at 1:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

JUNE 10: The Packers had the option of splitting the dead money charge from the Alexander release across the next two years. Instead, Schneidman reports the team will take that hit in full in 2025. As a result, Alexander will account for $17.04MM this year before coming off the books entirely in 2026.

JUNE 9: Jaire Alexander‘s time in Green Bay has come to an end. After talks regarding both a trade and a restructure took place this offseason, the Pro Bowl corner will hit free agency. Alexander is being released today, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The move is now official.

The team spoke with Alexander’s camp yesterday, Dianna Russini and Matt Schneidman of The Athletic add. It was during that meeting that the 28-year-old learned he would be let go. Instead of continuing to pursue a trade or a pact keeping Alexander in Green Bay at a reduced rate, team and player will now go their separate ways. Despite the financial impasse the parties arrived at, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky notes Alexander was planning to attend this week’s mandatory minicamp.

[RELATED: Alexander’s Contract Impeded Packers’ Trade Efforts]

Two years remained on the former first-rounder’s contract, one which included nonguaranteed base salaries for the remainder of the pact. Alexander was due to carry cap charges of $24.64MM and $27.02MM, figures which were not feasible from the team’s perspective given his inability to remain healthy in recent years. By making this move after June 1, the Packers will see $17.12MM in cap savings while generating a dead money charge of $7.52MM.

Alexander has spent each of his seven NFL seasons in Green Bay, operating as a full-time starter throughout his time with the team. The Louisville product has been one of the league’s top corners when healthy, and he collected a second-team All-Pro nod in 2020 and ’22. During the latter campaign, Alexander set a new career high with five interceptions while recording double-digit pass deflections (14) for the fourth time. Both years since then, however, he has played only seven games.

That lack of availability has made Alexander’s Packers future a talking point for some time now. A trade was not only explored in this case, but the team shopped him prior to free agency. No agreement was worked out on that front, and shortly after the new league year began Green Bay inked Nate Hobbs to a four-year, $48MM pact. The former Raider will be a key member of the Packers’ new-look secondary this season as the team looks to move forward without a defensive mainstay in the fold any longer.

In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how much of a market develops for Alexander late in the offseason. Suitors were understandably hesitant about parting ways with draft capital given his injury issues and the possibility of a release taking place. Now that Alexander is indeed set to become a free agent, any number of teams have the financial wherewithal to pursue what will no doubt be a short-term deal. Alexander was the league’s highest-paid corner at the time he inked his Packers extension, but his earning power will of course be greatly reduced this time around.

Jalen Ramsey looms as another high-profile corner available to interested teams, although the Dolphins All-Pro will (in all likelihood) be acquired via trade. Alexander, by contrast, can begin lining up visits with suitors once his release is processed later today.

C Elgton Jenkins Reports To Minicamp

June 9th, 2025 at 8:45pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Just as one Pro Bowler is leaving Green Bay, another has arrived. Packers offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins has reported to mandatory minicamp after skipping OTAs amid a contract dispute, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

“It seems unlikely he’ll practice this week,” added Pelissero, which could simply mean that Jenkins needs a little more time to get in shape, or that he’s planning to stage a ‘hold-in’ as he seeks a contract adjustment.

The Packers are moving Jenkins from guard to center this year, which could threaten his financial future in multiple ways. Centers are typically paid less than guards, making it no guarantee that the Packers will keep him for the $20MM in cash and $24.8MM cap hit in 2026 (via OverTheCap).

Furthermore, whether or not Jenkins hits free agency next offseason or in 2027 when his contract expires, he could have a smaller market if he’s only seen as a center. Still, it’s worth noting that Jenkins has lined up at all five offensive line positions in his career and would likely draw robust interest as a guard if he ever reached the open market.

The Packers’ release of Jaire Alexander may have clarified their financial future enough to come to an agreement with Jenkins. His specific desires – whether they be an extension, a raise, and/or increased guarantees – remain unknown. The guard market has crossed $20MM per year since Jenkins signed his current deal in 2023, and none of the remaining $32.3MM is guaranteed.

Jacob Monk and Sean Rhyan both spent time at center during Jenkins’ absence during OTAs and will likely do the same at the Packers’ minicamp this week.

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