Packers 2026 Offseason

[LouisEly]

This is a really great article breaking down the phases that make up special teams DVOA, and how the Packers did in each.

https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/green-bay-packers-coaching-staff/78369/why-the-packers-still-like-rich-bisaccia

 

[patrickgpe]

2 hours ago, SeaBass said:

I did not have Rich Bisaccia firing himself on my bingo card. Makes me really wonder what's been going on behind closed doors there.

I don't know for certain he fired himself. We have no idea if there were external pressures (although I doubt there was) or what was his reasoning for resigning. I am fairly certain that he didn't decide last night at the end of the hiring cycle that he wasn't good at it anymore and needed to fire himself. 

I think Bisaccia is a fine coach and a better person. It just didn't work out. Many before him tried and failed too. I don't understand whats up with ST in Green Bay. 

[LouisEly]

1 hour ago, patrickgpe said:

I think Bisaccia is a fine coach and a better person. It just didn't work out. Many before him tried and failed too. I don't understand whats up with ST in Green Bay. 

It's not just Green Bay.  11 teams replaced their ST coordinator this offseason - that's over 1/3rd.  Most of it was just a Lazy Susan of coodinators rotating around to a different team (9 of them had previously been a NFL special teams coordinator at some point in the past).

[Fear The Chorizo]

A big part of special teams is roster construction....the Packers have routinely had very young or very thin rosters depending on cap situations, and the bottom of the gameday roster has killed them with special teams over the years.

 

Coaching also plays a role in it....but if the players on special teams cant block or cover, those units are going to stink.

 

They are a dying breed, but it wouldnt hurt to prioritize bringing in a vet or two that specializes in kick coverages...and have some vet lineman backups who can be reliable on fg blocking sets.

[LouisEly]

1 hour ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

They are a dying breed, but it wouldnt hurt to prioritize bringing in a vet or two that specializes in kick coverages...and have some vet lineman backups who can be reliable on fg blocking sets.

Kick coverage has been their strength - they ranked in the top 10 in both last year.

As for FG blocking... on the first FG blocked, their directive was to use backups whenever possible to give the starting OL another play to rest.  That came back to bite them when Brant Banks (the backup OL who was up from the practice squad, not Aaron Banks the starting LG) missed his assignment.  So, then they started using starters more on the FG protection unit... but on the second block, three of their starters were out with injuries so they had to use backup OL.

[SeaBass]

18 hours ago, patrickgpe said:

I don't know for certain he fired himself. We have no idea if there were external pressures (although I doubt there was) or what was his reasoning for resigning. I am fairly certain that he didn't decide last night at the end of the hiring cycle that he wasn't good at it anymore and needed to fire himself. 

I think Bisaccia is a fine coach and a better person. It just didn't work out. Many before him tried and failed too. I don't understand whats up with ST in Green Bay. 

Right that's why I wrote the second sentence in my post. It seems odd, they didn't simply fire him but I'm guessing there were some discussions about (pure speculation here) maybe stepping back from being ST coordinator and just being assistant HC and/or maybe a salary decrease was suggested, who knows. Like a we'll keep you around but here's how we see that happening kinda thing. Essentially inviting him to resign. I'm sure in the end it came down to negotiations how much of his remaining contract they would pay him to go away.

[LouisEly]

At 65 years old, maybe it was his choice to want to take a step back.

[CheezWizHed]

On 2/18/2026 at 3:44 PM, Fear The Chorizo said:

A big part of special teams is roster construction....the Packers have routinely had very young or very thin rosters depending on cap situations, and the bottom of the gameday roster has killed them with special teams over the years.

Coaching also plays a role in it....but if the players on special teams cant block or cover, those units are going to stink.

They are a dying breed, but it wouldnt hurt to prioritize bringing in a vet or two that specializes in kick coverages...and have some vet lineman backups who can be reliable on fg blocking sets.

The Packers have brought in several vets in the RB ST era: Nick Niemann, Zayne Anderson, Kristian Welch, even Nixon was brought in as a PR/KR (initially). No one is going to bring in a ST only OL (except the LS).  Last year was more a function of poor OL depth than anything. 

Just given the timing of other ST coordinators being hired - including our own ST assistant... I think Rich just decided he didn't want to do it.  Unless Rich suddenly had an "HR incident", there isn't any logic behind the Packers waiting until now to let him go. 

How I see our St units:

• The KR and PR coverage units were fine. No major gaffs except the onside kick recovery and that was a player mistake not coaching - right player, right spot, right setup... bad bounce/result. 
• FG/XPT - More depth at OL so we have better OL blocking. 
• K - Brandon had a bad year but it seemed to be more about injury/bad OL.  In 2024 he was excellent and in 2025 he regressed, but we are probably OK here.  I wouldn't be looking to change at the moment, but keep bringing in young K to develop and compete.
• P - Whelen was fantastic.  Probably the best part of our ST. No changes please
• LS - He wasn't great early, but hasn't been a problem for a few season.
• KR return unit just needs to stop holding.  Hopefully Savon Williams stays healthy, but frankly with the new rules there isn't a lot to gain here.
• PR - Here is probably where we could improve the most.  Really haven't had anyone that was a threat. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Speaking of ST's, the Packers actually are interviewing some candidates it would appear:

First three candidates are Cameron Achord, Tim McMahon and Kyle Wilber. 

 

[Joseph Zarr]

Two more interview candidates named:

Seattle's Asst. ST coach (past two years) in Devin Fitzimmons

Arizona's Asst. ST coach the past three seasons Steve Sewell

It appears Matthew Smiley (former Bills ST coach) is taking the ST coordinator role with the South Carolina Gamecocks as he heads back to the college ranks.

[LouisEly]

ESPN put up a lengthy, in-depth article about free agents (this one focusing on offense).  What they said about Rasheed Walker is very interesting:

If there's a player who isn't a household name in position to get paid more than the vast majority of fans expect this offseason, it's Walker. There are at least four teams that should be in the market for a starting left tackle this offseason. Walker is the only one available. He's 26 years old and hasn't missed a game in three years while protecting Jordan Love's blind side in Green Bay....

... And yet, there have to be some flashing red lights here. The Packers don't seem all that concerned about letting Walker waltz out the door. He has committed 27 penalties over three years as a starter, including seven holding calls. At the same time, Walker ranks fifth in pass block win rate over the past three years, and his sack allowed rate (1.2%) and quick pressure allowed rate (2.0%) are both better than league average when we look at left tackles with 1,000 or more pass-blocking snaps over that time. In a league where teams can never have enough at tackle, Walker is going to attract truly high-end offers in a couple of weeks.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47989627/2026-nfl-free-agency-best-players-available-offense-contract-tiers-market-barnwell

[JosephC]

15 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

The Packers don't seem all that concerned about letting Walker waltz out the door.

That's modern day GM'ing in the NFL.  GM spent a first round pick on another left tackle, and the team will just swim-or-sink with him.  Considering there is very, very little in terms of LT in the free agent pool (and likely to be cut pool), if given the opportunity, I would draft another left tackle in the second or third round for insurance.  And frankly, Packers OLine depth is so pitiful that it just makes sense to take a LT, C and probably a third offensive lineman in the draft, so it's not a big deal to take another left tackle candidate with an early pick.

Hopefully Morgan will work out better for Green Bay than the McCarthy/Darnold situation worked for the Vikings.  But it's the same thing....GM spent significant draft capital on the player, so that player is getting his chance no matter what.

[CheezWizHed]

Walker is very much the type of player that you don't invest $20+M on for a second contract.  The teams that will invest will do so because they have to... desperation breeds bad decisions.  

Ironically, we expected a similar decision last year when Myers went into FA... except he only got a $3.6M contract for one year.  And I think it would've been easier to say Jenkins-Myers($3.6M) would've been better than Banks($19M/yr)+Jenkins. 

But I don't expect the market for Walker to drop out like that...

[homer]

1 hour ago, CheezWizHed said:

Walker is very much the type of player that you don't invest $20+M on for a second contract.  The teams that will invest will do so because they have to... desperation breeds bad decisions.  

Ironically, we expected a similar decision last year when Myers went into FA... except he only got a $3.6M contract for one year.  And I think it would've been easier to say Jenkins-Myers($3.6M) would've been better than Banks($19M/yr)+Jenkins. 

But I don't expect the market for Walker to drop out like that...

Yeah grass is greener and whatnot but I'm ok moving on.

[LouisEly]

2 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

Walker is very much the type of player that you don't invest $20+M on for a second contract.  The teams that will invest will do so because they have to... desperation breeds bad decisions.  

Ironically, we expected a similar decision last year when Myers went into FA... except he only got a $3.6M contract for one year.  And I think it would've been easier to say Jenkins-Myers($3.6M) would've been better than Banks($19M/yr)+Jenkins. 

But I don't expect the market for Walker to drop out like that...

I would be willing to bet that the Packers offered Myers more than 1/$2M (which is what he signed for; the $3.6M counts $1M in incentives earned for playing time and part of the signing bonus for his contract extension that he signed during the season).  The reason that Myers got 1/$2M is because he and his camp over-estimated his market and thought that he was going to get more and chose free agency.

In retrospect, Myers was right, he should have gotten more.  His 1/$3.6M payout on its own would not have netted the Packers a comp pick; but because he started all 17 games and played 100% of their offensive snaps the formula boosted him above his salary and he will likely end up being among the top 32 that netted a comp pick.  He turned that into a 2/$11M extension with $6.2M guaranteed.

(His overall PFF grade was 52.9, so Packers fans would still be complaining about him and calling for the Packers to cut him and draft a center.)

[homer]

Ya can't keep everyone.

[CheezWizHed]

19 hours ago, LouisEly said:

I would be willing to bet that the Packers offered Myers more than 1/$2M (which is what he signed for; the $3.6M counts $1M in incentives earned for playing time and part of the signing bonus for his contract extension that he signed during the season).  The reason that Myers got 1/$2M is because he and his camp over-estimated his market and thought that he was going to get more and chose free agency.

In retrospect, Myers was right, he should have gotten more.  His 1/$3.6M payout on its own would not have netted the Packers a comp pick; but because he started all 17 games and played 100% of their offensive snaps the formula boosted him above his salary and he will likely end up being among the top 32 that netted a comp pick.  He turned that into a 2/$11M extension with $6.2M guaranteed.

(His overall PFF grade was 52.9, so Packers fans would still be complaining about him and calling for the Packers to cut him and draft a center.)

My brain was telling me 1yr/$2M, but when I double checked it, I found the $3.6M.  I'm glad you confirmed my memory! 😂

My point (with both Myers and Walker) is that it isn't "do I want them back?", but "what price am I willing to have them back?".  I would've gladly taken Myers back at $5M (give or take) and then invest draft capitol to replace him.  But you can't give mediocre talent top money either. 

Not sure what $$ I'd take Walker back at ($5M would be a no-brainer), but I also know that the $20-$25M that is being rumored is a big "no thank you". 

With the salary cap, you can really only invest in your star players for big money and replace the "good" players with draft picks.  

[JosephC]

Myers was just as crappy with the Jets as he was with the Packers.  The Jets just being the Jets.

[OldHeidelberg]

On 2/23/2026 at 12:07 PM, LouisEly said:

ESPN put up a lengthy, in-depth article about free agents (this one focusing on offense).  What they said about Rasheed Walker is very interesting:

If there's a player who isn't a household name in position to get paid more than the vast majority of fans expect this offseason, it's Walker. There are at least four teams that should be in the market for a starting left tackle this offseason. Walker is the only one available. He's 26 years old and hasn't missed a game in three years while protecting Jordan Love's blind side in Green Bay....

... And yet, there have to be some flashing red lights here. The Packers don't seem all that concerned about letting Walker waltz out the door. He has committed 27 penalties over three years as a starter, including seven holding calls. At the same time, Walker ranks fifth in pass block win rate over the past three years, and his sack allowed rate (1.2%) and quick pressure allowed rate (2.0%) are both better than league average when we look at left tackles with 1,000 or more pass-blocking snaps over that time. In a league where teams can never have enough at tackle, Walker is going to attract truly high-end offers in a couple of weeks.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47989627/2026-nfl-free-agency-best-players-available-offense-contract-tiers-market-barnwell

They are projecting Willis at $20-30 million per year. He is projected the top FA here as well:

Top 101 NFL free agents of 2026: Who are the best players available?

 

Remember back after the Baltimore game when the consensus in the media seemed to be he was still just high quality backup and that had not changed? $8 million per year? It will be interesting how much he actually gets, 

 

[adambr2]

It’s hard to see us going into 2026 with a better roster than 2025. 

Our O-line isn’t very deep and will lose Walker. Our RB corps is not very good behind Jacobs and he doesn’t look like he has much left.

I’m ok with our WRs, but we will lose Doubs. We always had a chance with Willis in the game, we will not have that same luxury anymore when Love misses games. It may be Desmond Ridder or a similar caliber.

D-line continues to be a need. Secondary continues to be a need. If Gary is cut, which is likely, we’ll need a replacement for him. We will likely be in the market for a new kicker.

I'm not trying to be all doom and gloom here, because we have a few studs to lean on, but that is basically the plan now — pray that Love, Parsons, Kraft, Wyatt and Tom all stay healthy, because we don’t the draft capital nor the cap space to adequately address all the holes on the roster. The last 5 games of 2025 gives us a pretty good idea where we are at without our studs.

[LouisEly]

I think if any team lost four of their six or seven best players they would struggle.

Kansas City lost Mahomes for the last four games of the season, Trent McDuffie the last three (but had a healthy Kelce, Chris Jones, and Humphrey) and they went 6-11.

[adambr2]

2 hours ago, LouisEly said:

I think if any team lost four of their six or seven best players they would struggle.

Kansas City lost Mahomes for the last four games of the season, Trent McDuffie the last three (but had a healthy Kelce, Chris Jones, and Humphrey) and they went 6-11.

My point stands though, that there is a growing number of holes on this roster and no real easy way to fill all of them. I don’t know how we find corner help while also finding offensive line depth while finding a pass rusher, backup QB, kicker, and possibly Jacobs’ replacement.

It is going to need to be a home run of a draft in 2026 and/or some real big improvement from what looks like a pretty mediocre 2025 draft class so far.

[JosephC]

14 hours ago, adambr2 said:

My point stands though, that there is a growing number of holes on this roster and no real easy way to fill all of them. I don’t know how we find corner help while also finding offensive line depth while finding a pass rusher, backup QB, kicker, and possibly Jacobs’ replacement.

It is going to need to be a home run of a draft in 2026 and/or some real big improvement from what looks like a pretty mediocre 2025 draft class so far.

They have been in a good position the last couple years where it's been a pretty easy decision to sign a couple players out of the tier one or tier two group of players at a position of need.  With money being tight and so many holes to fill, they need to sign more players at cheaper prices.  They need to hit tiers three and four and pick some winners out of those groups.

Traditionally, they've only signed younger players to longer contracts.  While they can still keep that philosophy in the future, this is a year where bringing in some older guys on one-year contracts makes a bunch of sense.

For example, Lion's defensive tackle DJ Reader.  31 years old, has been a solid nose tackle for the last decade.  Only projected to get a 1 year deal in the 4.5 million dollar range (at least that's what PFF had put on him about three weeks ago, before they recently moved this type of info behind the paywall).  They need to find about 4 or 5 guys like this in free agency to fill out the roster. 

Pro Personnel department really needs to earn their money this off-season.  

[CheezWizHed]

Here would be my offseason plan:

QB: With our first round draft pick, we select... oh never mind. Need a backup badly though.  Ridder plus a late round draft pick and maybe an UDFA.  Watch other team's cut list. 

RB: Jacobs remains, IMO.  Maybe with a paycut? I think you try to resign Wilson for less than the RFA tender, but otherwise you go with spaghetti against the wall - low draft capital, UDFAs, hope Lloyd can play more than a snap or two. 

TE: Depends on how long Kraft will be out, but I don't know that I'd focus much here?  They need a blocking TE which can be found with low draft capitol or roster turnover.   Musgrave started showing something at the end of last year.  Whyle showed some wiggle.  

OL: Assuming this would cost only $2-3M (per a few projections), I'd resign Rhyan to establish your C floor.  Let Walker walk for $20M/year and put in Morgan. Resign Kinnard. Williams comes in as a redshirt G, but you probably still need a C (G/C) and T in the draft. 

WR: I'd let Doubs go.  He is a good, but not great player.  I think Golden will slot in well to take his place with more upside. Having Golden, Watson, and Reed is a good starting trio.  Wicks and Williams fill the depth. 

For defense, I'll assume more of a 3-4 alignment - with the main difference is fewer LB types and adding a more NT style.

NT/DT(0/1 tech) - We knew trading Clark made a hole, but this was our number one weakness.  This more favors a player like Stackhouse and goes against a player like Wooden.  But we need a legit starter here.  There are plenty of options in rounds 2-5 of the draft as well as some vets that could come fill the whole. 

DE/DT(3-tech) - The move to 3-4 favors Wyatt, Brooks and maybe even Brinson. Wooden probably slots in more in this technique too.  We are probably ok here. 

EDGE - I'd restructure Gary's contract to match his production.  Enagbare can sign elsewhere.  Having Oliver and Sorrell makes Enagbare expendable.   Parsons, Gary, LVN, Oliver, and Sorrell should be plenty here.  Even losing Gary isn't the end of the world. 

LB - Walker - unless he comes back very inexpensive, I'd let him go.  Being an ILB on a 3-4 with a big NT in front of him will make him better... but his major flaw right now is coverage. I don't want to spend big money on an MLB that can't cover. Hopper stepped in nicely last year (in a very small sample).  You need some depth here, but Cooper, McDuffie, and Hopper is a good start for a position with 2 starters. 

S - Strongest and deepest position on the team.  Moving on.

CB - I tend to think Hobbs stays, but mostly because it doesn't save much to cut him.  They will give him another chance.  The floor of Nixon, Valentine, Hobbs is ok, but we need upside.  I hope we spend draft capitol here plus an upside vet (e.g Stokes last year) in FA. 

ST - I'm ok sticking with Brandon.  '24 was unrealistic, but I don't think '25 was actual either (many misses weren't his fault).  I tend to think he will be in the middle, which is still plenty good. 

Focus on OL, NT, and CB high in the draft.  RB, LB, and OL again lower in the draft.  FA is probably mostly low cost contracts. 

[jay87shot]

What about Anthony Richardson as a backup? He is pretty similar to Willis and could use a stable environment.