The Green Bay Packers have made significant decisions regarding the future of two key players, Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt. The team recently announced that they will not be exercising the fifth-year option for linebacker Quay Walker. That’s the option they decided to pick up on defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt.
The cost of Walker’s fifth-year option would have been at the top of the second-round scale, $14.751 million. A consensus future All-Pro since his rookie season, Walker was an immediate starter. Amazingly, he has finished the season leading the Packers in tackles each of his first three seasons, surpassing 100 tackles all three of those years. Despite his impressive performance, he faced challenges last season, missing four games due to injuries, including a concussion and an ankle injury. In this season, he once more missed three games with injuries.
The Packers decided not to exercise Walker’s fifth-year option. They’re obviously very motivated to extend his contract well beyond that before he’s able to test free agency next offseason. General Manager Brian Gutekunst told the media that it was the organization’s intent to keep both players long-term.
“For both those guys, whatever mechanism we use, we’d like to keep those guys around for ’26 and beyond,” – Brian Gutekunst
The Packers’ fifth-year-option decision on Wyatt was one of the more aggressive plays of the entire league. This decision secures him a non-negotiable salary of $12.938 million for 2026. A year ago, Wyatt secured the second-most on the team in sacks, finishing the season with five. He set a career high with nine tackles for loss. With the departure of T.J. Slaton in free agency, Wyatt should have an even bigger role this season.
Along with his elite ability to cause pressure each snap, Wyatt has emerged as a key player for the championship-contending team. He dealt with some injuries last year, but continued to pound the pavement. He was really proud of the way he fought through those things and went out and still played.
“Quay continued to make a leap, and another guy who had struggled through injuries at the end of the year, but he was really impactful for us this year,” – Brian Gutekunst
The Packers are hoping to find some gems later in the draft to continue strengthening their roster heading into the 2023 campaign. With both Walker and Wyatt showing promise in their respective roles, the team’s management hopes to secure their talents for years to come while navigating the complexities of contracts and player options.
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