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The Green Bay Packers have had success with one of the youngest rosters in the NFL in recent years, but the bill is coming due. Now, the Packers are having to pay up to keep some of their young stars around after the 2026 season.
They did just that on Thursday when they signed wide receiver Christian Watson to a four-year, $110.5 million contract extension. It’s a steep price to pay for a wideout that has been injury-prone during his career, but Watson has shown the talent to be a game-changing wideout when he is healthy.
Now, the focus has turned to who could be next to get a payday after Watson. On Thursday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, NFL insider Ian Rapoport pinpointed star tight end Tucker Kraft as the next man that could get an extension.
"I would consider Tucker Kraft a big time priority for the Green Bay Packers..
He looks great as he's coming back from injury"@RapSheet #PMSLive https://t.co/mnX0aNOxGl pic.twitter.com/jRVeJvqzSY
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 4, 2026
“Tucker Kraft is still out there, and I would consider him a big time priority for Green Bay,” Rapoport said. “It looks great as he’s coming back, looks excellent. I wouldn’t be surprised if contract talks waited until he’s fully cleared, but if you’re talking about a guy who will probably reset the tight end market that badly needs to be reset, that would probably be one of them and (Lions TE Sam) LaPorta would be the other.”
The biggest question with Kraft, as Rapoport alluded to, is his recovery from a torn ACL that he suffered during the 2025 season. However, the fourth-year tight end is already running and looks to be on track to be back for 2026.
When Kraft has been on the field, he has looked like one of the star tight ends in football. He is a good blocker and an even better receiver, consistently winning down the field and after the catch as a true mismatch for defenses. In 2025, he caught 32 balls for 489 yards and six touchdowns despite playing just eight games, putting him on pace for 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns over the course of a full season.
As a result, it would be no surprise to see him rewarded next with a big extension.
The post Insider pinpoints Packers’ next ‘priority’ after Christian Watson contract appeared first on ClutchPoints.
