Acme Packing Company
Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt are up for big 2026 pay days, be it on the fifth-year option or not
Officially, the Green Bay Packers have had since January 6th to exercise the fifth-year options of their 2022 first-round picks. So far, only two NFL teams have picked up these options — the Jacksonville Jaguars did it for defensive end Travon Walker and the Houston Texans did it for cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. before giving Stingley a three-year extension.
So you’re going to see a lot of fifth-year option news over the next two weeks, as the league’s deadline to exercise these options is on May 1st, just a few days after the 2025 NFL Draft concludes. How many of the remaining 30 players will have their fifth-year options picked up? It’s difficult to know, considering that the NFL adjusted how it calculates these fifth-year options over the last collective bargaining agreement, and the cap continues to rise to the tune of about $25 million per year.
Back in 2022, the Packers picked two first-round picks: linebacker Quay Walker and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt. Now, they have to decide if they want to double down on those decisions beyond their four-year rookie deals.
Based on what players received this offseason, with Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton’s contract and Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton in mind, both Walker and Wyatt could probably command $15 million per year on the open market. If that sounds crazy to you, it needs to be understood that the cap rising has led to fewer star players reaching free agency, despite teams having all these dollars to spend. What’s happening in the league right now is an explosion in the cost of average to slightly above average starting players, the ones who actually hit the open market and are the targets of big free agent bidding wars. This is simply the world the Packers find themselves in.
According to Over the Cap, Walker’s fifth-year option would cost the Packers $14.7 million in 2026. Wyatt’s option is set at $13.9 million. At the combine, Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst seemed unhappy that off-ball linebackers and edge defenders who play 3-4 outside linebacker were included together in the NFL’s calculation for the price of Walker’s fifth-year option, but he mentioned the possibility of reaching extensions with both Walker and Wyatt in the future.
So there’s a chance the team bypasses the option entirely, going straight to extensions instead. Two years ago, the Packers did just that when they gave quarterback Jordan Love a one-year extension instead of picking up his option.
Whatever Green Bay is going to do, they need to decide their plan of action quickly. Two weeks go by fast, especially with the draft on the horizon.
