General manager Brian Gutekunst and the Green Bay Packers have some difficult decisions to make this offseason, but some might be easier to weigh than others.
When it comes to underperforming linebacker Quay Walker’s future, the choice appears to be clear for Gutekunst and the rest of the Packers’ brass. It’s time to start the clock on either moving on or signing him to a lucrative extension.
Walker, chosen by Green Bay with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has never quite lived up to his first-round billing, and picking up his fifth-year option would cost the Packers upwards of $16 million guaranteed in 2026.
What Should the Packers do With Quay Walker?
The Athletic‘s Matt Scheidman suggests Green Bay not even think about picking up Walker’s option.
“No thanks,” Scheidman writes for The Athletic. “Only three inside linebackers make more than that annually: Roquan Smith, Fred Warner and Tremaine Edmunds. For as much promise as Walker has, he hasn’t been able to string together enough performances worthy of that payday. Gutekunst said he wants Walker here for the long term, so perhaps they can work out an extension instead of the guaranteed option.”
If the Packers and Gutekunst want to continue building around Walker, who has posted 341 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, and one interception return for a touchdown, signing the 24-year-old to a long-term extension would be a far more team-friendly approach that would allow Green Bay to continue building out its defense.
“I think Quay continued to make a leap and (he’s) another guy who had struggled through injuries at the end of the year, but he was really impactful for us this year. Continues to be a great leader for us,” Gutekunst recently told reporters. “Certainly think, we would love to have him around here for longer than just a couple more years. He’s that kind of guy. And D-Wy was probably our most consistent pass rusher from the inside this year.”
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