Packers turn heads with contract decision on former first-round pick

The Green Bay Packers have made some important moves during the 2025 offseason. Green Bay accomplished the unthinkable, drafting wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Now Green Bay has made an important decision about one former first-round pick.

The Packers are exercising the fifth-year option on DT Devonte Wyatt, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Wyatt will earn $12.9 million guaranteed during the 2026 season.

Green Bay selected Wyatt with the 28th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He has been a solid contributor for the Packers, logging 12 sacks in just three seasons in the NFL.

It should be no surprise that the Packers want to keep Wyatt around. He is the perfect complement next to Kenny Clark on the interior of Green Bay’s defensive line. The Packers also do not have great depth at the position, so keeping a starter like Wyatt around is a smart move.

His best season came in 2023. He played all 17 games and logged 36 total tackles, five-and-a-half sacks, and had one fumble recovery.

Wyatt’s stats were a little better in 2024, which is encouraging because he only played in 14 games.

Packers fans should be excited to see Wyatt take another step forward during the 2025 season.

Will the Packers use the fifth-year option on LB Quay Walker?

Packers turn heads with contract decision on former first-round pick — Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Wyatt was not Green Bay’s only first-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft.

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The Packers also selected linebacker Quay Walker with the 22nd overall pick. It is interesting that Green Bay did not announce a decision about Walker’s fifth-year option alongside Wyatt’s.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst has noted that he wants to keep both players in Green Bay through 2026. However, he did not commit to using the fifth-year option on both players.

Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Haftley certainly seems to want to keep Walker around for a long time in Green Bay.

Haftley praised Walker towards the end of the regular season.

“I think Quay is a prime example where he’s playing his best football,” Hafley said in December, per Sports Illustrated. “I still he’s going to get even better because I have that high of expectations for him because I think he’s that talented, and you’re starting to see it. And if you guys were able to watch him in practice right now, he’s practicing with a whole different level of confidence. You can hear it, just by how loud he is when he’s communicating, how he’s lining up, how he’s moving around.”

If the Packers pick up Walker’s fifth-year option, it should cost them $14.8 million.

It will be interesting to see how the Packers approach this situation throughout the summer.