One of the biggest debates among the Green Bay Packers fanbase during the 2025 offseason was which wide receiver would claim the No. 1 role — the go-to target for Jordan Love when things get tough. We’re starting to discover that answer. But here’s the catch: Green Bay’s top option in the passing game isn’t a wideout.
After spending half of the 2023 season as a backup to Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft broke out in 2024 with a productive campaign, recording 50 receptions for 707 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s off to a tremendous start with the Green and Gold in 2025, leading the team in both receiving yards and touchdown catches.
Among tight ends, he ranks third in receiving yards, second in yards per catch, second in receiving touchdowns, first in yards after the catch and YAC average. He’s also second in yards per route run and leads all tight ends with two receptions of 40-plus yards. Moreover, he has a perfect passer rating when targeted.
Kraft is on another level. If the season ended today, he would be a first-team All-Pro. He’s Green Bay’s offense, and everything flows much smoothly when he’s involved. If he continues to play at such a high level, he’ll be the Packers’ top candidate for an early contract extension next year.
“You’d be crazy not to,” Matt LaFleur said after the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers when asked if he would be willing to build the passing offense around a tight end. “He was a beast. He was a man possessed, and you just got to find ways to get him the ball.”
Per NFLPA rules, Kraft becomes eligible for an extension next offseason when he enters the final year of his rookie deal. He’s already under contract through 2026, slated to make $1.5 million next season. However, with a proven performance escalator, that figure could jump to at least $4 million even without a new deal.
Just as Brian Gutekunst re-signed Zach Tom early, Green Bay would be wise to do the same with their breakout tight end sooner rather than later. There’s no indication that Kraft will regress — quite the opposite. He’s only improved since becoming the starter. If that trend continues, he’ll be even more expensive by the time his rookie contract expires.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle currently holds the title of the highest-paid tight end in the league, earning a $19.1 million base salary per year. The good news for Green Bay is that the tight end position remains far more affordable than wide receivers. For perspective, Christian Kirk is the 25th highest-paid wideout in the NFL, earning $18 million per year — a figure only surpassed by Kittle and Trey McBride among tight ends.
Spotrac currently projects Kraft to land a four-year, $64 million contract, which would average $16 million per year and put him among the top five highest-paid tight ends in the league. That figure feels like a compromise both sides could accept, especially considering everyone expected Zach Tom to set the market for right tackles, yet he also landed in that same top-five range.
However, Kraft is having a monster season on his way to an All-Pro nod, so he has every right to push the ceiling higher. And let’s be honest — his agency won’t do him any favors if they don’t fight for maximum value.
It’ll be interesting to see how Brian Gutekunst handles Kraft’s extension. Often, rookie deals are extended in a way that the new contract doesn’t start until the current one ends, so the team’s cap and the guaranteed money don’t kick in right away.
Still, sometimes teams start the new deal immediately, usually to secure a larger signing bonus or to guarantee the player more money sooner. That can raise the cap hit for the current year, but it gives Kraft more financial security upfront.
The Packers could work out a four-year, $75 million incentive-based deal with Kraft this offseason. Green Bay has a good track record when it comes to structuring incentives, using them to reward production without overcommitting guaranteed money.. A deal like that would average close to $19 million per year, and given the way Kraft is playing, he’d be worth every cent.
