There was plenty of speculation this offseason about how the Green Bay Packers would approach a potential Devonte Wyatt extension. The consensus seemed to be that they would likely wait a little longer. Then, on Monday, they provided a surprise answer in the form of a three-year, $57 million extension. If Wyatt stays healthy, it’s a huge win for the Packers.
For comparison’s sake, Justis Mosqueda of the Acme Packing Company hit the nail on the head with his John Franklin-Myers comparison. Myers and Wyatt are similar in play style, age, position, you name it. The big difference? Franklin-Myers hasn’t missed more than one game in any season throughout his career.
Meanwhile, Devonte Wyatt has shown plenty of promise and put together stretches of really good play that have lasted a month. His health has been the roadblock, and Wyatt will be coming back this year after suffering a broken fibula and torn ligaments in his ankle last Thanksgiving in Detroit.
Franklin-Myers netted a three-year, $63 million deal with the Tennessee Titans this offseason. Within that were a $42 million guarantee and a $12 million signing bonus. Wyatt’s deal is the same length but tabbed at only $57 million, with a $20 million signing bonus. So the overall value was slightly lower for Wyatt, and the guaranteed money is much lower.
It’s all about availability.
Nobody is questioning who Wyatt is or what he delivers when he’s on the field. If his health had been more stable like Franklin-Myers’, Wyatt likely would have gotten a bigger extension than the deal Franklin-Myers signed with the Titans.
These aren’t foreign waters for Green Bay. Last offseason, they gave wide receiver Christian Watson a one-year extension while he was still in the middle of recovering from a torn ACL. Watson proved his worth, and then some, returning last year and cashed in again this offseason.
Tight end Tucker Kraft will be returning from a torn ACL this year, and you’d be a fool to believe that there haven’t been contract extension discussions already underway. The Packers know what they have in Kraft and can’t, under any circumstance, allow him to play out 2026 and hit free agency.
Wyatt may not have been at that level of priority, but the Packers were able to get an extension done with him before Kraft. It’s a big piece of the puzzle for the future.
If you don’t want to take our word for it, just look at Micah Parsons‘s praise for Wyatt last season after Wyatt’s injury.
“You guys see the difference he makes when he got back out on the field,” Parsons said. “He’s a player you can’t replace. It’s going to be challenging, but we’re going to have to really dial into our details, our fundamentals to try to replace someone that’s unreplaceable.”
General manager Brian Gutekunst was blunt when asked about Wyatt after the season.
We really like him. He’s gotta get over the injury thing and make sure he can stay available to us, but when he’s out there he’s very, very impactful, not only in the run game but as a pass rusher as well. So we would like to do that, keep him around in some form or fashion.
That form or fashion is now locked in, and Green Bay didn’t have to break the bank.
Wyatt gets the security of a long-term deal and doesn’t have to fret about returning from injury this year, playing under the immense amount of pressure to cash in next offseason. The Packers bring back a big-time contributor and get a bit of a discount because of those injury concerns.
Wyatt will be entering his age-28 season. While the nature of his injuries may sound gruesome, early rumblings suggest he should be good to go for training camp. Any questions about his motivation can be laid to rest after what Wyatt said at the end of the season.
Me personally, I know I got a lot more in the tank. I feel like I got a lot more in the tank than what I put out there this year or the past three years I had. I know I have a lot more and I feel like this injury right here really is going to help me get above this hump, just showing y’all what I have.
This one was as simple as it gets for the Packers. There’s no mystery in what they do or don’t have with the player. There’s no wondering if Devonte Wyatt is a valuable piece on the chessboard. The one question — and it is a big one — is Wyatt’s health. That makes him a bit of a gamble, but it’s a smart bet.
