On Monday, the Green Bay Packers announced they had reached an agreement with linebacker Isaiah McDuffie on a two-year contract extension worth $8.8 million, with an additional $1 million available through playing-time incentives.
McDuffie’s extension is a good move for the Packers. He led the team in special teams snaps last season and is the second-longest-tenured player on the roster. Still, it shifts the focus to Ty’Ron Hopper‘s situation. After extending McDuffie, it’s fair to wonder where the former third-round pick fits into Green Bay’s plans moving forward.
Let’s take a look at the current state of Green Bay’s linebacker room. Edgerrin Cooper is the present and the future of the position, with All-Pro upside and still plenty of room to grow. The Packers also traded for Zaire Franklin this offseason, and he’s under contract for the next two years. Meanwhile, McDuffie’s new extension keeps him with the organization through the 2027 season.
It’s hard to envision a scenario where Hopper starts over any of those three linebackers. Through his first two seasons in Green Bay, he has made only two starts and played more than 18 defensive snaps once. That came against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18 last season, when the Packers rested most of their starters.
The process behind Green Bay’s decision to draft Hopper was always questionable. The Packers selected him with the 91st-overall pick, even though he ranked 160th on the consensus board, roughly fifth-round value. Right now, that decision is looking even worse. McDuffie has been an average run defender and a slightly below-average player in coverage. Still, the Packers don’t seem to trust Hopper enough to give him meaningful defensive snaps.
There’s no reason for the Packers to move on from Hopper this year. He is still under his rookie contract with two years remaining, giving the team plenty of time to see if he can develop. Even in the worst-case scenario, he can still provide value as a special teams contributor while serving as depth at linebacker.
However, Hopper’s long-term future with the team is far from guaranteed. Cooper is the only linebacker in that room who I can confidently say will still be with the Packers three years from now. Franklin has also received his share of criticism from Indianapolis Colts fans, particularly regarding his coverage ability. They have watched him far more closely than I have, so their concerns are worth considering.
Every move Brian Gutekunst has made at linebacker suggests that the Packers are not comfortable with Hopper getting on the field, and he’s running out of time to prove them wrong. He needs to bring some juice to training camp this year and show the team why they invested a third-round pick in him. Otherwise, he could find himself as a trade candidate around this time next year.
