Paul Bretl | 1/23/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — One of the many decisions that Packers’ general manager Brian Gutekunst will have to make this offseason is whether or not to pick up the fifth-year options for the 2026 season for linebacker Quay Walker and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt.
Every player selected in the first round of the NFL draft comes with a fifth year option that the team can either pick up or decline. With Walker and Wyatt–first round picks in the 2022 draft–entering the final year of their rookie deals, that is a decision Gutekunst will have to make by May 1st.
When it comes to making these decisions, sometimes they can be really easy. When Jaire Alexander was eligible for his fifth-year option to be picked up that was a no-brainer. Or on the other side of the spectrum, last offseason, declining Eric Stokes’ fifth-year option given his injury history was the expected move.
However, when it comes to Wyatt and Walker, those are two future decisions that could have come with some unknowns. The key word there is ‘could‘ because Gutekunst ended up making his intentions pretty clear when it comes to those two players: he wants them back beyond 2025.
“We’re super fired about both those guys seasons this year,” Gutekunst said during his season ending press conference. “Both of them dealt with some injuries and was really proud of how they attacked those and played through some things this year. But I think both those guys had their best years as pros so far.”
Hit like and subscribe to my YouTube Channel ‘Paul Bretl’ for more Packers coverage.
Coming out of the bye week, things really started to click for Walker, who was not only learning a new defensive scheme like everyone else but was the Mike linebacker for the first time in his career, which comes with massive responsibilities. Beyond just relaying the play-call to the rest of the defenders, the Mike linebacker has to make sure everyone is set, calls out any adjustments the offense is making pre-snap, and then has to adjust the defense accordingly.
But as he got more reps and experience, Walker’s confidence grew, and that resulted in fast and physical play. Before suffering an ankle injury in Week 15 that kept Walker sidelined until the playoffs, he was playing arguably the best football of his career, shedding blocks, shooting gaps, getting sideline-to-sideline to cut off ball carriers, and limiting yards after the catch over the middle.
Quay continued to make a leap, and 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. Certainly think we would love to have him around here for longer than just a couple years. He’s that kind of guy.
From Weeks 12-14, he was doing a bit of everything for this Packers’ defense. During that span of three games, Walker generated the second most quarterback pressures of any linebacker in the NFL. He would also rank 13th, surrendering just 6.9 yards per catch.
In addition to that, his 20 tackles were tied for the fifth-most, and while tackles can sometimes be a misleading stat, the 11 stops that he generated on those tackles–the seventh-most among linebackers during those three games–shows the quality of those plays.
“I think he was progressing at that point also and playing some good football, right about the time he got hurt,” said linebackers coach Anthony Campanile. “I thought it was a steady progression for him, he made a jump I would say at that point in the year. I think he was just starting to see it really well. In the room, I think he’s done everything he can do. He’s all over it. Answering questions, totally immersed and locked into the game plan.
“That’s something that kind of speaks to the character of the guy, too. Even the games he hasn’t played in, he’s in the room, answering questions, calling it out, playing the plays through on the screen just like he’s out there as he normally would be.”
Wyatt, meanwhile, on a defensive front that struggled to generate steady pressure on the quarterback, he was, as Gutekunst put it, the Packers most consistent pass rusher from the defensive tackle position. To help illustrate that sentiment, out of all the Packers’ defensive tackles and defensive ends, Wyatt had the highest-pass rush win rate this season, according to PFF.
Among all defensive tackles in the NFL, Wyatt ranked 11th in that category and third in pass-rush productivity, which is an efficiency metric, measuring how often a pass rusher generates pressure relative to the number of snaps they play and it’s more heavily weighted towards sacks.
This past season we also saw Wyatt make a big jump as a run defender, where he ranked sixth among his position group in run-stop rate after ranking 48th in that same category a year ago.
“He’s a 300-pound man that runs extremely fast,” said former defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich. “He’s got great quickness. He’s got great awareness. He can be a factor against quarterbacks, I don’t care who it is in the National Football League, and we’ve got to continue to grow with that. He knows that. So, yeah, statistically, I guess he has had some opportunities to pressure the quarterback and knock him down, and it’s been great success for him and for us.”
If exercised, the fifth-year option essentially works as a one-year, fully guaranteed deal. The contract amount is not negotiated, but instead is a pre-determined amount based on the player’s position, their playing time during their rookie career, and any accolades they might have received.
As of now, Over the Cap is projecting that Walker’s fifth-year option will pay him $16.06 million in 2026 and Wyatt would earn $13.09 million. Since those are one-year deals, those amounts are what each player’s cap hit would be as well, since there aren’t additional years to push any cap charges to.
The Packers won’t be hurting for salary cap space in 2026 and could likely absorb those amounts. However, similarly to what we saw Green Bay do with Jordan Love, I could see the Packers signing either or both players to a short extension that pays Walker and Wyatt what they’ve earned, along with some added earning potential through incentives, and gives them security beyond 2025. But this would allow the Packers some cap flexibility as well.
The Packers pass rush was too inconsistent in 2024 and they now have an opening at DL coach.
A look at the pass rush woes from this past season, along with a glimpse at the 3 DL coach candidates they've interviewed.
Story @ESPNLaCrosseWI ⬇️https://t.co/R6apWP4Oq9
— Paul Bretl (@Paul_Bretl) January 22, 2025