Jager Burton may be a rookie fifth-round pick, but he’s already in the kind of spot that can turn a quiet draft selection into a meaningful NFL story. For the Packers, the appeal is simple: he can move around on the interior, and that matters on a line where certainty is hard to find.
Burton enters 2026 with a path that runs straight through Green Bay’s unsettled guard situation, especially on the left side. Aaron Banks is projected to start there, but the expectation hasn’t matched the price tag so far. He signed a four-year, $77 million contract, and the Packers will be watching closely to see whether Burton can at least make that job uncomfortable if Banks doesn’t deliver.
At 6-foot-4 and 312 pounds, Burton has the size to get noticed right away. He also brings college experience at both center and guard, which gives the Packers a useful piece if they need to shuffle the interior. If Sean Rhyan, Anthony Belton or Banks misses time in 2026, Burton could be asked to step into snaps that matter.
That’s a lot to ask of a rookie taken in the fifth round, but that’s also where the value can show up. In a season the Packers believe is part of a Super Bowl window, depth up front is never just depth.
Burton’s 2025 résumé at Kentucky helps explain why Green Bay was willing to take the shot. He started all 12 games at center, wore a captain’s label for four of them, and earned an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Matt Malaspina summed up the appeal this way: "He does his job. He does it at a comfort level, not a panic level.
He's a big dude. He's a big guy, which is what we love.
I was very pleased that he was there. I never, ever would have thought he would be there.
It was a win for us."
The ideal scenario for Green Bay is that Burton doesn’t have to play meaningful snaps right away. But the Packers have also shown a willingness to rotate on the offensive line when they aren’t fully sold on a player, and that keeps the door open. Burton could end up mixing in for Banks, or even Belton at right guard, if the situation calls for it.
In Other News...
Matthew Golden May Have Found The Fastest Way Into LaFleurs Trust
Matthew Golden is trying to turn a promising offseason into a real jump in Year 2, and for the Packers, the early signs go beyond the box score. After a rookie season that ended without a regular-season touchdown, the second-year receiver has drawn notice from Matt LaFleur for the less glamorous parts of the job, especially his blocking and his work away from the ball.
That kind of attention tends to matter in Green Bay, where trust in the offense is built on more than catches and yardage. Golden did finish last season with 361 receiving yards across 14 games and found the end zone in a playoff loss, but the bigger question now is whether those incremental gains are enough to earn a larger role when the games start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Are Taking A Different Defensive Bet Than The Rest Of The NFL
Around the league, last seasons defensive trend leaned toward smaller looks, with teams like the L.A. Rams and Seattle Seahawks finding ways to make lighter packages work. Green Bay has gone the other direction in its own search for answers, choosing not to simply add more defensive backs when the passing game demands it.
Instead, the Packers are exploring a different kind of flexibility by moving bigger edge players inside and keeping key linebackers on the field. The idea is to widen the pass-rush options without sacrificing size and physicality, a bet that reflects a different view of how to disrupt offenses in todays NFL. [Read more 🡒]
Keisean Nixon Repeats Himself Three Times On Contract Talks
Keisean Nixon spent his first training camp media session doing what players often do when the business side starts to creep into football season: he punted. The Packers cornerback repeatedly steered questions about his contract to his agent and general manager, making it clear he wanted the focus to stay on the field as Green Bay gets rolling under a new defensive coordinator. Entering the final year of his three-year deal, Nixon is more interested in showing he can keep building than in turning camp into a negotiation.
Nixon also cleared up one point that might have fueled the speculation. His absence from the first practice had nothing to do with contract tension, he said, but rather hamstring tightness, and he was back on the field the next day. For the Packers, that keeps the situation in the usual summer holding pattern for now, with Nixon working through camp and the front office left to sort out the rest whenever the time comes. [Read more 🡒]