Tucker Kraft is back in the middle of the Packers’ future plans, and he’s not pretending the contract talks are happening from the sidelines.
The Green Bay tight end said he’s doing everything he can to stay involved as he and the team work through extension discussions ahead of the 2026 season.
"I'm as involved as I can possibly be in it," Kraft said about his contract talks. "Every number, data point, argument, I'm going to be my own advocate as much as I can because I know what my abilities are and what I bring to the table."
Kraft enters the final year of his rookie deal after a 2025 season that was rolling before the injury hit. Through eight games, he had 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns before tearing his ACL.
The encouraging part for Green Bay is that Kraft’s recovery has moved forward well. He was activated from the PUP list and is expected to be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season.
Before the injury, Kraft was one of the central pieces in the Packers’ offense. The 25-year-old gave Green Bay a reliable blocker and a real problem for defenses in the passing game, especially once the ball was in his hands and he started turning short gains into bigger ones.
That early stretch helped fuel a hot start for the Packers in 2025. Jordan Love put together a breakout year, completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Looking ahead to 2026, the passing game may need to carry even more of the load. The run game remains unsettled, even with Josh Jacobs coming off a strong season. Jacobs rushed for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns and added 36 receptions for 282 yards and a touchdown.
After that, the depth chart gets murky. MarShawn Lloyd, the 2024 third-round pick, has played in only one career game because of injuries.
For now, Kraft’s health and his contract situation are the two biggest storylines around him. The Packers know what he can be when he’s on the field, and Kraft clearly knows it too.
In Other News...
Jordan Love And A Few Surprise Packers Are Turning Heads Early
The first week of Packers training camp has already produced a few early camp storylines worth watching, and a couple of the youngest names on the roster have pushed themselves into the conversation. Matthew Golden and Christian Watson have looked like the most intriguing boundary options so far, giving Green Bay something to evaluate on the outside while Jordan Love has opened camp with sharp ball placement and better command of the offense, including a more visible willingness to use his legs.
J. Michael Sturdivant has also flashed enough to turn heads, even if the inconsistency has kept the picture from getting too clean just yet. The rookie wideout has the kind of talent that can put him in the 53-man roster mix, but the drops remain a real issue as the Packers keep sorting through the bottom of the receiver room, with key pieces like Tucker Kraft and Micah Parsons still not fully in the full-speed mix. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Face A Huge Pass Rush Debate As Crosby Buzz Builds
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Even without an official trade report, the conversation has already drifted into the uncomfortable part for Green Bay: what kind of assets it would take to get a player of Crosbys caliber and whether the team wants to push that kind of chip stack into the middle of the table. Health concerns only make the calculation trickier, and for now the Packers are left staring at a premium-name possibility without any clear sign the debate is close to being settled. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Still Have One Clear Favorite At No 28
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Buchanons place in team history has only hardened with time, helped along by his 1993 induction into the Packers Hall of Fame. Other names have worn the number, including AJ Dillon and Mike Michalske, but none have built the same rsum or left the same imprint on the defensive side of the ball. For Packers fans sorting through the best to ever wear No. 28, the answer still comes back to the same familiar name. [Read more 🡒]