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Packers Offseason Checklist: Examining Fifth-Year Options

Posted on February 20, 2025 - 1:24 pm by

The Green Bay Packers made 2 selections in the first round of the 2022 draft: Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt. Now that both players have completed the third season of their NFL careers, the Packers are forced with decisions of whether to pick up the fifth-year option for either player. Both Walker and Wyatt were drafted out of the University of Georgia. Since being drafted, both players have had their share of ups and downs throughout their time with the Packers. The Packers are known for not wanting to give up on their draft picks, but they shouldn’t think too hard about the decision on these former first-round picks.

Quay Walker

Walker, the 24-year-old linebacker, was the 22nd overall pick back in 2022. He is coming off of what many people considered to be his best season as a Packer. Walker started his career playing alongside De’Vondre Campbell in Joe Barry’s defense. When the Packers released Campbell in March of 2024 and hired Jeff Hafley, Walker assumed the responsibility of wearing the green dot as the defensive signal caller on a full-time basis. 

Walker has remained relatively healthy. He has posted snap counts of 846, 849, and 747, but he has not shown to be a game-changer in any way. He has only logged 2 turnovers in his career and he’s missing more tackles each year. Another big concern – pass coverage. When Walker was targeted, quarterbacks’ pass completion percentage, yards per completion, passer rating, and average depth of target have all increased. In other words, opposing quarterbacks have had a lot of success when targeting Walker. Overall, Walker’s play has been below average. This is also evident in his grades from PFF. 

On a positive note, Walker has posted over 100 combined tackles every year of his career. He’s shown to be an effective pass rusher when utilized. Although he’s been blitzing less, he has been making more plays in the backfield. He also has the support of his teammates and coaches. Teammate Xavier McKinney and Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley have both went on record raving about Walker throughout the entire season.

Based on comments from coaches and teammates, keeping Walker under contract seems like a strong possibility. The Packers have the decision whether to pick up the fifth-year option on his contract to ensure he’s on the team for both 2025 and 2026. The big caveat is that the contract for 2026 is fully guaranteed. Over the Cap projects that this option year would cost the Packers $16,060,000. This number would give Quay the fourth highest annual average value (AAV) amongst all NFL linebackers. 

Walker is still young and with another year in Jeff Hafley’s defense, it’s possible his best football is still ahead of him. The Packers love betting on athleticism and age, both of which Quay possesses. But this should be a fairly easy no. It’s too much guanteed money for someone who has been very inconsistent.

Devonte Wyatt

Devonte Wyatt, the soon-to-be 27-year-old interior defensive lineman, was the 28th overall pick back in 2022. Wyatt was one of the oldest rookies drafted in 2022 and many considered him to be one of the more NFL-ready defensive linemen coming out. He has shown the ability to stay healthy as he hasn’t missed many games but never has been the impact player he was hoped to be.

Wyatt has played in 14 or more games in all three seasons of his NFL career, although he’s never produced a snap percentage greater than 50%. Defensive linemen commonly rotate so seeing a lower snap share isn’t out of the norm. Wyatt’s snap counts ranked 54th in 2023 and 90th in 2024 amongst all NFL defensive linemen. He’s been active and healthy, but Wyatt hasn’t shown that he’s able to handle heavy snap workloads.

Wyatt’s performance on the field is fairly predictable. He has shown the ability to rush the passer on passing downs. There have been flashes with his pass rush that make you think he’s one of the better pass rushers in the league. Other times, he’s just another guy out there. His performance in the run game has been well below average. He’s been more of a liability than an asset. The consistency of Wyatt’s play is lacking. His performance has been fairly average, which shows up on tape and in PFF grades.

Has Wyatt been bad? No, certainly not. But picking up his fifth-year option would cost the Packers $13,098,000 fully guaranteed in 2026. That’s a hefty price tag for a rotational defensive lineman who struggles against the run. That AAV would be similar to Cameron Heyward of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Grover Stewart of the Indianapolis Colts, both far more accomplished and productive than Wyatt. The Packers would be better off declining this option and spending a little bit more money in free agency on a more proven and serviceable defensive lineman or pass rusher, like current free agents Milton Williams, Levi Onwuzurike, or Khalil Mack.

Finding a Better Solution

The Packers have other options besides picking up the fifth-year option for either player. Maybe they can work out shorter extensions that are smaller cap hits or incentive-based. The Packers did something similar with Jordan Love. Maybe both players have career seasons and will warrant larger contracts. That would be a great problem to have. Would they run the risk of both players leaving in free agency? Sure, and that’s a risk worth taking. Picking up the options and committing this amount of guaranteed money to these two players would not be a smart move.

There is a world where either Wyatt or Walker (or both) are Packers in 2026. The Packers front office, coaching staff, and locker room have sung the praises of both players. The smartest move the Packers can make from a salary cap standpoint and a team-building standpoint is to decline the options for both players, let them play out 2025 on their current contracts, and reevaluate next offseason.