The Green Bay Packers have generally been known as a “homegrown” team. They often focus on building from within and finding gems within the draft. But they have made a couple of splashes in free agency from time to time - most notably with Josh Jacobs in recent years. So we’re never going to rule out the possibility of them making a move.

What we’re going to do here is go through the depth chart, the salaries, and the cap space for the Packers' weapons to see whose job is safe, who is in flux, and who might be on the way out. Then we’ll speculate a bit on what might happen in free agency. If there is a fantasy football-relevant spin, we’ll comment on that as well - why not? 

If you want to see where we have the Green Bay Packers weapons ranked for fantasy, become a Fantasy Alarm Member today to access our full Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings, along with our buy, hold, or sell recommendations!

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

 

 

 

Green Bay Packers Depth Chart 2026 (Fantasy Football Relevant)

QBJordan LoveMalik WillisDesmond Ridder  
RBJosh JacobsEmmanuel WilsonMarshawn LloydChris Brooks

Chris Brooks

WRRomeo DoubsMatthew Golden

Jakobie James-Keeney

 

  
WRChristian WatsonDontayvion WicksBo Melton  
WRJayden ReedSavion Williams   
TETucker KraftLuke MusgraveJohn Fitzpatrick  


 

KEY

  • White = free agent
  • Green = role is safe
  • Yellow =  role in flux
  • Orange = likely a depth piece
  • Red = roster spot not guaranteed

Green Bay Packers Free Agency 2026

  • CURRENT PROJECTED 2026 SALARIES: $246M
  • CURRENT ESTIMATED 2026 CAP SPACE: $45M

Free Agent Types

Unrestricted free agent: Any player with four or more accrued seasons whose contract has expired. They are free to negotiate with any team.

Restricted free agent: A player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. The CBA allowed for NFL teams to tender these players to one-year qualifying offers to retain them. Another team can sign them, but would need to provide the tendering team with compensation. In layman’s terms, if a new team signs a player, the current team can match it, or they receive the corresponding pick from the new team. These are the projected RFA tender levels per OverTheCap.com:

  • 1st Round - $7,893,000
  • 2nd Round - $5,658,000
  • Right of First Refusal - $3,453,000

Exclusive rights free agent: Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum, the player cannot negotiate with other teams. If the team wants the player back, these contracts are a no-brainer as the player either needs to play on the contract or sit out. 

 

 

 

Packers Quarterback Depth Chart

Jordan Love

Jordan Love is locked in as the Packers quarterback for 2026 - that much we know. And he’s a guy I absolutely believe that the Packers can win with. The question for us is what to do with him in fantasy football - especially in dynasty leagues. Love kind of lives in no man’s land, where he’s mobile but he doesn’t run the ~5 times a game we need to be called a rushing QB. And we know he can be a talented passer, but the scheme and gamescripts really don’t call for the volume we need there. He’s the kind of guy I generally sell, especially in single QB leagues, as I’m not sure what the catalyst would need to be to see him throw for the volume stats we need in fantasy. 

Malik Willis

Jordan Love has gotten banged up in two straight years, which has seen Malik Willis take the field. And he’s played well enough that he’s almost certainly priced himself out of a backup job in Green Bay and will move on to compete somewhere else.

The most appealing spot to me would be the Arizona Cardinals if they do move on from Kyler Murray. With Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr, Michael Wilson, and familiarity with the system, going from one LaFleur to another would make a lot of sense. I also like the scheme that Bobby Slowik runs and believe it could be QB-friendly in Miami. Teams like the Jets or Browns simply do not have a good track record of developing quarterbacks, so I’d steer clear. 

Desmond Ridder

Ridder was elevated at the very end of the season to retain his rights. After he lost the backup battle to Clayton Tune in Arizona, I figured it was the end of the road for Ridder, but we saw him play serviceable football at times as a rookie. 

PACKERS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: To me, the Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord signings felt like insurance policy moves, not answers. And, considering Jordan Love has missed time in back-to-back years, the Packers likely want answers. Some teams like veteran mentors, some just want the best guy who can play right now, and others are fine with projects. The best backups right now are probably guys like Marcus Mariota or Tyler Huntley. The Packers did turn Malik Willis from a cast-off into a useful asset, though, so maybe they can do the same with some of the other project QBs out there. I included a few examples after Mariota and Huntley. 

Packers Running Back Depth Chart

Josh Jacobs

The Packers signing of Josh Jacobs was a bit overshadowed by the Eagles signing of Saquon Barkley and winning the Super Bowl. But it’s a similar story of a guy who dealt with injuries, left a bad organization, and had success with a good one. Next year, when Jacobs is 29 and can be released for $13.5M in savings and only $3M in dead cap, we can have a conversation about his contract, but for 2026, I expect Jacobs to be starting and playing at a high level. 

Emanuel Wilson

I don’t often vouch for using the restricted free agent tender on backup running backs, as it is kind of expensive. But Wilson has been reliable for them, and the $3.45M right of first refusal tag makes a lot of sense. What might make even more sense for both parties is a two-year deal with maybe a little lower AAV but decent guaranteed money. 

MarShawn Lloyd

Marshawn Lloyd is perhaps the biggest mystery in fantasy football. It’s been two years now, and all we’ve seen from him is six snaps back in Week 2 of 2024. After drafting him, they had dynasty managers excited when they said he can do “anything and everything that Jahmyr Gibbs can do for Detroit”. If you have been holding this long, you might as well keep holding, but Lloyd has really had some insanely bad injury luck. In two seasons, he has had multiple hamstring strains, a hip injury, a groin injury, an ankle sprain, and appendicitis.   

Chris Brooks

Not only do they like Chris Brooks for depth, but he played the third-most special-teams snaps of any player on the team, contributing on four different units. I don’t know if they will pick up his restricted free agent tender, but they could bring him back on a deal in that capacity. 

PACKERS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: If the Packers simply tender Emmanuel Wilson and bring back Chris Brooks, they’ll have everything they need. They often like to draft guys rather than lure them in via free agency, but if Emanuel Wilson does walk, looking for a bigger opportunity, they may need to bring in a backup. Here are some names that are hitting the market. There’s even a familiar face in there.

 

 

 

Packers Wide Receiver Depth Chart

Romeo Doubs

Doubs has served as the split end for the Packers, often leading the team in snaps and targets. Believe it or not, he never had a 100-yard regular-season game in four years in Green Bay - he did have two in the playoffs, though. My read on Doubs is that he’s going to test free agency here, and because of his ability to actually play split end on the outside, he could get a decent contract and role. He hasn’t really popped on the run-heavy Packers for fantasy, so a change of scenery could be a welcome change. 

Christian Watson

Watson was a surprise this year, as some believed he could miss the entire season, and even if he came back, he might be eased in. But within a couple of weeks of returning, Watson was up to over an 80% snap share, often leading the team. The team also surprised us a bit by extending him before he even returned, so he’ll be back for 2026 and should be a key contributor. 

Jayden Reed 

They love Jayden Reed as a slot/gadget guy. But he’s yet to be able to transition into a full-time role. This year he never played more than 65% of the snaps in any game. To me, that makes him a hold or even a buy in dynasty because, if the Packers don’t give him a bigger role in the final year of his deal here, I could see him leaving next year. And whatever team pays him on that second contract is likely to want to make him a featured part of the offense.

Matthew Golden

The Packers made a big move drafting Matthew Golden in the first round - something they almost never do. And the results in year one were mixed. Golden actually got a pretty big role from the start of the season with Watson and Reed both out. But, as the season progressed and guys returned, his usage dropped, and he, too, ended up getting banged up.

I’m often hesitant with rookies when they get a big opportunity and don’t show us much. This isn’t really the case of Golden being stuck behind superior players here. If I have him, I’m probably holding to see how he develops, but this is not a player I’m going out of my way to buy at this time. This year will be huge for him as he tries to carve out a full-time role opposite Christian Watson. 

Savion Williams

Savion Williams was always going to be a project. He's a very raw talent that had sporadic utilization in college that included a lot of special teams work as well as backfield work along with WR snaps. A lot of folks were comparing him to Cordarelle Patterson due to that.

And, as a rookie, he was used like early Cordarelle Patterson. He returned virtually all the kicks as well as playing wide receiver, getting 16 backfield snaps, and 3 wildcat QB snaps. If you took a stab on him in your dynasty drafts, you might as well hold to see if this 6'5" 225 athletic specimen can be crafted into a more consistent weapon. At least there is some unknown upside there. 

Dontayvion Wicks

Wicks has been a darling of the dynasty community, though their hopes were dashed pretty hard in 2025. The Packers dealt with a lot of injuries to their pass-catchers, but Wicks never really seized the opportunity. I think he retains his roster spot as a depth piece for Green Bay, but I’m not sure where he fits in besides as WR4. Matthew Golden would basically need to be a complete bust for Wicks to play over him. 

Bo Melton

Bo Melton is still listed with the wide receivers, though they converted him to a cornerback in the offseason. He ended up on season-ending IR. If they want him back, he’s an exclusive rights free agent, which means they can keep him for the veteran minimum. 

Jakobie James-Keeney

James-Keeney spent most of the year on the practice squad but was elevated for Week 18 when guys rested. And that move technically has him under contract for 2026. He actually looked decent, so they might keep him around, or they could have him on the practice squad again. 

PACKERS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: Everyone always wants the Packers to make big offseason splashes at wide receiver. But they almost never do. Given that they did spend a first-round pick on Matthew Golden last year, I don’t expect them to make a big move here. Even with Doubs likely leaving, you’ve got Christian Watson and Golden on the outside, Jayden Reed in the slot, and Wicks as the next man up.

  • POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: N/A
     
 

 

Packers Tight End Depth Chart

Tucker Kraft

Injuries will always be the most disappointing part of football. So many “what ifs”. Tucker Kraft is expected to be fully recovered and resume his job as the top tight end. But we lost pretty much all of 2025. Given that the Packers aren’t a super-strong team in terms of target hog wide receivers, I don’t see why Tucker Kraft wouldn’t be poised for a good fantasy season in 2026. 

Luke Musgrave

I don’t really think Luke Musgrave is at risk of being released. But he should be on the trade block for Green Bay. He was given a golden opportunity to step up with Kraft out, and he didn’t do much. He does not fit the mold of a “two-way” tight end like Green Bay needs, so a change of scenery to a team that wants a “big slot” option could help him out. 

John FitzPatrick

The blocking of John Fitzpatrick saw him play over Luke Musgrave at times, as that is important in this scheme. He’s a free agent, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he were back. 

Josh Whyle

Whyle is a restricted free agent, but I doubt they pick up the tender there. If he is back, it will primarily be as depth and to play special teams. 

PACKERS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Packers have all sorts of reserves/futures lined up, like the pure pass-catching McCallan Castles. That has me wondering if they plan to do some real tryouts here for depth behind Tucker Kraft. After the lack of production once Kraft went down, they need some sort of mix of blocking and pass-catching from the backup, it seems. Which is hard to find on a budget, but here are some names if they actually view TE2 as a priority.  

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings

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