Earlier, when the Green Bay Packers extended defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt for three years at $57 million, everyone started predicting Tucker Kraft would be next in line. With speculation over a contract extension amid his ACL injury, the Packers remained hesitant, stalling the negotiations. But as the regular season begins, the Packers made a surprising move right before their Week 1 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
A day before kickoff, EVP Russ Ball and GM Brian Gutekunst agreed to a four-year extension for Kraft worth up to $92 million. The move ended months of uncertainty, ending any speculation about Kraft’s future with the franchise, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“ESPN sources: Green Bay TE Tucker Kraft and the Packers reached an agreement today on a four-year, $75 million extension worth up to $92 million that includes a $26.5 million signing bonus,” Adam Schefter reported on X. Kraft’s agents, Jack Bechta and Ryan Hays of JB Sports, just signed off on the agreement with Packers EVP Russ Ball and GM Brian Gutekunst.”
The Packers drafted Tucker Kraft in the 3rd round (78th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft and signed him to a rookie contract of $5.5 million for four years. As he was moving into his last season of the contract, the Packers are now extending him to a four-year extension.
Per Spotrac, Kraft’s new contract comes with a base value of $75 million and a $26.5 million signing bonus. With the new contract extension in place, Kraft now ranks behind only the Arizona Cardinals’ Trey McBride ($19 million) and the San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle ($19.1 million) among the top-paid TEs in the league.
According to reports, after the initial negotiations stalled, Kraft continued to take part in team activities and kept working on his rehab.
“I’m not someone to orchestrate a holdout, mostly because they can fine me but mostly because I know the value I bring to this team,” Kraft said. “And I think best odds of us playing in the postseason are with me early on in the season, and I’m just going to continue to attack everything the same way I attacked my rehab. I want to be out on the field, and I want to play every play that I can play.”
However, the timing is of the essence here. Last season, Kraft suffered a season-ending torn ACL while playing against the Carolina Panthers in Week 9. When he was engaged in a block on a running play, he absorbed direct physical contact to his right leg, causing his knee to buckle from the Packers guard Sean Rhyan.
“I got f———— cut on my pull, so I don’t know what happened,” Rhyan said. “All I know is that m———— helmet was into my knees. He went low on me, so I had to try to avoid my knees getting clipped out, too. So it’s one of those things of terrible circumstances, and s——— just didn’t come out right for us.”
Before his injury, Tucker Kraft appeared in eight games for the Packers, racking up 489 yards and scoring six touchdowns. After the injury, he underwent surgery and completed a 10-month rehabilitation to return to the roster.
“He’s doing as good as you could ever be doing, considering the circumstances,” Packers HC LaFleur said on Kraft’s injury.
“Tuck’s a guy that he’s not going to flinch. That’s why we love him. He’s a hell of a player, hell of a teammate, hell of a guy. I’m bummed for him. I’m bummed for us. It’s part of it. It’s got to be that next-man-up mentality. Unfortunate for him, but now other guys are going to get an opportunity.”
With his knee fully healed and a new long-term deal locked in, Kraft heads into Sunday’s opener against the Minnesota Vikings with something he didn’t have all offseason: “clarity.”
LaFleur’s faith in him never wavered through rehab, and that trust appears set to pay off immediately, as Kraft is not listed on the Green Bay Packers’ injury report and is expected to suit up in their season opener.