Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst has been busy this season. He extended several players like Christian Watson, Isaiah McDuffie, Jayden Reed, and Devonte Wyatt. But the next player everyone expects to sign a contract extension is tight end Tucker Kraft. But when will this happen and what will a Tucker Kraft extension with the Packers look like?

What Will a Tucker Kraft Extension Look Like: His Career So Far

The Packers selected Kraft in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Gutekunst had doubled down at the tight end position in that draft, selecting Luke Musgrave in the second round that same year. The South Dakota State alum did not win the starting job out of camp. In fact, he saw little action on offense until Musgrave suffered a lacerated kidney. Since then, Kraft has been the team’s starting tight end when he’s been healthy. He finished his rookie campaign with 31 catches for 355 yards and two scores.

In 2024, Kraft started all 17 games for the team. He flourished as an offensive weapon. Kraft has good hands, is an above average blocker and does is difficult to bring down one-on-one. He remains one of the best tight ends in the game at breaking tackles and turning short passes into longer gains. In his second season, Kraft caught a career-high 50 passes for 707 yards and seven touchdowns.

Last season, Kraft got off to a great start. In eight games, he caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six scores. That put him on pace to become the first Packers tight end ever to gain 1,000 yards receiving in one season. Unfortunately, Kraft suffered a torn ACL and was lost for the season. He has announced that he expects to be ready to play in Week 1 this season.

The Comparables

There have been rumblings that Kraft may receive a contract that would reset the market at tight end and make him the highest paid player in the NFL at that position.

As of now, San Francisco’s George Kittle holds that title with an average annual salary of $19.1 million.

Before he suffered his season-ending injury last year, Kraft was in the top three in the NFL among tight ends in touchdown catches, receiving yards and yards after the catch. That puts him in elite territory.

Kraft also gives the Packers solid blocking which they certainly missed at the position after he was lost for the season.

Don’t be surprised if Kraft becomes the NFL’s first tight end to average $20 million per year on his contract. He may reset the tight end market, but unlike wide receiver, quarterback, offensive tackle and cornerback, tight end is not a position that commands a high cap hit relatively speaking.

The Packers will likely structure his deal like they typically do with a big, signing bonus payment up front and that being the only guaranteed money in the deal. That way, the Packers can cut Kraft or any player in a few years with a manageable dead cap hit or restructure the deal and avoid a high cap hit/salary down the road.

What Will a Tucker Kraft Extension Look Like: The Timing

The big question now is when this deal will get signed. There seems to be little debate that it will happen, but the timing is the next big question.

Kraft becomes a free agent next March when the new league year begins. The Packers don’t want to get too close to that as it increases Kraft’s leverage.

But does the Green Bay front office want to see how Kraft’s knee responds to training camp before they sign him to a new contract? Kraft may have to prove that his knee can take the daily pounding of practice before Gutekunst, and company are comfortable putting that much money on the table for their star tight end.

Barring any injury complications, don’t be surprised to see Kraft sign his deal before the start of the season and expect a three or four-year deal at roughly an average value of $20 million give or take a million.

 

 

 

 

Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers

Click here for more great Packers coverage

Check out our YouTube channel here