{"id":43713,"date":"2026-02-23T12:42:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T12:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713"},"modified":"2026-02-23T12:42:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T12:42:23","slug":"brian-gutekunst-cant-afford-to-push-his-luck-on-a-massive-packers-free-agency-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713","title":{"rendered":"Brian Gutekunst can&#8217;t afford to push his luck on a massive Packers free agency risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><main><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_131,y_169,w_3971,h_2233\/c_fill,w_2160,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2F51%2F01khw0ggf6nygv7jbhqt.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-0\">Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst may have received a contract extension this offseason, though he&#8217;s not out of the woods quite yet. His moves will be viewed under a microscope as the club looks to finally get over the hump following two straight early playoff exits.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\">Among the several burning questions Gutekunst must answer in due course is left tackle Rasheed Walker&#8217;s looming free agency. There will be no shortage of suitors for the 26-year-old, so Green Bay must decide if they&#8217;re willing to pony up. And if not, the Packers need to have a Plan B ready.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\">With franchise quarterback Jordan Love&#8217;s health hanging in the balance, Gutekunst can ill afford to make the wrong call. Walker is a key cog of the Packers&#8217; offense and widely considered the top option who could be available at a premium position.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-3\">Rasheed Walker&#8217;s free agency puts Packers GM Brian Gutekunst on the clock<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\">A middling Packers front five that already appears set to lose veteran offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins for salary-related reasons may be desperate. Nevertheless, negotiating from a position of weakness is a dangerous game to play. That leaves the Packers balancing between possibly overpaying to retain Walker or risking letting him walk.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\">If the two sides cannot come to terms on an agreement, the Packers can table discussions for a later time. It&#8217;s a short-term solution, but placing the franchise tag on Walker would prevent him from hitting the open market. The one-year tender for offensive tackles is roughly $28 million (h\/t Spotrac), and Green Bay has until March 3 to do so.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\">There&#8217;s also the Jordan Morgan part of this conundrum. The Packers spent their first-round pick on him in 2024 to be Love&#8217;s long-term blindside protector. Alas, that plan hasn&#8217;t gone accordingly thus far, yet committing to Walker would functionally be Green Bay&#8217;s way of waving the white flag.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\">Are the Packers comfortable with pivoting to Morgan? Are they fine with practically writing the Arizona product off as a bust just two seasons after investing such heavy draft capital in him? Their stance on Walker will be telling.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\">Across 17 contests (16 starts) in 2025, Walker committed nine penalties and allowed five sacks. His efforts earned him a 64.6 overall Pro Football Focus grade, which ranked 52nd out of 89 qualified tackles. He was particularly effective in throwing situations, ranking 11th in ESPN&#8217;s pass block win rate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Green Bay Packers face a massive decision before free agency even begins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-green-bay-packers"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Brian Gutekunst can&#039;t afford to push his luck on a massive Packers free agency risk - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Brian Gutekunst can&#039;t afford to push his luck on a massive Packers free agency risk - Breaking News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Green Bay Packers face a massive decision before free agency even begins.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Breaking News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-23T12:42:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/green-bay-bau-34.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrKen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrKen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713\",\"name\":\"Brian Gutekunst can't afford to push his luck on a massive Packers free agency risk - Breaking News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/green-bay-bau-34.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-23T12:42:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-23T12:42:23+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b503ba061d907097809c4aa8a240af15\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/green-bay-bau-34.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/green-bay-bau-34.png\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Brian Gutekunst can&#8217;t afford to push his luck on a massive Packers free agency risk\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"Breaking News\",\"description\":\"Explore top US sports stories, and live updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b503ba061d907097809c4aa8a240af15\",\"name\":\"MrKen\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrKen\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Brian Gutekunst can't afford to push his luck on a massive Packers free agency risk - Breaking News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Brian Gutekunst can't afford to push his luck on a massive Packers free agency risk - Breaking News","og_description":"The Green Bay Packers face a massive decision before free agency even begins.","og_url":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713","og_site_name":"Breaking News","article_published_time":"2026-02-23T12:42:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/green-bay-bau-34.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"MrKen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrKen","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713","url":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713","name":"Brian Gutekunst can't afford to push his luck on a massive Packers free agency risk - Breaking News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/green-bay-bau-34.png","datePublished":"2026-02-23T12:42:23+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-23T12:42:23+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b503ba061d907097809c4aa8a240af15"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/green-bay-bau-34.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/green-bay-bau-34.png","width":1080,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43713#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Brian Gutekunst can&#8217;t afford to push his luck on a massive Packers free agency risk"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/","name":"Breaking News","description":"Explore top US sports stories, and live updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b503ba061d907097809c4aa8a240af15","name":"MrKen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrKen"},"url":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43713"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43715,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43713\/revisions\/43715"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}