The Green Bay Packers navigated the 2025 NFL Draft fairly well. And head coach Matt LaFleur isn’t taking Ben Johnson’s bait at this time. Also, the Packers made a surprising contract decision on an ex-first-rounder, but there’s a catch.

They decided not to pick up the fifth-year option on Quay Walker, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by ESPN's Rob Demovsky.

The Packers are not picking up the fifth-year option on Quay Walker. However, as GM Brian Gutekunst said earlier this offseason, they would like to sign him to a contract extension, perhaps even before this season begins. Walker remains very much in their long-term plans.

And that is a good idea. The tackle machine made more than 100 stops in each of his first three NFL seasons.

Packers still appreciate LB Quay Walker

Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker (7) takes a moment before their game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, November 24, 2024 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin

Walker would have been worth a guaranteed contract of $14.751 million in 2026, according to overthecap.com. He is under contact for the upcoming season. And Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said he expects Walker to be with the Packers for a long time, according to Sports Illustrated.

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“I think that for both those guys, whatever mechanism we use, we’d like to keep those guys around for ’26 and beyond,” Gutekunst said before the draft of Walker and fellow first-round pick Devonte Wyatt, who will return under the fifth-year option in 2026.

“So whether that’s through doing the fifth-year option on these guys or extending them one way or the other, we’re planning to do that. We’d like to do that.

“We’re super fired up about both those guys’ seasons this year. Quay continued to make a leap and another guy who had struggled through injuries at the end of the year. But he was really impactful for us this year. Continues to be a great leader for us. Certainly think we would love to have him around here for longer than just a couple years. He’s that kind of guy.”

Walker’s teammate, Xavier McKinney, said there’s no doubt about Walker’s value to the team.

“Quay a hell of a player,” McKinney said. “From the time that I got around him when I first came to now, obviously, he’s growing each game, each practice. From my eyes and from what I’ve seen, I believe Quay’s the best middle linebacker in the league, in my opinion.

“I think he has so many different qualities that you don’t really see. He can cover well. (And) he can tackle well. He (can) do a lot of things. And obviously, he’s still growing (as the middle linebacker). When he goes out there and plays fast, there ain’t a lot of people that can do what he can do.”