Packers put receiver core on long-term tracks, turning extension talk to Kraft and Wyatt

The Green Bay Packers have started checking off extensions on the offensive side, and the timing is notable. Before training camp, they already locked up Jayden Reed and Christian Watson with new deals, leaving the next “who’s next?” question hovering over the rest of their established core. Yahoo Sports framed the moment as a fan discussion about extending more players “this offseason,” with the names that keep surfacing pointing beyond the receiver room.

Reed’s extension, according to ’s report, is a three-year deal worth $50.25 million in new money with $20 million guaranteed. The Packers have positioned him as more than a volume slot option. In their team release announcing the move, Green Bay emphasized Reed’s production and efficiency, including his league-leading passer rating when targeted among receivers with at least 100 targets since 2023 (126.8, per TruMedia referenced by the team) and his NFL rookie-era benchmark of 64 receptions in 2023.

Watson’s deal is a bigger financial commitment and, in many ways, clarifies what the Packers want their passing attack to look like. reported the extension as four years and $110.5 million, including a $31 million signing bonus. The league outlet also noted Watson would have been headed into the final year of his prior contract framework, but Green Bay chose to expand the commitment once his 2025 return looked like it validated the investment. The Packers’ own release highlighted Watson’s career yardage rate, listing him at 17.0 yards per catch in his first four seasons, and referenced his broader impact on third downs and deep play making.

With those two receivers secured, the Packers’ extension strategy is starting to resemble a deliberate “keep the quarterback’s read progression intact” approach. If Jordan Love is the engine, Reed and Watson are key access points in different phases of the route tree, including quick production across the middle and explosive opportunities downfield. ’s Watson extension story even pointed to what comes next, calling tight end Tucker Kraft the next likely New contract priority for the Packers.

Kraft fits that role as a third-down and red-zone weapon who also stretches the field after the catch, even if his 2025 season is the type that creates difficult extension questions. In a Packers feature from January, the team described Kraft as chasing a historically impactful season before a torn ACL ended it, and it gave specific production from the early part of the year: 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns in the first eight games. Kraft also talked about staying “hungry for every snap” as he continues his rehab, a mindset that aligns with why Green Bay would want to preserve its tight end identity rather than reset it through the draft.

On the defensive side, the extension conversation includes Devonte Wyatt, though his situation is different. The Packers did not need to negotiate their way into 2026 for him, because they exercised Wyatt’s fifth-year option last summer, guaranteeing another year. In the team’s January profile, Green Bay specifically tied that move to the decision to bring him back, and described him as entering “Year 5.” Long-term terms would still be a separate question, but the fifth-year option underscores the organization’s baseline willingness to keep building with him.

The immediate offseason takeaway is that Green Bay’s receiver stability is no longer just a hope or a short-term bridge. It is now a multi-year plan, and that makes the remaining extension candidates feel more urgent by comparison. If the Packers can turn their momentum into long-term deals for Kraft and Wyatt, it would tighten the roster around Love and a defense that is trying to sustain physical, interior pressure. If they slow down, they risk turning contract uncertainty into a larger part of the storyline entering camp.

Watch closely for whether Kraft and Wyatt become next-in-line priorities for contract talks, and whether the Packers treat those negotiations as “before camp” matters or “during camp” matters. For Kraft, the deciding factor is likely the balance between his confirmed role in the offense and how quickly the coaching staff feels his workload can be managed. For Wyatt, it is likely whether Green Bay views his long-term value as something that should be locked in on today’s terms, rather than reshaped later through a restructure, an extension, or a different valuation timeline.