What to watch for during the Packers' mandatory minicamp
Mandatory minicamp kicks off this week, providing some revealing details about the current state of the 2025 Packers.
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The Green Bay Packers kick off mandatory minicamp this week. These practices will feature the same contact limitations as organized-team activities. However, for the first time this offseason, the entire roster must take part in the football activity or face a fine for not appearing.
Today's edition of The Leap dives into the most important storylines to monitor over the next few days, a key contract situation that has slipped under the radar, and how much of an impact a certain four-time MVP will have on the Packers' Week 8 road trip.
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Mandatory minicamp storylines to watch
Jason B. Hirschhorn: Mandatory minicamp will occupy just three days in total. However, those practices will provide some revealing details about the current state of the 2025 Packers.
The most important of those details will come from two veterans: cornerback Jaire Alexander and offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins. Alexander remains in a state of limbo as his representatives and the Packers work toward a potential reconciliation, likely in the form of a reworked deal. As for Jenkins, he has skipped voluntary parts of the offseason program in order to persuade the team to address his contract as well.
Alexander reportedly plans to attend minicamp, but that doesn't necessarily mean the star corner will participate in the on-field work. If he does, that will likely signal that the two sides have made significant progress toward a new agreement. The situation seems murkier with Jenkins, who could plausibly stay away from Green Bay or sit out practice to drive home his point.
As for the actual practice work, this week will provide the clearest indication to date as to how the Packers plan to construct their starting offensive line. During OTAs, the No. 1 offense primarily featured Rasheed Walker at left tackle with 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan splitting his time between that spot and right guard. Though that didn't exactly contradict what the team had previously said about the plan for those players, it did seem to suggest that Walker had the inside track at the blindside while Morgan might end up along the interior after all.
Does Walker remain the apparent front-runner at left tackle? Does Morgan see more action there or do the coaches give him more looks inside? With free-agent addition Aaron Banks locked into left guard, Zach Tom settled at right tackle, and Jenkins earmarked for center, what happens with Walker and Morgan during mandatory minicamp will set the stage for whatever position battles do (or don't) play out in the summer.
Speaking of competitions, the Packers have one brewing at quarterback. While Jordan Love remains the unquestioned starter and Malik Willis will serve as the backup barring an injury or trade, the race for the No. 3 job appears wide open. Third-year pro Sean Clifford served in that capacity a season ago, but his grip on the gig seems tenuous at best. His challenger, rookie Taylor Elgersma, spent his collegiate career playing Canadian football and will have to adjust to NFL rules as well as the talent level.
While mandatory minicamp won't decide the QB battle unless an injury occurs, this week will provide the biggest test so far for the two signal-callers.
What progress, if any, have the Packers made toward extending Quay Walker?
JBH: Shortly before finalizing decisions on the fifth-year options for Devonte Wyatt and Quay Walker, the Packers made clear their intention to retain both.
"Whatever mechanism we use, we'd like to keep those guys around for '26 and beyond," general manager Brian Gutekunst said in April. "Whether that's doing the fifth-year option on these guys or extending them, one way or the other, we're planning to do that."
Ultimately, the Packers picked up Wyatt's fifth-year option while declining Walker's. The rationale behind the latter doesn't require much investigation. Exercising that option would have made Walker one of the highest-paid off-ball linebackers in the NFL. While his play did improve last season, he has hardly proven himself worthy of that level of compensation. Green Bay can justify keeping Walker in the long term, just not at that price.
Well, with the 2025 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror and training camp just over six weeks away, the Packers have not signaled any progress on Walker's contract situation. Plenty of time remains to hammer out an agreement -- even if just a one-year add-on à la Love's 2023 extension -- but the possibility remains that Walker decides to cut off any negotiations and bet on himself instead.
In doing so, Walker could attempt to follow the path of Patrick Queen, another first-round linebacker whose team didn't pick up his fifth-year option. Queen parlayed a big fourth season into a sizable contract in free agency, leaving the Baltimore Ravens for a division rival. Walker would need to demonstrate considerable improvement to replicate Queen's payday, but he certainly doesn't lack the talent to do so.
Accordingly, with the Packers' last meaningful availability before training camp coming this week, perhaps someone will push for an update on Walker.
Aaron Rodgers' first game against the Packers will make the A block of Sports Shouting come Week 8, but he won't materially change how the Steelers approach Green Bay
JBH: Without question, the union of Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers will garner plenty of headlines for the foreseeable future. No doubt, the spotlight will grow brightest in Week 8 when the four-time league MVP will face the Packers for the first time in his career.
But while that matchup will surely occupy the A block of nearly every sports talk show that week, Rodgers' involvement in the game won't have quite the same impact on the field, at least in a certain sense. Though he does represent a significant upgrade over Mason Rudolph, neither quarterback will change how Pittsburgh approaches that game or any other contest this season. The Steelers will do what they have done for roughly half a decade: play ball-control offense and try to beat their opponent with their defense.
So, while the TV promos for Packers-Steelers will inevitably hint at a Love-Rodgers duel, the real battle will feature Matt LaFleur's offense versus Mike Tomlin's defense.