Who are the contract-year players on other teams who could interest the Packers?
The Packers reportedly want to extend Tucker Kraft, Christian Watson, and others, but they aren't the only team facing decisions on players in contract years.
Good morning!
Less than three weeks remain before Roger Goodell formally kicks off the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. While The Leap will have extensive draft coverage through April and beyond, the Green Bay Packers have other ways to bolster the roster that haven’t received as much attention.
Today’s newsletter examines some of those personnel opportunities.
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Who are the contract-year players on other teams who could interest the Packers?
The question of which Packers players with expiring contracts might land extensions and which ones will depart within a year has loomed since the start of the offseason. However, that discussion gained momentum this past week. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein reported that the team “will try to sign receiver Christian Watson and tight end Tucker Kraft to long-term extensions and may consider extending receiver Jayden Reed and defensive tackle Karl Brooks later in the year.”
These personnel choices hold obvious significance for Green Bay’s future. However, every other NFL team has similar decisions to make between now and next offseason as well. In some cases, the players involved might not reach the open market until next March. However, some could shake loose much sooner, perhaps even before Week 1 of the upcoming season.
Will Levis
After the success of the Malik Willis trade, it seems too convenient for the Packers to go back to the same well. Will Levis had his chance to lock down the Tennessee Titans’ starting job, and his shortcomings directly contributed to the team landing the No. 1 overall pick a year ago. Levis also missed all of last season with an injury to his throwing shoulder, adding yet another complication.
However, if the Packers want to emulate some of what made Willis so effective early in his Green Bay tenure, Levis does make some sense. He doesn’t accelerate quite as quickly as Willis, but they both consistently turn out runs of 15-plus miles per hour, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Levis’ accuracy remains an issue, but the Titans never put him in position to succeed either. He faced pressure on well over 40% of his dropbacks during his time in Tennessee.
With a new coaching staff in place and Cam Ward a year removed from becoming the top pick in the draft, Levis obviously has no future with the Titans and won’t receive an extension. He also might not cost more to acquire than Willis did in 2024.
Harrison Phillips
Peter made the case for Harrison Phillips on Locked On Packers last week, but we’ll provide the CliffsNotes here. After the New York Jets traded for T’Vondre Sweat to anchor their defensive interior, they might not have much use for Phillips, a perfectly cromulent veteran who played over 60% of defensive snaps last season.
Phillips, who has one year left on his contract, probably doesn’t offer $7.5 million of value to the Jets. However, he could make plenty of sense for the Packers, who remain without a proven nose tackle as they transition to an odd front. Phillips could handle most of those snaps in 2026 while allowing a yet-to-be-drafted rookie to develop this season.
T.J. Slaton
The Packers had their reasons for letting T.J. Slaton walk last offseason. The mammoth defensive tackle played better in the odd front the team played prior to the arrival of DC Jeff Hafley, and with Kenny Clark expected to move back to nose tackle full time in 2025, Slaton’s role on the defense seems less clear than in the past. Rather than re-sign in Green Bay, he ultimately left for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Fast forward to the present day, and the outlook for the Packers has changed. Not only have they returned to an odd front with the arrival of Hafley’s success, Jonathan Gannon, but Clark also left Green Bay as part of the Micah Parsons trade. While the team has made additions to the defensive line to accommodate Gannon’s system, the front still lacks a true nose tackle to anchor the run defense.
Slaton could help in that regard, and the Bengals don’t have a major commitment to him. They added Jonathan Allen earlier this offseason and still have B.J. Hill and Kris Jenkins Jr. on the roster. That doesn’t leave a ton of snaps for Slaton, especially if the team adds another interior defensive lineman in the draft.
The Packers don’t often reacquire players they allowed to leave, but Slaton could make for a cost-effective exception. He would account for around $6 million against the cap, a reasonable price for a proven two-gapper. His presence would also allow Green Bay to wait on adding a defensive tackle if none of their preferred options remain on the board come Day 2.
Garrett Williams
Two seasons ago, Garrett Williams looked like a potential long-term fixture in the Arizona Cardinals’ secondary. The former third-round pick appeared in all but one game that year, limiting opposing passers to a rating of 73.9 on 62 targets. He also provided solid tackling for a cornerback, missing just 9.4% of his attempts. For context, Carrington Valentine missed over 20% of his tackles last season.
But like the rest of the team, Williams’ 2025 season unfolded very differently. He suffered a knee injury in Week 2 that landed him on injured reserve. When he returned, he hardly looked the same, allowing five touchdowns on roughly half the number of targets while giving up completions 80% of the time. Then, in late December, Williams suffered a torn Achilles that placed him on the shelf for good.
Williams continues to rehab from his Achilles injury and will presumably start the year on the PUP list. However, the Packers could monitor the situation and see if he makes sense as an in-season addition. Williams, of course, played for Gannon and has familiarity with his system, making such a move easier to manage.