GREEN BAY, Wis. — Whether he had a long-term contract extension signed, sealed, and delivered by the Green Bay Packers by the Sept. 13 opener was never a factor for Tucker Kraft.
It’s also something the 25-year-old tight end will no longer have to worry about, not that he ever was to begin with.
Kraft and the Packers agreed to a four-year extension worth $75 million on the eve of the first game of the regular season, keeping him in Green Bay through the 2030 season. The deal could reach a maximum value of $92 million and includes a $26.5 million signing bonus.
While Kraft’s signing bonus is the highest of any tight end in the league, his average yearly value falls just short of those of San Francisco 49ers All-Pro tight end George Kittle ($19.1 million) and Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride ($19.0 million). Kraft will receive $31.5 million in the first year of the deal and an average of $19.6 million annually across its first three years, which would place him atop the hierarchy at his position.
Kraft has made it clear that regardless of how negotiations unfold throughout the summer and leading into this weekend’s date with the Minnesota Vikings, he was going to be on the field. It’ll be his first time returning to action since sustaining a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the Packers’ Nov. 2 loss to the Carolina Panthers last season.
Stepping onto the field without financial security is a major risk for any player, let alone one as imperative to the Packers’ success as Kraft is. That’s especially true on the heels of a significant knee injury. But Kraft’s rehab process has been long and strenuous; he’s fought tooth and nail to get to where he is now. His first milestone was making his training camp debut on July 31. Two weeks later, on Aug. 16, he participated in 11-on-11 drills for the first time.
10 days later, he was available for the Packers’ joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals.
“I think we’re a different team when I’m out on the field,” Kraft said earlier this month. “I think that’s obvious. I think everyone in this organization, every fan, knows that, without sounding arrogant. I think there’s a different feel to the offense when I’m out there. The plan—I’ve kind of gone through life just taking things blow-by-blow, assuming things will always just work out in the end. For me, the preparation, the sacrifices I’ve made to be here right now—I’m just going to continue to assume it’s all going to work out for me.”
Kraft’s willingness to practice—and the Packers’ willingness to let him, really—has long served as an indicator that he’s close to inking a long-term deal with the Packers. Team brass has been working closely with Kraft’s representation, Jack Bechta of JB Sports, over the last several months. Kraft is now the sixth player issued a contract extension by the Packers since the start of the offseason, joining wide receivers Christian Watson and Jayden Reed, starting center Sean Rhyan, linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt.
General manager Brian Gutekunst has erred on the side of caution when discussing a potential extension for his 2023 third-round pick, deferring to the unpredictable nature of negotiations. The goal has always been to sign Kraft before the start of the season.
“We’d love to,” Gutekunst said last week. “I’ve talked to him. No real updates there, but we’re working towards it. Really would like to have that done before the season, but again, you never know how these things are going to go.”
Kraft said that he doesn’t know the Packers’ plan for him yet, but he’s anticipating having his snap count controlled in some capacity for at least the first half of the season. That could mean that he’ll play anywhere from 30 to 45 snaps in a game—he averaged 54.8 snaps per game through eight weeks last season. It’s too early to say, but the important thing is that he‘ll be available. Creating a hold-out until he has a new contract was never something that crossed Kraft’s mind.
“I’m not someone to orchestrate a hold-out— mostly because they're going to find me—but mostly because I know the value I bring to this team, and I think our best odds of playing in the postseason are with me early on in the season,” Kraft said. “I'm just going to continue to attack everything the same way I attack my rehab. I want to be out on the field, I want to play every play that I can play. So I’m leaving all this contract stuff—it’s in the hands of my agent now. I've done all I can this offseason, attacking my rehab, coming back, proving I'm not afraid of contact, not afraid of anything, and I hope they see that. I'm not afraid to keep working and keep trying to make this team better.
“I will be on the field to play for the Green Bay Packers regardless of any contract situation, because I love this team, and you can't replicate this locker room anywhere else in the NFL.”
Across the eight games he played last season, Kraft recorded 32 receptions for 489 yards and six touchdowns, including two 120-plus-yard performances. He was the only tight end in the league with at least 30 receptions, more than 475 receiving yards, and at least six touchdowns while averaging 15-plus yards per catch. Kraft became the fifth tight end since the 1970 merger to eclipse those marks.
Zachary Jacobson is the author of The Packer Dispatch. He is entering his 12th season covering the Green Bay Packers after spending seven as the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter @zachjacobson or contact him via email at itszachariahj@gmail.com.
What great news on a Saturday morning!