Over the years, the Green Bay Packers have been blessed with stability at the left tackle position. Going back to the 2000 season, the Packers have had either Chad Clifton or David Baktiari holding down the left side year after year. The latest fixture at the position is Rasheed Walker. The 2022 seventh-round draft pick took over for Bakhtiari early into the 2023 season after redshirting his rookie season. Since taking over, Walker has started 35 games, including all three playoff games. He’s been healthy, he’s been reliable, and he’s still getting better, but there’s no guarantee he remains a Packer.
Walker now heads into his fourth season with the Packers. He’s likely the starter for 2025, but he may face competition with 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan. It’s also important to note that 2025 is currently his final season under contract, as his contract is set to be up at the end of the season. As the Packers sort through all of the ins and outs of player contracts and roster-building for 2025 and beyond, it’s notable that neither starting tackle is under contract after this upcoming season.
As discussed earlier this offseason, a strong priority for the Packers should be extending Zach Tom before next season begins. That would solidify the right tackle position for the foreseeable future. The future at left tackle isn’t quite as clear, though. Is Walker part of the Packers’ long-term plans? Will they let him walk? Could he be a trade candidate?
Extend Him, But Only at the Right Price
If the Packers see Walker as part of the future offensive line, the sooner he is extended, the better. The offensive tackle market continues to boom. In the last few months, several tackles have signed lucrative extensions. Alaric Jackson signed a three-year extension worth $57 million, Dan Moore signed a four-year contract worth $82 million, and Walker Little signed a three-year extension worth $40.5 million. While projecting contract extensions can sometimes be fairly straightforward, Walker and the Packers may not see eye to eye on a price point they both see as fair, and the market only continues to rise.
Rasheed Walker has been a solid left tackle. Not elite, not bad – solid. He most recently posted an overall PFF grade of 68.3, which is just above average. His biggest strength is as a pass protector. He has the ideal size and athleticism teams look for in a tackle. The coaching staff knows he has a high ceiling, but he needs to consistently play with proper technique and treat each snap with the same urgency. When he’s locked in, he can lock down some of the best pass rushers in the league.
If the Packers were to pinpoint a price for Walker, they need look around the league at what other tackles are getting. In 2024, Walker produced grades comparable to the players listed below. Rasheed Walker could argue he is worth the $20,500,000 AAV that Dan Moore just got. The Packers could argue that the Walker Little contract is much fairer. The reality is that it’s probably somewhere in between.
| Name | Age (At Signing) |
Years | Total Money |
Guaranteed Money |
AAV |
| Alaric Jackson |
26 | 3 | $57,000,000 | $35,000,000 | $19,000,000 |
| Walker Little |
25 | 3 | $40,500,000 | $25,944,256 | $13,500,000 |
| Jawann Taylor |
25 | 4 | $80,000,000 | $60,000,000 | $20,000,000 |
| Jaylon Moore |
27 | 2 | $30,000,000 | $21,240,000 | $15,000,000 |
| Dan Moore |
26 | 4 | $82,000,000 | $50,000,000 | $20,500,000 |
If the Packers pursue contract extension talks with Walker, the sooner they do it, the cheaper it will be. Based on last season alone, Walker was better in pass protection than Jackson, Little, and Dan Moore, but worse in the run game than all three. If an extension were to happen this offseason, the Packers and Walker are probably looking at a four-year extension that’s around $15,000,000-$16,000,000 in annual average value. Is that worth it, considering there are other options at left tackle?
Let Him Test the Waters
While the Packers may envision Walker as their starting left tackle of the future, things recently got a little fuzzier. On Tuesday, the Packers signed guard Aaron Banks to a four-year, $77 million contract. In addition, last off-season, they drafted a left tackle with their first-round pick. With Jenkins, Tom, and Banks all presumed starters, that leaves two spots for three players (Walker, Rhyan, and Morgan), so there may not be any reason to give Walker a significant contract.
Do the Packers envision Jordan Morgan as the left tackle of the future? Maybe they see Morgan as a guard so Walker can stay at tackle? Fans don’t know what is on the Packers’ to-do list this off-season, but extending Walker is probably not at the top. The Packers likely have other priorities to take care of first, and as previously discussed, determining a fair contract for Walker isn’t the easiest. If both sides choose to let Walker play out the season and re-evaluate next off-season, his price may go up, but it may also go down.
The Packers are one of the organizations that prioritize their offensive line. They bring in talent and competition year after year to make sure they are constantly maintaining depth. They do it via the draft and free agency (i.e., Banks). Some teams routinely ignore their offensive line struggles and try to fix them in free agency. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Walker is the type of guy that other NFL teams would throw big money at to solve their tackle issues.
Letting Walker play out the season and reach free agency is certainly a risk if the Packers have any intention of keeping him around for the future. The Packers will have to compete with the highest bidders, which might price him out of Green Bay. Using the franchise tag could always be an option, but that will likely cost over $25 million for one season (and it’s all guaranteed. It’s possible they plan to let him sign a lucrative deal with another team and then recoup a compensatory pick for the following season. The only certainty is that if he hits free agency in 2026, Walker’s price is only going up and his time with the Packers would be finished.
The Trade Market May Be Murky
The last possible option (and potentially the most unrealistic) is exploring a trade. With all of the trade rumors swirling throughout the NFL, Rasheed Walker has been named as someone with trade value because teams are always looking for quality offensive linemen, the Packers have a solid amount of offensive line depth, and Walker is heading into the final year of his contract. Trading him wouldn’t be the craziest idea, but it’s not very likely.
There are certainly teams looking to improve their offensive lines. 18 teams last year who had a Pass Block Win Rate of 60% or less (the Packers were at 67%). Some teams will try and find offensive line help however they can, including via trade. For example, the Bears just traded for two offensive linemen last week. If a team were to call up the Packers and ask if Walker is available for trade, they shouldn’t hang up the phone. That said, they also shouldn’t be looking to move him unless they are blown away by an offer.
It’s really difficult to define Walker’s trade value. Is he worth a third round pick? It’s possible some teams may not even value him as a fifth round pick. Is there a player with comparable value on another team? The Packers then need to consider if gaining a day two or day three draft pick outweighs the performance he will give you on the field. Odds are what he gives you on the field is better than any day three draft pick.
Yes, Walker’s contract is nearing its end, so the Packers will have to pay him, or he will be playing for another team. They could get ahead of the decision and trade him to recoup more than what they would in a compensatory pick. They could also use him as a piece to acquire a bigger name player (i.e. Trey Hendrickson). But trades like these rarely ever happen, and while it might make sense in theory, the Packers would be better off keeping their offensive line depth as strong as possible.
Next Course of Action
Before the 2025 training camp ensues, the Packers need to figure out what they want to do with Walker. A line of communication with Rasheed Walker and his agent needs to opened up. Walker has proven to be a reliable, durable, and capable starting left tackle in this league and the Packers should not take that for granted. Call and see what type of contract he and his agent is wanting.
Maybe he is content with a Walker Little-type contract. It’s unlikely, but if so, get that deal done as soon as possible. $13-14 million per year for a legit offensive tackle? Many teams would do that in a heartbeat. The Packers could let Sean Rhyan walk and Jordan Morgan could slide to right guard. If Walker ends up wanting significantly more, then the Packers should wait it out and re-evaluate next off-season. If Walker goes out and plays at an All-Pro level, paying him even more wouldn’t be a problem. If he plays poorly or goes down with an injury, the Packers can always move on to another option at left tackle, like Jordan Morgan.
Either way, there are many different ways the Packers could configure their offensive line, which makes Walker’s future uncertain. He’s a quality tackle. The Packers should talk with Walker and his team and see where both sides stand on his future. While there is a lot of unknown, all signs seem to be leading toward this coming season being Walker’s final season as a Packer.
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