Brian Gutekunst’s track record with first-round picks is not great so far. But for the most part, you can understand why he made the decisions he made. The exception is 2022, when the Green Bay Packers had two first-rounders—their own and one from the Las Vegas Raiders, acquired from the Davante Adams’ trade.

At that point, the Packers selected a non-valuable position, raw player in Quay Walker, and an older prospect in Devonte Wyatt. Three years later, Walker is nothing more than a decent starter, and Wyatt is a part-time player—good interior rusher, but can’t be on the field for running downs.

Until May, Gutekunst will have an impactful decision to make, and he can’t allow his past biases to affect the decision-making. The Packers have to exercise or not Walker’s and Wyatt’s fifth-year options, and compounding that bad process would lead to excessive spending for players who haven’t justified the investment.

Value

There are four levels of the fifth-year option, which has to be exercised or not after the third year of a first-round player career. Quay Walker reached level 2 based on playing time, so his option would be $16.06 million. Devonte Wyatt is at the first level, with a $13.098 million option.

If picked up, the value would be fully guaranteed for 2026—the fourth year in 2025 doesn’t change.

In both cases, it seems like too much money for players who haven’t impacted the defense as much as expected when Gutekunst selected them. The Packers, however, love both pieces.

“Super fired up about both of those guys’ seasons this season,” the general manager said in his end of the season press conference last week. “There were some injuries, but we are proud of the way they attacked those and played through some things this year. Both of those guys had their best year as pros so far.”

Linebacker market

Walker’s case is more extreme. Based on the off-ball linebacker market, picking up his option would be a huge mistake.

Right now, there are three off-ball linebackers who make $16 million or more in yearly average salary: Baltimore Ravens’ Roquan Smith ($20 million), San Francisco 49ers’ Fred Warner ($19.045 million), and Chicago Bears’ Tremaine Edmunds ($18 million). Those are two truly elite players and an overpriced free agent.

If Quay hits the open market, it’s hard to Project him making anything close to $16 million based on the level he has played. At this point, it’s clear that Edgerrin Cooper is the better player for the Packers, and Walker has never been significantly better than depth pieces like Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson.

The Packers value Walker as a leader and as a player, but that doesn’t mean you have to overspend.

“Quay continued to take a big leap, another guy that struggled with injuries at the end of the season, but he really was impactful for us this year,” Gutekunst added. “He continues to be a great leader for us. Certainly think we would love to have him around here for longer than just a couple more years. He’s that kind of guy.”

There are other ways to make it happen. Walker is already under contract for 2025 with a $2.59 million salary and a $4.4 million cap hit. Even without the option, the Packers would still have another year from him, and then could attack an extension if needed ahead of the 2026 free agency. The value would most likely be lower than the option, and with a team-friendlier structure.

If the idea is to invest so much in the off-ball linebacker position, Gutekunst could evaluate the top of the market. A player like San Francisco 49ers’ Dre Greenlaw is set to be a free agent, and the projected free agents in 2026 include Jacksonville Jaguars’ Devin Lloyd and Philadelphia Eagles’ Nakobe Dean.

Part-time reality

Brian Gutekunst talked about Devonte Wyatt as “the most consistent pass rusher from the inside this year.” That’s the reality.

Wyatt was third on the team in total pressures (32), second amongst interior defensive linemen behind Kenny Clark, and did it with much fewer snaps. His win percentage (13.1) was the highest on the entire team among players with at least 100 pass rush snaps.

But, and there’s always a but, it’s been 75% of his rookie contract and Wyatt is still a part-time player.

In 2024, the third-year defensive lineman played only 33.24% of the defensive snaps. You could argue that injuries limited the total, but Wyatt played only 41% of the snaps in the games he played, down from 50% in 2023. And that’s because he has a well-defined role within the defense.

His pass rush grade, according to PFF, is 71.7. Against the run, it goes down to 51.9. So what the Packers have done is to limit Wyatt, rotating him with TJ Slaton, who gets in for rushing situations. The problem is that neutral situations are also a problem when a player can’t stop the run, so Wyatt is mostly a designated interior rusher.

Nineteen defensive tackles make $13 million or more, so picking up Wyatt’s option wouldn’t be as egregious market-wise as doing it with Walker. Wyatt has a valuable skillset that is hard to find.

However, the entire salary is guaranteed and hits the cap at the same time in 2026. If the Packers like Wyatt so much and want to keep him around, it would make more sense to find a middle ground for a long-term extension, taking advantage of his mediocre numbers to bet on his talent.

The Packers have tough decisions to make, and Gutekunst clearly loves the players he invested so much three years ago. But that process was failed in the first place, and pounding on it again would be even more harmful for the franchise.