Packers tight end Tucker Kraft tore the ACL in his right knee in a Nov. 2 game against Carolina. He is on schedule in his rehab.
“I’m doing good. I’m doing better than expected,” Kraft said, via video from Ryan Wood of USA Today. “I really attribute it to the time and the commitment I put into my rehabilitation early on, the first three months. That really has catapulted me to where I am now. I feel great. My quad looks great. Swelling is minimal to none. No like weird pains and aches coming out of my treatment and my training. We’re really excited to get this ball rolling and we’re going to take off.”
Kraft concedes he could start training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list, but he anticipates getting enough work in this summer to play the season opener.
“With how I feel, I would say I’m going to get all the conditioning I need to start Week 1 on no pitch count,” he said.
Kraft led the team with 32 receptions for 489 yards and six touchdowns in the season’s first eight games.
Packers Clips
As the NFL faces an unprecedented political attack on its 65-year-old broadcast antitrust exemption, the league and its teams are for the most part saying nothing — especially not publicly.
Beyond the “87 percent” talking point (which is technically true when looking at the entire nation but inaccurate as to any given market), no one connected to the NFL is saying much.
That made Tuesday’s lead item in a Packers.com mailbag column even more significant. Under the subtitle “SBA gives small fish a fair shake,” this is the first question for the day: "[D]o you think there is anything to the FCC and DOJ reevaluating the NFL’s special treatment under antitrust laws? The NFL has benefitted greatly from special exemptions that not many get under the understanding that the NFL would maintain reasonable customer access to their broadcasts. Is requiring five different streaming services reasonable access in your opinion?”
That’s a fairly pointed question, one that easily could have been ignored. Instead, it was embraced. Here’s the full, one-long-paragraph response from Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers’ official in-house website:
“The Sports Broadcasting Act is a complicated subject but also a critical one to address because of the possible implications for a small-market franchise like the Packers. In many ways, the SBA has been the cage protecting the Packers from perilous waters. We’ve seen in other leagues how difficult it can be for small-market teams to survive when there is no salary cap and clubs must negotiate their own media contracts. When that happens, it’s the viewers who ultimately lose. My 95-year-old grandmother from Pulaski can flip on the Packers game every Sunday without fail. However, she was thrown into a tizzy this offseason because the Brewers games were no longer readily available due to MLB broadcasting deals. I commend the Brewers for the job they’ve done swimming against the current, but there’s a final boss in the Los Angeles Dodgers — with nearly four times the payroll — awaiting them in the postseason thanks to the Dodgers’ TV deal. The NFL has a tremendous product, and it’s led to unprecedented growth over the past 30 years. A big part of that formula for success, however, is the parity created through revenue-sharing and a structured salary cap. The SBA gives small fish such as Green Bay, Kansas City, and Cincinnati a fair shake in this vast NFL ocean. I understand the plight of fans to watch their favorite teams in today’s media landscape. We’ve spoken about it often over the past year. But it’s also important to acknowledge the valves and levers that allow the Packers to operate. The SBA plays into that. While it’s popular for politicians on both sides of the aisle to say, ‘Make all the games free for everyone,’ it feels more like a kid wistfully desiring every toy under the Christmas tree without knowledge of what it took to get them there. The reality is we live in a society where more and more households are cutting cords and switching their media consumption to streaming. Netflix now has more than 80 million domestic subscribers to cable’s 55 million. The NFL, like every media entity, is doing what it must to meet tomorrow’s consumers where they are today. No different than the challenge the Packers face with private equity money flowing into the league, they must keep finding ways to keep pace with these NFL titans. Losing the SBA, without any proper plan, would jeopardize that. That’s why this is such an important topic to discuss. We’ll see where Congress goes following the hearing this week, but this feels more and more like messaging to me than meaningful attempts at legislation or oversight. Truly a solution in search of [a] problem. What’s most quizzical to me is why a member of Congress from Wisconsin, whose constituents can already watch every Packers game for free within the Milwaukee market, is thrusting himself into the center of this conversation? If the SBA goes away, it’s teams like the Packers that would suffer most. Because make no mistake, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago will be fine. Without the SBA, it undoubtedly will be more difficult for the Packers to compete financially while likely being more expensive for fans who are accustomed to watching the Packers for free. So, it begs a simple question…what exactly are we doing here?”
The SBA wasn’t designed to save small-market teams; it was put in place to ostensibly save the league at a time when it wasn’t nearly as popular and successful as it now is. Yes, the equal sharing of TV revenue helps all teams. But the exemption was aimed at avoiding a reality in which the teams would be forced to let the market determine the revenue that each team would receive for their home games, and in which some of them would have to fold.
If the exemption were to be rescinded now, would it really hurt the Packers? Although the market is small, the Packers would be in a position to negotiate a very strong individual package for their games.
They’re basically the Notre Dame of the NFL. A historic team with a national profile that plays in a stadium generally regarded as pro football’s Mecca. Someone would pay big money to broadcast Packers home games in Wisconsin and beyond.
Despite the effort to dismiss the current Congressional focus on the SBA, there’s a real question as to whether the NFL has exceeded its antitrust exemption by selling packages of games to cable, satellite, and streaming companies. And while the current model ensures that Packers fans living in and around Green Bay and Milwaukee will see all games on a traditional, over-the-air broadcast network, displaced residents (and folks who became Cheeseheads from afar) have to spend plenty of money to see all Packers games.
They need to have access to ESPN, Prime Video, Netflix, and (most importantly) Sunday Ticket, which has been deliberately overpriced to persuade Packers fans in Pasadena to choose to instead watch the “free” games on CBS and Fox in lieu of purchasing the privilege to watch all Packers games that don’t appear on their local broadcast affiliates.
If the antitrust exemption were to go away, the Packers would likely benefit financially. They could do a national deal to put all of their home games on a broadcast network, allowing Packers fans throughout America to see all games for free and making a bunch of money from Fox, CBS, NBC, or ABC. At the end of the day, the Packers would likely earn more TV money than their current 1/32nd share of total TV revenue.
The NFL and its teams are committed to keeping the broadcast antitrust exemption. Losing it would create a certain degree of chaos. (That said, having it enforced as to Sunday Ticket could result in all games being available on the networks contained in most basic cable packages, every Sunday.)
The point for now is that, despite the arguments aimed at downplaying the issue by one of the NFL’s 32 teams, the fact that the Packers have devoted digital real estate to the issue shows that there’s a level of concern within the organization as to what will happen — which means there’s a level of concern throughout the league.
Wednesday’s hearing and its aftermath could make that concern even more pronounced.
Wide receiver Christian Watson has shown plenty of ability since the Packers made him the 34th overall pick in 2022, but his productivity has been tempered by injury issues that have kept him off the field for 20 games over his first four seasons.
Those absences didn’t stop Green Bay from investing into a future with Watson, however. The wideout signed a four-year, $92 million contract and said on Tuesday that he feels the Packers “gave me countless amounts of chances when it seemed like I shouldn’t have had those chances anymore.”
Watson went on to say that he hopes to prove the Packers right for having that belief in him and shared what he thinks that would look like in terms of numbers.
“I try not to look into the number stuff too much,” Watson said, via Steve Megargee of the Associated Press. “I take it week by week. But if I’m really searching and I want to set personal goals, I definitely want to have double-digit touchdowns and I want to have over 1,100 yards.”
Watson can earn another $18 million through incentives over the life of the deal, so staying healthy and in the center of the offense would benefit him personally while it helps the Packers put themselves in position to win.
Former NFL safety Darren Sharper, who pleaded guilty or no contest a decade ago to multiple charges of rape, is moving closer to being released from custody.
Via Ramon Antonio Vargas of the Guardian, Sharper was transferred from federal prison on May 27 to either home confinement or a halfway house.
Sharper, 50, had allegedly drugged and raped (or attempted to rape) multiple women in Louisiana, California, Nevada, and Arizona. He was sentenced in August 2016 to 18 years, with credit for the time he had spent behind bars following his original arrest in February 2014.
A second-round pick of the Packers in 1997, he spent eight seasons in Green Bay, four in Minnesota, and two with the Saints. He was a member of the New Orleans team that won Super Bowl XLIV.
A court filing advocating for early release argued that it would allow Sharper “to finally receive treatment for . . . traumatic brain injuries . . . and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy . . . disease developed from his years playing football.” That motion was denied in August 2025.
Sharper is currently due to be freed on December 27, 2028.
The Dolphins are moving into a new era with head coach Jeff Hafley and quarterback Malik Willis.
As their offseason program gets closer to its end, Hafley is feeling good about the young signal-caller.
Hafley, who was around Willis for the last two seasons with the Packers, told reporters on Tuesday that Willis has “looked as good as he’s looked since I’ve known him.”
“The conversation I had with Malik today walking down the hallway, you can see he’s more comfortable,” Hafley said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “He understands the answers being provided for him on each play.”
Willis, 27, played well when called upon as Green Bay’s backup over the last two seasons. In his 11 appearances with three starts, Willis completed 79 percent of his passes for 972 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 261 yards with three TDs in that span.
The Packers are paying one of their key offensive players.
Green Bay and receiver Christian Watson have agreed to a four-year contract extension, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The initial numbers indicate the deal is worth $110.5 million with a $31 million signing bonus.
Watson, a second-round pick in the 2022 draft, was previously under contract through 2026 after agreeing to a one-year contract extension last September.
While Watson has been productive when he’s been on the field, he’s also struggled with injuries throughout his young career. He’s played 14, nine, 15, and 10 games, respectively, in his first four seasons.
In 2025, Watson caught 35 passes for 611 yards with six touchdowns in 10 contests. He also had three catches for 36 yards with a TD in Green Bay’s postseason loss to Chicago.
Don’t expect to see Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons on the field at the start of the regular season.
After suffering a torn ACL in December, Parsons is not going to be able to return until at least October, he told reporters on Wednesday.
Multiple reporters also relayed that Parsons said he had to have a clean-up procedure on his meniscus. Because of that, Parsons has a hard rule of at least a nine-month recovery before he’s able to play.
Parsons’ surgery was performed on Dec. 29, with nine months after that being Sept. 29. That could, in theory, put the Week 4 game against the Buccaneers in play. But the Week 5 against the Bears or the Week 6 against the Cowboys could be a bit more realistic, if not the Week 7 divisional contest against the Lions.
Parsons would rather come back and be effective than come back quickly.
“We have a pretty strong nine-month rule,” Parsons said, via Ryan Wood of USA Today. “It’s just all about … the research and the data. There’s no good outcomes with players coming back early from an ACL, especially if you’re having other things getting fixed up.”
“The goal for me is to complete the season … the goal has always been playoffs,” Parsons added, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
With this timeline, it’s likely that Parsons will start training camp and the regular season on the physically unable to perform list.
Parsons recorded 12.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 27 quarterback hits in 14 games with Green Bay in 2025.
The Packers broke with tradition by taking wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first round of the 2025 draft, but he didn’t make an immediate jump to the top of the depth chart during his rookie season.
Golden was sixth on the team with 29 catches and failed to score a touchdown during a regular season that saw him miss three games due to injuries. That was seen as underwhelming for those who thought Golden would be a difference maker right out of the gate, but the wideout had a more positive view of how things went.
“I would say it happened exactly how it was supposed to,” Golden said, via the team’s website. “I feel like it developed me and [my] mindset to have a chip on my shoulder, just how to go about things. I wouldn’t change anything that happened last year. I feel like for this year, it’s a part of the plan, man, and I’m excited.”
Two of the receivers who were ahead of Golden last year — Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks — are now playing for other teams, which opens the door for a bigger role in Year 2. Golden said he doesn’t feel added pressure because of his confidence in what he’ll bring to the table.
“To be honest, I don’t feel like they’ve seen anything yet,” Golden said. “I have a lot of confidence in myself and I know what I have done. To me, it wasn’t anything yet. I know it’s a lot more out there. I’m excited for it. I know I’m gonna prove myself right.”
The Packers seem to be banking on that being the case as they make their offensive plans for 2026.
Running back Josh Jacobs is back on the Packers’ practice field this week.
Video from Tuesday’s OTA session shows Jacobs dressed and going through drills with his teammates. Jacobs was arrested May 26 after police responded to an alleged domestic violence incident a few days earlier. He missed practice time as those matters played out, but it does not sound like there will be any limitations on his participation this week.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said, via multiple reporters, that it is “business as usual” for the veteran back.
Prosecutors said last week that there has been no decision about formally filing criminal charges against Jacobs, who was arrested on suspicion of strangulation, battery, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct and intimidation of a victim.
The Jaguars brought in some experienced help for their defensive line on Monday.
The team announced the signing of defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna. There was no corresponding cut needed to make room on the 90-man roster.
Bohanna split the 2025 season between the Seahawks and the Packers. He had three tackles in five games for Seattle and two tackles in his only appearance for the Packers.
Bohanna has 44 tackles in 40 career appearances for the Seahawks, Packers, Titans, Lions, and Cowboys.
DaVon Hamilton, Arik Armstead, Ruke Orhorhoro, and third-round pick Albert Regis are also on hand on the interior of Jacksonville’s defensive line.
