A season that began with a trade many believed could propel the Packers to the Super Bowl ended with five straight losses, including a playoff defeat to the Chicago Bears. The disappointing finish led to questions about Matt LaFleur's future as head coach before he signed a contract extension in January.
The Packers once again face the challenge of navigating one of the NFL's toughest divisions, but they have the talent to return to the playoffs in 2026.
Here is our 2026 preview of the Green Bay Packers.
Key Free Agency/Trade Additions
Position Player 2025 PFF Grade QB Tyrod Taylor 60.7 WR Skyy Moore 63.6 DI Javon Hargrave 68.5 LB Zaire Franklin 38 CB Benjamin St-Juste 76.3The Packers had a relatively quiet free agency period, making only depth additions on offense while focusing their resources on the defensive side of the ball. The trade for Zaire Franklin serves as a direct replacement for Quay Walker at linebacker. Although Franklin posted a career-low 38.0 PFF grade in 2025, his 61.0 and 60.9 PFF grades in the previous two seasons both surpassed Walker's marks in 2023 and 2024.
While no longer the dominant player he once was, Javon Hargrave remains a productive pass-rusher and generated 31 pressures on 295 pass-rushing snaps last season. St-Juste is also coming off a career-best campaign, earning a 77.8 PFF coverage grade across 263 coverage snaps. He allowed just 47.5% of passes into his coverage to be completed, another career best.
2026 NFL Draft Class
Position Player 2025 PFF Grade CB Brandon Cisse 75.2 DI Chris McClellan 78.2 EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton 80.1 C Jager Burton 71.3 CB Domani Jackson 73.3 K Trey Smack 86.7With just six draft picks — including no first-round selection after the trade for edge defender Micah Parsons — the Packers still put together a solid draft class, with every selection earning a strong PFF grade in 2025. Jager Burton was the only offensive player they drafted, coming off a season in which he earned a 79.5 PFF pass-blocking grade. None of the 12 pressures he allowed resulted in a sack or quarterback hit.
McClellan was productive both as a run defender and pass-rusher, as he earned PFF grades above 70.0 in both facets. He generated 21 total pressures on 312 pass-rushing snaps and has the size to anchor the middle of the Packers' defensive line. Cisse earned PFF coverage grades above 70.0 in each of his final two college seasons, but his biggest impact came as a run defender in 2025, when he earned an 89.2 PFF run-defense grade.
Reasons for optimism
The Packers have plenty of talent on offense, and tight end Tucker Kraft enjoyed a breakout before an injury ended his 2025 season. His 2.33 yards per route run trailed only Dalton Kincaid of the Buffalo Bills, and he ranked second on the team in targets before suffering the injury.
Quarterback Jordan Love is coming off the highest-graded season of his career, ranking fourth among all quarterbacks in PFF overall grade (88.8) and third in passing grade (88.7). His 5.9% big-time throw rate ranked sixth at the position, while his 2.6% turnover-worthy play rate was tied for the ninth lowest. At just 27 years old, Love appears well positioned to sustain that level of play over the next few seasons.
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Micah Parsons was outstanding in his first season with the Packers, generating 79 total pressures on 436 pass-rushing snaps while earning a 92.9 PFF pass-rush grade. Through five NFL seasons, he has never posted a PFF grade lower than 91.6.
However, because he suffered an ACL injury so late in the season, he is unlikely to be ready for Week 1. He could miss at least the first quarter of the season, and possibly longer, leaving a significant void in Green Bay's pass rush. Outside of Parsons, Lukas Van Ness and Devonte Wyatt were the only Packers defensive linemen to earn PFF pass-rush grades above 70.0 last season, posting marks of 71.3 and 71.4, respectively.
Breakout Candidate
Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper has impressed since entering the NFL as a second-round draft pick in 2024, earning PFF grades above 75.0 in both seasons. In his first year as a full-time starter, he ranked 17th in the NFL with 45 tackles resulting in defensive stops during the regular season. Another strong campaign could put him firmly in the conversation as one of the league's top linebackers, behind only Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers.
Key roster battles
Keisean Nixon is coming off the best season of his NFL career, with his 68.7 PFF coverage grade marking his highest in any season in which he played at least 300 snaps. He is expected to start at one outside cornerback spot, with Carrington Valentine the favorite to line up opposite him. Valentine earned a 61.6 PFF grade last season but has been inconsistent throughout his NFL career.
The Packers added Benjamin St-Juste in free agency and selected Brandon Cisse in the second round of the NFL draft, giving both players a chance to push for playing time in 2026. St-Juste played a reserve role with the Los Angeles Chargers last season but allowed just 47.5% of the 40 passes into his coverage to be completed. Cisse allowed only 47.4% of the 38 targets into his coverage to be completed in his final college season while earning a 71.2 PFF coverage grade.