The Green Bay Packers aren’t quite ready to commit long-term to Devonte Wyatt, but made a major investment in continuing to evaluate the defensive tackle chosen No. 28 overall back in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Ahead of the deadline to do so, the Packers officially exercised Wyatt’s fifth-year option, meaning the former University of Georgia standout is set to cost $13.92 million against the cap in 2026, allowing general manager Brian Gutekunst and Green Bay one more season to evaluate whether to sign him to a long-term contract extension.
The Packers can extend Wyatt at any time, in an effort to lower his cap number and commit to a homegrown player long-term, but it is obvious Gutekunst and Green Bay haven’t reached that conclusion.
Wyatt, 6-foot-3 and 304 pounds, is coming off an injury-riddled 2024 campaign in which he suffered an ankle injury that cost him four games, a concussion in the regular-season finale and a lower-leg injury that knocked him from the Packers’ playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
At age 27, Wyatt has produced 74 career tackles with 12 sacks, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries through his first three seasons.
The Packers are paying a premium to see if Wyatt can elevate his game in 2025 to the point of making him one of the cornerstone players along the defensive line for years to come.
