The 2026 Season is still a few months away, but lets skip all that for a moment and look forward to 2027. The Green Bay Packers presently have 11 draft picks in the 2027 draft. By all accounts that draft is expected to be loaded with talent. So given that the team could be looking to add nearly a dozen new players next year in the draft alone, its reasonable to suspect that some on the current roster will be playing their final season in Green Bay. Let’s take a look at some of the most likely candidates for fans to say goodbye to next season.
Would Be Surprised If They Were Back
- Carrington Valentine
- Luke Musgrave
Valentine is the discount version of Rasheed Walker – incredible value for a 7th round pick, but ultimately not good enough for a second contract. He played poorly last season and was worse once Micah Parsons was lost for the season. While the Packers didn’t bring in enough to replace him this year, its safe to say that they likely will next season.
Musgrave is the archetype for a Gutekunst draft miss. Extremely athletic but just hasn’t been able to develop much beyond that. It’s possible that he has a big season and gets brought back, but given that there wasn’t a noticeable uptick in his production when Kraft went out, that seems unlikely.
Packers Third Round Curse Victims
- Marshawn Lloyd
- Ty’Ron Hopper
While it seemed like the Packers may have finally overcome their third round luck with Tucker Kraft (and Sean Rhyan to a lesser extent) it seems to have returned in a big way in the 2024 draft.
Marshawn Lloyd has not played a single meaningful game since the Packers selected him in 2024. Which is a true shame because there was plenty in his college tape to suggest he had true RB1 potential. It’s not over yet, if he can stay on the field and perform this year he may still find a spot on this roster for 2027 and beyond, but history suggests this could be it for him.
Hopper on the other hand was a confusing pick when they made it, and nothing in the last two years has suggested otherwise. Even with Quay Walker leaving the team, the Packers brought in Zaire Franklin rather than give Hopper a real shot. Maybe he shows something in camp this year, but he seems another likely candidate for release after this season.
Veteran Releases
- Josh Jacobs
- Javon Hargrave
While I would say I feel fairly confident in the first four players on this list, these two feel liek true toss ups.
Jacobs has been more than adequate as a replacement for Aaron Jones, but it also felt like he was a step slow last year and also dealt with some injury issues. Given his age, it wouldn’t be all together surprising if the team looked for his replacement in next years draft, and the structure of his contract gives Green Bay off ramps every year.
Hargrave is another player where age could be a deciding factor. Hargrave was not good last year for Minnesota. That being said there is reason to believe he could bounce back after being reunited with new DC Jonathan Gannon. That being said – like the Jacobs contract, Green Bay does have an out next season. If Hargrave plays similarly to how he did last season, a one and done in Green Bay wouldn’t be surprising.
