2026 Sets Up Special Packers Season

Breaking Down the Packers' 2026 Schedule

The 2026 Green Bay Packers schedule is here, and it's hard not to be excited.

Every team has its pros and cons when the schedule drops, and the Packers are no different. They're facing one of the tougher strength of schedules in the league based on how their opponents performed in 2025 — a combined .538 winning percentage. They don't gain much of a rest advantage either, finishing at minus-two days on the season. The good news: the Packers will travel among the fewest miles of any team in the league at 12,619, and they land six primetime games.

On balance, though, the draw is a favorable one. Their easiest stretch comes at exactly the right time. They close the season at home. And they face back-to-back road games just twice all year. No schedule is perfect, but it's hard to complain about what the Packers got. Follow along as we break down the schedule — the advantages, the disadvantages, and all the quirks along the way.

Picking Every Packers Win & Loss in 2026

On Carry The G Radio: The Podcast, Billy and Aaron pick every game on the Packers schedule and lay out why the Packers’ ceiling in 2026 is sky high and why 2026 has all the ingredients for a truly special season.

3 Winners and 3 Losers From the Packers’ 2026 Draft

The draft always has a knock on effect for existing veterans on NFL teams, and the Packers are no different, with the prospects of some players’ futures in Green Bay fluctuating based on the picks Brian Gutekunst made at the end of April.

Here are three winners and three losers from the outcome of the 2026 NFL Draft:

Winner - MarShawn Lloyd We all know Lloyd’s tenure in Green Bay has been immensely frustrating, as his NFL career has not gotten off the ground due to a slew of injuries. It would have been understandable if the Packers added another running back in this year’s draft to act as insurance if Lloyd once again gets hit by the injury bug, or to compete with him even if he is healthy. No pick was made at the position, meaning as long as Lloyd is available, he has the clear path to snaps as second fiddle behind Josh Jacobs, with Chris Brooks serving as a reliable, if unspectacular 3rd down back. Is this finally Lloyd’s year?

Winner - Savion Williams The easy answer here would be Matthew Golden, but everyone knew he was set for a big uptick in playing time in 2026 regardless of what happened on draft weekend, especially after Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks already left town via free agency and trade respectively. But with Golden, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed (who received a contract extension during draft weekend) cemented as the top three receivers in Green Bay’s passing attack, it was important for Williams’ prospects in 2026 that the Packers did not add any other receivers to the mix. They did not, and that means Williams should be the first receiver off the bench in his second season, as well as no doubt getting touches of the ball every game in a gadget capacity. If he can enjoy a more healthy 2026 campaign, Williams could become more of a real part of the offense.

Winner - Ty’Ron Hopper Another former 3rd round pick looking to see more playing time is Hopper, who has been used very sparingly on defense in his first two seasons in the league. His chances of an increase in snaps have not been helped by the change to a 3-4 defense, but if the Packers had drafted a linebacker early – and there were several players who went on day two that seemed very much their type – the writing would have been on the wall for his future. While he may still face an uphill battle to get on the field, competing with Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, and Isaiah McDuffie for what will realistically be only two spots, the light is at least being left on for Hopper.

Loser - Jacob Monk Monk played some snaps at the end of last season and seemed to impress the coaching staff, but the drafting of Jager Burton in the 5th round could put his roster status in jeopardy. Like Monk, Burton is another center/guard swing player taken on day three. Before that pick was made, Monk had the inside track to the backup center position, but he will now face real competition for it. Perhaps both players end up being kept, as the Packers saw at the end of last season what it can look like when you run out of centers, but entering his third season, it feels like make or break time for Monk.

Loser - Brenton Cox Jr. The EDGE position in Green Bay was already pretty crowded before they drafted Dani Dennis-Sutton, a rookie who was expected to be drafted much earlier in the 4th round. Micah Parsons’ injury may help Cox stick on the initial 53, but once he returns, the Packers will have Parsons, Dennis-Sutton, Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver, all of whom the team has some kind of investment in. Cox does not contribute on special teams, and once Parsons is back, they might need to reallocate his roster spot even if he does make the roster to begin the season. He needs to have a strong summer.

Loser - Carrington Valentine Valentine has had his ups and downs as a Packer, but overall has been a successful 7th round pick, giving the team quality reps at times. However, entering a contract year and coming off a disappointing season, the team drafted two corners, including one in the 2nd round. Keisean Nixon still seems a good bet to start, and Benjamin St-Juste, Brandon Cisse and Domani Jackson all have contracts at least through 2027, meaning Green Bay is more incentivized to give them as much run as they can. Unless Valentine suddenly takes a huge jump as a tackler entering this season, he is unlikely to have much access to a starting position unless injuries occur.

Packers’ Early Season Schedule Feels Like Old NFC Central Days

In the first seven weeks of the 2026 NFL season, the Green Bay Packers will play all three of their divisional opponents as well as take a trip to Tampa Bay, to play against their former divisional rival. Also included in the first seven games is a visit from the Dallas Cowboys.

The early-season schedule feels reminiscent of 20-25 years ago when the Packers would annually play both the Cowboys and Buccaneers.

In Week 1, the Packers will visit U.S. Bank Stadium to open their season for the third time in seven seasons, dating back to 2020.

In the two previous Week 1 meetings, the Packers won 43-34 in 2020 in front of zero fans. In the game, Aaron Rodgers would start his 2020 MVP season by throwing for 364 yards and four touchdowns. In the 2022 opener, the Vikings beat the Packers 23-7 in a game that is infamously remembered for Christian Watson’s drop on the Packers first play from scrimmage.

The Packers and Vikings opened against three times between 1994 and 2008, with all of those games being played at Lambeau Field.

In Week 4, the Packers will travel to Florida to play at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It will be early-season game at Raymond James Stadium, a location where the Packers haven’t had much success since the Bucs moved into the stadium in 1998.

It all feels so familiar….

Packers announce player personnel promotions

The Packers announced promotions in the player personnel department earlier this week.

Milt Hendrickson is entering his 22nd season in the NFL and eighth with the Packers. After seven seasons as the director – football operations, he has been promoted to vice president of player personnel. Hendrickson, whose first NFL experience came as a training-camp intern for Green Bay in 2004, worked in the personnel department of the Baltimore Ravens (2005-18). During his time in Baltimore, Hendrickson was a player personnel assistant in 2005, worked primarily with the pro personnel staff in 2006-07, was promoted to Midwest area scout after the 2008 NFL Draft, was named mid-regional scout following the 2013 NFL Draft and was promoted to national scout after the 2016 NFL Draft. Prior to joining the Ravens, Hendrickson was a coach in high school and college. In 2026, he represented the Packers at the NFL’s Coach and Front Office Accelerator.

John Wojciechowski, who is entering his 31st season in the NFL and his 14th with the Packers, has been promoted to director – football operations after working as the co-director of player personnel for the past eight seasons. He also was the director of pro personnel (2017) and a college scout (2012-16) for the Packers. Prior to joining Green Bay, Wojciechowski was a college scout for the Dallas Cowboys (2003-11) and Jacksonville Jaguars (1998-2002) following two seasons as a player personnel assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1996-97).

Richmond Williams, who is entering his 19th season with the Packers, has been promoted to director of player personnel after five years as director of pro personnel. Williams spent two seasons as a pro scout (2017-18) and five seasons as a college scout (2012-16) for the Packers. He also served as the team’s National Football Scouting representative to the annual NFL Scouting Combine and authored evaluations of all prospective seniors in the Southwest region. From 2022-24, he represented the Packers at the NFL’s Coach and Front Office Accelerator.

Check out all the promotions and changes to the Packers personnel group right here.

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The Paradox That Is Marshawn Lloyd

One of the more surprising moves in April’s draft was Green Bay not drafting a running back to add to their current room. While we still have the steady hand of Josh Jacobs to shoulder a monumental portion of the offense, questions still abound on what exactly the team has on the depth chart behind him.

Chris Brooks won the contractual tug-of-war with Emmanuel Wilson, winning the grand prize of another year in Green Bay. Brooks was a Steady Eddy for Green Bay, moonlighting as a third down pass protector and pass catcher. Of his 222 total snaps last season, 157 of those came on a pass play. That’s about 71% of his total snaps, compared to 52% for Josh Jacobs and 51% for Emmanuel Wilson last season. Brooks’s role on the team is pretty well defined at this point.

Wilson’s absence should provide, in theory, be the perfect role for Marshawn Lloyd to step into. Lloyd won’t have to carry a majority of the offense on his back (if Jacobs should suffer an unfortunate injury, I would bet the mortgage on MLF leaning on an RB by committee approach). But is replacing Wilson a 1 for 1 task, with their differing skillsets? Last season, Wilson carried the ball 125 times, for 496 yards, three touchdowns, and one fumble. On those attempts, he averaged around 4 yards per carry, with 3.06 yards after contact (what a massive indictment of the Packers’ run blocking last season!). His attempts came mostly on zone blocking plays, with a 75-49 split and twelve 10+ runs. Wilson was mostly a North-South runner, with 39% of his rushing attempts going through the A gap in either Middle-Left or Middle-Right, and the other 60% spread out through the other six gaps.

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A League of Their Own: Packers are the Standard in Modern Sport

The Green Bay Packers are more than a football team. They are an institution built on community, humility, and a standard of integrity that has endured for more than a century. In a league dominated by billionaire owners, corporate branding, and constant franchise relocations, the Packers remain a rare example of what sports can be at their best: rooted in people, driven by values, and a commitment to identity.

This is not nostalgia. It’s structural. It’s cultural. And it’s intentional.

It starts with the identity, the home. Lambeau Field is not just a stadium; it’s a living symbol of continuity and respect for the game. While other teams build flashy new arenas every 20 years, even teams like the Buffalo Bills and now Las Vegas Raiders. For Green Bay, renovations have been made modernizing Lambeau but doing so without erasing its soul.

The result is a venue that feels timeless yet world-class. A place where history is preserved rather than replaced. What seems a lost feature in today’s modern era of sports, tradition matters, from the Lambeau Leap to the frozen tundra mystique, all the way to Training Camp bike rides in the summer, it all matters.