NFL
Exclusive: Chiefs And Patriots Among Teams Eyeing Packers LT Rasheed Walker Ahead of Free Agency
Green Bay Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker, a coveted free agent, is expected to be among the highest paid players in the league next month. With interest from contending teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots, Walker's steady play and size make him a top target this offseason. With the NFL's league year approaching, multiple teams are eyeing him as a potential solution to their offensive line needs.
Green Bay Packers v Chicago Bears by Michael Reaves | Getty Images
Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker is emerging as one of the more coveted free agents with the start of the NFL’s league year approaching, with league sources identifying him as a target for several contending teams, and not just the usual rebuilding teams with oodles of cap space to burn.
Walker, 26, is the cream of a very limited free agent crop, and with this draft not as deep at tackle as some recent vintages, personnel execs anticipate he will be among the highest paid in the league next month.
Walker has provided very steady play for Green Bay and improved each season; timing is everything and he is seen as the right player at the right time.
“We think he ends up getting $25M (a season),” said one NFL salary cap guru/negotiator. “It’s supply and demand.”
Who Is In The Mix?
Kansas City’s Super Bowl dynasty hit its first major obstacle when the Eagles thrashed its offensive line to win the Lombardi Trophy in 2024, and it remained a significant issue last season.
With Patrick Mahomes coming off season-ending surgery, league sources said fortifying the offensive line is a massive priority for the franchise. Their recent drafting has been hit or miss, and multiple GMs suggested Chiefs coach Andy Reid would prefer a proven upgrade. Reid has been willing to spend very big for free-agent offensive linemen in the past.
“I think Big Red wants this fixed before the draft if he can,” one GM said.
“Walker makes sense. He has the size (6-foot-6) they want on the edge. Then he can go skill guys on day one and day two (of the draft). They need more speed and twitch at receiver, tight end, running back.”
Another GM noted the Patriots, off a surprising Super Bowl run, as a potential suitor for Walker as well, with rookie Will Campbell struggling in the second half of his rookie season and perhaps being a better fit on the right side.
“I know what (head coach Mike) Vrabel said about keeping Campbell on the blindside,” the GM noted, “but what did you expect him to say?”
Regardless of where he lands, Walker will have multiple offers to sort through and is one of the hottest names at the annual scouting combine as agents and teams meet to formulate offseason plans.
La Canfora has covered over 20 Super Bowls and League Meetings and NFL drafts, building a wide network of sources throughout all aspects of the game. He was an award winning print journalist as well, working at The Detroit Free Press and The Baltimore Sun prior to his first stint at The Washington Post. He has covered sporting events around the world, including two Winter Olympics and all of the 2006 World Cup. He attended his first NFL game in 1978, and would soon kindle what has become a lifelong love and appreciation of the sport. La Canfora is also a professional handicapper, specializing in the NFL, creating a daily sports wagering game show - "Wanna Bet?" He also hosts nationally broadcast NFL radio shows in the US, as well as a daily sports radio show in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.