After the latest Tucker Kraft news, it could threaten a Luke Musgrave trade right before the 2026 season commences. Kraft broke his silence on where he desires to play, who is coming off a torn ACL he suffered last season. He made it clear that he wants to spend the rest of his career with the Green Bay Packers, and with the tight end entering the final year of his contract. However, the former third-round pick hasn’t had exactly the season he wanted last year, so the Packers could be wary of offering him a new deal if he isn’t healthy.
Rightfully so, the team should probably wait until the 2026 season is over to see if Kraft is serious about being a high-level pass-catcher for its offense. Meanwhile, Musgrave was thrust into the starting role for the rest of the 2025 regular season and into the postseason. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to exceed expectations beyond what the Packers were looking for, finishing the year overall with 24 catches for 252 yards and 0 touchdowns. With that, Kraft didn’t elaborate on whether he’s expecting a new deal and was more focused on wanting to stay in Green Bay:
Luke Musgrave Trade: Projected $62M Deal May Spark Strain
TE Competition Impending?
It’s so easy to believe the Packers could trade Musgrave once they extend Kraft to a new deal. However, what Green Bay can do is let Kraft play out his final season on his current contract. While Musgrave hasn’t convinced anyone that he’s a proven starter, the safe decision is to create some friendly competition for this offense. It would make Kraft work for his new contract, but that could come back to bite them, though.
The Packers would want to avoid a situation where, if they extend Kraft too late, then it’s too pricey. After the team traded Dontayvion Wicks and let Romeo Doubs in free agency, the Packers have shown that they’re aren’t afraid of moving on. This makes a Musgrave trade even more likely. However, it’d be beneficial for this team to keep the two TEs for at least the 2026 season since they have now solidified their WR corps.
Trading Musgrave Could Be When?
The tight end is entering the final year of his deal, too. This makes it even sweeter for the Packers to let the two battle it out. Unfortunately, since Musgrave had his chance last season, he hasn’t impressed. However, it was unexpected that he was forced into a starting role, but that comes with the game of football. You have to be ready even when you’re not.
The good news is that there should be a market of tight ends available for a trade at some point during the 2026 season, including Kyle Pitts. If the Kraft experiment doesn’t work out in Green Bay, they could explore other options. What the Packers can do is franchise tag Musgrave, but even that’s a risk. It could be too much for a team, especially when they’re in talks with Kraft.
Green Bay, instead, may franchise the starting tight end. It could be the best decision they make and trade Musgrave while he’s healthy. Would it be smart? It depends on the situation, but since he hasn’t exploded yet, he could do that elsewhere in an offense that could give him a larger role.
