The 2026 offseason will be a pivotal one for Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst as he looks to supplement the roster ahead of a season in which expectations are sky high.

Gutekunst may have to get creative to augment the current team, without a first-round draft pick or a huge amount of cap space to lean on.

While fielding questions from the assembled Green Bay media on Wednesday, Gutekunst dropped some breadcrumbs about the moves that could be coming, both in terms of players currently on the roster, as well as external additions.

The Packers are currently projected to be over the cap by $1.4 million, so transactions will have to happen in order to open up space to operate, whether that be restructures, trades or releases.

On the cap options they have, Gutekunst said: “I feel really good. A lot of that depends on the decisions we make with the roster right now, but I believe we have all the flexibility to do what we need to do.”

“We also have a bunch of young players, really good players we would like to keep around here for a while.”

“The last few years, Russ (Ball) has done such a good job of keeping us at a point where if opportunities present themselves, we’re never not able to do those things, like Micah (Parsons) last year.”

Gutekunst made two big bets in free agency a year ago, inking Nate Hobbs and Aaron Banks to lucrative long-term deals, but the duo did not produce the kind of results the team would have hoped for.

Both players dealt with various injuries throughout the year, but Gutekunst sounded hopeful they will rebound in 2026.

Regarding Banks, he said: “Some of the (injuries) he went through were unexpected but I really thought he played well towards the end of the season once he got healthy.”

On Hobbs and his injuries: “It didn’t work out this year, but we’ll see how it goes in the next year.”

Those words seem to indicate both players will be on the team in 2026. When asked that question, Gutekunst said: “With losing five games in a row, I don’t think we’ve made any decisions on anybody yet, but those guys are under contract so I would expect them back.”

Green Bay’s general manager reiterated the same line when asked about Rashan Gary, saying the team expects him back as he is under contract, but he did admit Gary’s production in the second half of the season was an issue, and did not offer up many flowery words about the pass rusher.

Gutekunst added that the team was just beginning to evaluate everything ahead of the 2026 season. It did not sound like a ringing endorsement of Gary.

Compare that to how Gutekunst spoke about Josh Jacobs: “Josh is a warrior, a really important part of our football team, everything that he brings to us on the field, in the locker room, he’s an important part and I think he’s got a lot of good years left.” There is a notable difference in tone there.

The cornerback position has been the topic of a lot of discussion and consternation externally, but from how Gutekunst spoke on Wednesday, it does not sound like sweeping changes are coming.

He said: “Hobbs missed most of the season, never really got going. Carrington (Valentine) stepped in and did a great job, he’s a young player that’s still getting better. Keisean (Nixon) had a very, very good year, he was in the top three in PBUs and did some really good things.

“Do we need wholesale changes? No, I do think it’s an area though that those guys can get hurt, they’re the smaller guys on the field, we ask a lot of those guys in run support, so depth there for me is important (so) that we have answers.”

Reading between the lines, there is a good chance the most notable additions at cornerback come via the draft as a means to add depth to the position.

Green Bay has boasted the youngest roster in the NFL for three consecutive seasons, and Gutekunst was asked about his appetite for adding veterans, and more specifically the perception that players over 30 are rare on his team.

While he pushed back and claimed the age 30 mark is not a “line of demarcation,” Gutekunst said older players can stop young guys like they have had the last few years from getting a chance to play and progress.

He continued: “Very few years are we adding guys for one year. We’re usually looking for more of a long term solution, and if you’re up there in age, that may not be the case, but we’ve certainly done that in the past, we’ll do it again.”

It remains to be seen whether this year is the right year in Gutekunst’s eyes.

Finally, it sounds like extending Tucker Kraft’s contract, which is set to expire in 2027, is a strong priority.

Gutekunst said: “He’s a really important part of this football team and we certainly would like to have him around. The impact he has on our football team not only as a player but as a leader is very important to us. I’ve already been in contact with him and letting him know how we feel.”

The only issue with Kraft could be whether the two sides get a deal done this offseason, or wait to see him recover from his torn ACL. All being well, he should be a Packers for the long haul.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Brian Gutekunst hints at Packers offseason plans and roster decisions