Despite playoff heartbreak, two of the Green Bay Packers' stars seem to sense "unfinished business" for this team in 2026.
The stink of the way the Green Bay Packers ended the 2025 season is still in the air, but eventually, we're all going to have to move on.
The way the Packers lost to the Bears in the Wild Card round, blowing a 21-3 halftime lead, will go down in history as one of the worst playoff losses not just in Packers' history, but in the history of the NFL. For the Packers, it's absolutely right up there with the 2014 NFC Championship game.
Time heals all wounds, though, and sooner or later fans are going to start getting excited for the 2026 season.
For the players on the team, that time has already come. They don't have the luxury of wallowing in pity because their preparations this offseason will play a big role in what they're able to accomplish in 2026.
It's worth noting that there are a lot of question marks for this team heading into 2026. There are players that will be lost in free agency, there's not a first round pick to work with in the NFL Draft, and heck, head coach Matt LaFleur may not even be the coach next year. It's trending that way, but anything can happen.
Despite the recent heartbreak and despite the uncertainties, it's worth noting that several Packers seemed optimistic about how things will look in 2026. Many of them had a chance to speak at locker cleanout on Monday, and the vibe can best be described as "unfinished business".
Micah Parsons ready to make a big comeback in 2026
“Yeah, he told me that,” star defensive end Micah Parsons said when it was brought up that defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley believes he'll break the NFL's sack record next season, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “He’s putting a lot of pressure on me. I’m not scared of those challenges, either. They know I’m coming. I had a little fun with Myles (Garrett). He talked about (how) he’s going to put the trophy, the Defensive Player of the Year trophy, in the training room so we can look at it (Parsons and Garrett train together in the offseason). I said, ‘You know what, don’t worry. The light’s bright, but the sun always sets, too, so we’re coming.’ It’s always great that you’ve got a coach like that. Me and Haf has a great relationship … he’s another guy I can’t wait to have another year with.”
Notably, Parsons is speaking like Hafley will be back in 2026, but head coach Matt LaFleur seemed to believe that the defensive coordinator will be a head coach somewhere next season.
"I fully anticipate Hafley's going to do a great job on the interview and I fully anticipate him getting one of these," LaFleur said Sunday, according to PackersWire.
“Nah, Haf ain’t going nowhere," Parsons said on Monday.
Tucker Kraft hopes to be "bulletproofed" by start of the 2026 season
The Packers, unfortunately, lost star tight end Tucker Kraft in early November to a torn ACL. To that point, he was having an elite season and was clearly becoming one of the rising superstars in the NFL.
In just eight games, Kraft caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns.
He was on-pace for an All-Pro season, and it's worth noting that he does feel good about where he'll be recovery-wise at the start of 2026.
“My timeline, I’m not in a race or anything like that. It happened. By the time Week 1 rolls around, I’ll be 10 months post-surgery and hopefully bulletproofed by then,” Kraft said. “I already feel pretty good. My progress so far has been great. Some would say even ahead of schedule. So, not trying to blow anything out of proportion. I’m not even 10 weeks in yet, but it’s feeling good so far. Everything’s going great. I’m in good hands here.”
If Kraft comes back healthy in 2026, there's reason to believe he can be an All-Pro.