Lukas Van Ness's fifth-year option guarantees millions. Can he finally deliver on his immense potential, or will the Green Bay Packers regret this high-stakes gamble?
The Green Bay Packers have officially picked up the fifth-year option for defensive end Lukas Van Ness.
On the surface, and for the uninitiated, this would make sense. General manager Brian Gutekunst spent the No. 13 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft on Van Ness, after all.
Why wouldn't he pick up the club option for a player he spent a ton of draft capital on?
Those who have watched Van Ness over the past three seasons know the risk that Gutekunst and the Packers are taking by making this commitment (albeit for a year) to Van Ness, though.
He checks in at 6-foot-5, 272 pounds and is nicknamed "Hercules" because of his ripped stature. Coming off the bus, Van Ness looks like he should be competing with Micah Parsons for the league's Defensive Player of the Year award.
And perhaps one day he will, but so far in his career, Van Ness has been a dissapointment.
He's collected only 8.5 sacks combined over the last three seasons. Now that he's got the fifth-year option under his belt, though, he's expected to make $13.8 million guaranteed in 2027.
Yes, his contract for 2026 will pay him only $3 million, but that $13.8 million will go to Van Ness whether or not he proves to be worth it this season. Heck, it will go to him whether or not he's even on the roster.
Take this thing back even further into Packers' lore and remember the fact that Van Ness was selected with the pick that Green Bay got for trading Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets.
There was a ton of pressure, and there still is, on Gutekunst to get that pick right. So far, the returns with Van Ness have not been great.
There's also a ton of pressure on Van Ness.
He was selected because of his elite measurables and the high upside they presented. It wasn't even about his college production, because he notched only 13.5 total sacks in two seasons at Iowa.
There was never anything elite about Van Ness as a prospect, except his potential.
He's yet to reach that yet for the Packers, and that's a huge deal.
Van Ness dealt with a foot injury in 2025 and played in just nine regular-season games. He notched just 1.5 sacks.
He did get another sack in Green Bay's playoff loss to the Chicago Bears, but overall, it was an extremely disappointing season for the former first-round pick.
Van Ness now has this 2026 season to prove the Packers right for picking up the club option, and hopefully, he can follow that up by fully ascending and reaching his potential by the time that $13.8 million check hits in 2027.
The pressure is on, though. For both him and the Packers.
Packers Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Packers. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.