The Green Bay Packers have locked down one of their edge rushers on a new contract with hours to go before the official start of 2026 NFL free agency.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Packers are re-signing restricted-free-agent edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr. — a 2023 UDFA signing — to a one-year, $2.5 million contract extension that will keep him with their defense for the 2026 season.
Cox played only 110 defensive snaps between the regular season and playoffs for the Packers in 2025 after injuring his groin in Week 1 and spending about three months on the injured reserve list, but he had an impact as a rotational pass rusher in 2024 with four sacks in seven games. With a healthy 2026, he could return to a meaningful role.
The Packers have now agreed to extensions with three of their pending restricted free agents without placing tenders on any of them. According to The Pat McAfee Show, they signed backup offensive tackle Darian Kinnard to a one-year deal, while running back Chris Brooks’ agency confirmed he signed a two-year, $4.85 million contract.
The 2026 league year will officially begin at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 11.
Micah Parson’s Recovery Could Benefit Brenton Cox
Cox is a backup/rotational signing for the Packers who will likely need to impress in the offseason program and training camp to ensure he makes the team’s 2026 active roster, but he could have plenty of opportunities to make his case for a larger snap count if he takes advantage of the time that All-Pro Micah Parsons is recovering from ACL surgery.
Expectations are that Parsons — who tore his ACL in early December — might need to miss the start of the 2026 regular season as he works back from his injury. Even if he is healthy in time for Week 1, the Packers won’t have him on the field for the majority of their offseason workouts, including OTAs, mandatory minicamp and training camp.
For Cox, that is an opportunity to shine with extended reps. The Packers shed two of their edge rushers — Rashan Gary (traded to Dallas) and Kingsley Enagbare (signed with the New York Jets) — over the past week. While they return former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness and 2025 draft picks Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver, the pecking order off the edge is a long way from set in stone.
Circumstances could change for Cox if the Packers invest some of their draft resources into more edge-rushing talent, but they do not own a first-round pick and may have other positional priorities in the earlier rounds of the draft. In other words, even if they do draft another defensive end on Day 3, Cox should retain a competitive advantage.
Packers Also Announced Extension News for Veteran
While the Packers have not yet announced Cox’s contract extension, they did confirm one of their other recently-reported extensions for veteran guard/center Sean Rhyan.
According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers agreed to terms with Rhyan on a three-year, $33 million contract extension that included an $11 million signing bonus on March 8, keeping one of their top interior offensive linemen in the mix and putting him on a trajectory to open next season as their starting center.
Now that Rhyan’s contract is officially booked, the Packers have their top six offensive linemen locked into place for the 2026 season, even after releasing Elgton Jenkins for salary-cap relief earlier this week. They will return all five of their starters — with Jordan Morgan expected to take over at left tackle — along with Kinnard, a top backup.
Packers Lock Down Edge Rusher on New Deal Amid Free Agency