The Green Bay Packers have officially announced their 2026 team captains.
Here they are:
- QB Jordan Love
- TE Tucker Kraft
- LB Zaire Franklin
- LB Isaiah McDuffie
- S Xavier McKinney
Edge Rusher Micah Parsons Notably Left out of Green Bay Packers’ 2026 Team Captains
It’s a bit odd that Parsons, who is the Packers’ best defensive player, was not named a team captain. It could have something to do with the fact that he’s on the PUP list to begin the season, but he isn’t expected to miss much more than — if any — the required first four games.
Parsons was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate before tearing his ACL in Week 15 of 2025. He recorded 41 total tackles, 12.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles last season. It will be crucial to Green Bay’s Super Bowl chances that Parsons returns as quickly as possible and picks up where he left off last year.
Love, Kraft, McKinney, and McDuffie are repeat captains from 2025. The Packers had seven last season, which also included running back Josh Jacobs, linebacker Quay Walker, and edge rusher Rashan Gary. Jacobs’ future is murky as he is on the commissioner exempt list, and Walker and Gary are no longer in Green Bay.
Zaire Franklin a Mild Surprise as Team Captain
This is Franklin’s first year with the Packers, making it mildly surprising that he is already a captain. Green Bay acquired him via trade from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for defensive tackle Colby Wooden during the offseason. Franklin has recorded over 100 combined tackles in each of his last four seasons, including a whopping 179 in 2023.
He was named a Second-Team All-Pro in 2024 after leading the NFL in combined tackles with 173. Franklin followed that up with 125 tackles in 2025. He will be an important piece of new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s system. Franklin is under contract with the Packers through the 2027 season.
Franklin’s backup, McDuffie, is a captain mostly due to his elite special teams play. McDuffie has played over 1,000 snaps on special teams throughout his five-year career in Green Bay. Despite starting 12 games on defense last season, McDuffie set a career high in special teams snaps with 302. The Packers signed him to a one-year contract extension during the offseason.
Packers Name 2026 Team Captains