The Green Bay Packers have a lot of immediate decisions to make for the 2026 roster. But one of the biggest questions Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst faces this offseason is with edge rusher Lukas Van Ness.
The former 2023 first-round pick is under contract for this fall. But the Packers have until May 1 to decide whether to exercise his fifth-year option for 2027.
Through three seasons, Van Ness has earned the dreaded “bust” label as the former No. 13 overall pick in 2023. In 43 NFL games, he has just 8.5 sacks with 17 tackles for loss.
But Gutekunst explained to reporters at the NFL combine just because Van Ness has struggled early in his career doesn’t mean the Packers won’t pick up the 2027 option.
“It’s about what we think he’s going to do in the future, not what he’s done in the past,” Gutekunst said Tuesday at the combine, via SI on Packers’ Bill Huber. “So, that’s kind of how we look at things. We did that with Devonte [Wyatt] last year.
“If that’s the decision we decide to do, I won’t have a problem with that at all.”
In 2026, Van Ness will have about a $5.53 million cap hit. Over the Cap projected the edge rusher’s cap hit will jump to $14.381 million for 2027 if the Packers pick up the option.
Will Packers Exercise Fifth-Year Option With Lukas Van Ness?
Gutekunst didn’t really indicate one way or another what the Packers will do with Van Ness. But clearly, it’s not a foregone conclusion the disappointing draft pick will be entering a contract year in 2026.
Reading between the lines, the Packers could be leaning toward picking up the option. That’s a logical conclusion with Gutekunst bringing up defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt in Van Ness’s fifth-year option conversation.
Last year, the Packers picked up Wyatt’s fifth-year option for 2026 despite the defensive tackle not yet becoming a regular starter.
Wyatt missed the end of the 2025 season because of a fractured ankle. But he started the first 10 games, essentially proving the Packers correct in their decision to exercise his option.
Gutekunst hitting on that decision could embolden him to pick up Van Ness’s option.
Packers Recent Fifth-Year Option Decisions
Wyatt wasn’t the only fifth-year option choice the Packers had to make last year. They faced the same decision with linebacker Quay Walker.
The Packers, though, turned down Walker’s fifth-year option.
There’s a couple things of note on that decision as it relates to Van Ness. Walker was a starter for the Packers throughout his first three seasons, and yet, the team still didn’t pick up Walker’s fifth year.
That seemingly confirms what Gutekunst said — the Packers make their fifth-year option decisions based on projections, not past performances.
Walker, though, did have a strong 2025 campaign. He posted 128 combined tackles with eight tackles for loss, five pass defenses and 2.5 sacks.
Coming off his best season and without the fifth-year option, Walker is now set to leave in free agency this spring.
Based on Green Bay’s cap situation, that may have always been inevitable. However, it’s also possible Gutekunst regrets choosing to not pick up Walker’s option.
If that’s the case, then it could impact how Gutekunst and the Packers approach the decision with Van Ness.
Similar to last year, the Packers have been split on recent fifth-year option decisions. With cornerback Jaire Alexander and linebacker Rashan Gary, the team exercised the options.
But the Packers didn’t pick up defensive back’s Eric Stokes’s option two years ago or quarterback Jordan Love’s before that. However, Love received a contract extension before the team needed to decide his fifth-year option.
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