The Green Bay Packers will open the 2026 season on the road, but Tucker Kraft doesn’t expect the trip to Minnesota to feel entirely foreign.
Kraft, a South Dakota native who starred at South Dakota State, will have a sizable personal cheering section when the Packers visit the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sept. 13.
Speaking with reporters on Sept. 7, the fourth-year tight end called the NFC North road trip something closer to a homecoming.
“I’m excited to get back to Minnesota because for me, it’s like a home game. It’s a short drive for a lot of my personal fans and followers and family,” Kraft said, via Vince Lovergine of WFRV.
“Just getting an opportunity to play in an atmosphere like that, the Bank’s a really fun place to play in. I remember my rookie year, really soaked it all in there for the first time.”
Kraft is returning from a torn ACL that ended a breakout 2025 season after eight games, and the Packers have elevated him into a prominent leadership role entering Year 4.
Kraft Has Already Produced in Minnesota
Kraft’s connection to the region goes beyond proximity. He was born in Timber Lake, South Dakota, and played at South Dakota State before Green Bay selected him with the No. 78 pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
His first NFL appearance at U.S. Bank Stadium also gave him a memorable introduction to the Packers-Vikings rivalry.
Green Bay beat Minnesota 33-10 on Dec. 31, 2023, with Kraft catching all six of his targets for 48 yards. Jordan Love threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns in the victory as the Packers kept their playoff push alive.
Kraft returned to Minneapolis the following season and again made an impact, catching two passes for 53 yards in a 27-25 loss. One of those receptions went for 35 yards.
That history helps explain why Kraft sounded comfortable discussing one of the league’s louder road venues. His South Dakota roots also give the matchup a different feel from most division trips, especially with family and friends able to make the drive.
For the Packers, having one of their most important offensive weapons comfortable with the environment could help as they begin the year against a well-known NFC North opponent.
Packers Get Kraft Back After Breakout Season Was Cut Short
Kraft’s return could be one of the biggest internal additions to Green Bay’s offense.
Before tearing his ACL against Carolina on Nov. 2, 2025, Kraft had 32 receptions for 489 yards and six touchdowns in eight games. His 15.3 yards per catch illustrated how dangerous he had become after the catch and down the field.
The injury ended a season that was tracking well ahead of his 2024 production, when he finished with 50 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns.
Kraft spent the offseason targeting Week 1 for a full return. In June, he said his goal was to open the season with “no pitch count,” and the Packers activated him from the physically unable to perform list on July 31. He gradually worked back into practice from there.
Green Bay delivered another indication of how it views Kraft on Sept. 7, naming him one of five season-long captains. He joins Love as one of two offensive captains.
That makes the Vikings opener a fitting stage for Kraft’s return. He gets a divisional opponent in stadium where he has already produced and where he’ll see familiar faces in the stands.
Packers’ Tucker Kraft Makes Personal Admission Ahead of Vikings Opener