Packers Lock Up LB Isaiah McDuffie With Extension Through 2027

The Green Bay Packers aren’t waiting around to see what free agency does to their linebacker room. The team announced Monday it signed Isaiah McDuffie to a contract extension, according to Packers.com, locking up their special teams captain through the 2027 season instead of letting him play out his final year and test the market.

The numbers came together fast. McDuffie will earn $8.8 million over the next two seasons, with $1 million in additional play-time incentives, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported. Per ESPN, it’s a one-year tack-on to his existing deal, and it landed just as he was about to enter a contract year with real trade value attached.

McDuffie earned it. A sixth-round pick out of Boston College back in 2021, he started 12 of 17 games last season and finished with 92 tackles, an interception and a sack. He’s not just a body in the middle of the field, either — he logged a career-high 302 special teams snaps in 2025, and general manager Brian Gutekunst wasn’t shy about crediting that dual-threat value when the deal was announced.

There was a version of this offseason where McDuffie became trade bait. He wasn’t projected to start in Jonathan Gannon’s base defense, and moving him would have freed up cap space while clearing a path for 2024 third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper. That scenario is off the table now. The extension carries a $1.5 million signing bonus, and the Packers aren’t walking away from that kind of investment days after making it.

This wasn’t a big splashy raise, either — Green Bay had plenty of alternatives sitting in front of it. Tucker Kraft still doesn’t have an extension. Neither does Devonte Wyatt. Instead, ownership quietly locked up the guy who’s missed one game in four years and led the special teams unit in tackles.

Around the League: Colts, Raiders and Giants

Indianapolis got an encouraging update on Daniel Jones. The quarterback, who tore his Achilles late last season, told reporters last week at his youth football camp that he’s cleared to do everything. He was candid about the mental side of the recovery, too, admitting the injury is still on his mind and probably will be until he’s back on the field in a real game.

In Las Vegas, the Raiders opened up their training camp calendar to fans. The team announced five public practices, including a night session on Aug. 11 at Allegiant Stadium — a chance for fans to get an early look at a roster that includes No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.

The Giants had the most substantial injury news of the day. Head coach John Harbaugh said running back Cam Skattebo, working back from an ankle injury, is expected to be ready to participate early in training camp, according to ESPN. Wide receiver Malik Nabers, recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 4 last season, is expected to work his way into practice “in one way or another” as camp opens.

Harbaugh framed both players as ahead of schedule, though not on identical timelines. “Skattebo is further ahead than Nabers based on the type of injury,” Harbaugh said, “but Malik is not far behind. He’s in a good place right now.” For a Giants team that lost both players to injury last season — Skattebo to a dislocated ankle in Week 8, Nabers to a torn ACL in Week 4 — any positive movement heading into camp counts as real news.

Jets Move On From Quentin Skinner

New York’s roster churn continued Monday when the Jets waived wide receiver Quentin Skinner off injured reserve. It’s the second time this offseason the team has parted ways with the undrafted free agent out of Kansas, who appeared in one regular-season game as a rookie in 2025.

None of Monday’s moves reshape a division race or a Super Bowl outlook. But they’re the kind of transactions that quietly set the tone for training camp — who’s healthy, who’s getting paid, and who’s fighting for a roster spot before pads even go on.