2026 NFL Rosters: Packers Remain Young, Inexperienced and Beefy

The Green Bay Packers are no longer the youngest team in the NFL.

They are the youngest team in the NFC, though.

The NFL on Thursday released its annual study of Week 1 rosters. The Packers, even with an influx of veteran players with quarterback Tyrod Taylor, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and linebacker Zaire Franklin, have the NFL’s eighth-youngest roster with an average age of 26.11 yards.

The Packers were the youngest team in the NFL in 2023 (25.13), 2024 (24.91) and 2025 (25.28).

“Kind of the way it worked out,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said a couple days after final roster cuts. “I mean, it was never about getting older. I do think where our team is right now, that you know, having some experience isn’t a bad thing at all. I think, obviously, we have a number of players who have had two, three years of experience and kind of coming into that prime of their careers.

“I think you want to make sure you have enough guys that can supplement those guys as we move forward.”

Here are the eight youngest rosters:

Miami (25.09), Cleveland (25.57), Kansas City (25.75), N.Y. Jets (25.94), Tennessee (25.95), Jacksonville (26.04), New England (26.06) and Green Bay (26.11).

The oldest teams are the 49ers (27.49) and Steelers (27.09).

The average age is 26.43.

“To have vets that have been around, been some other places, they just bring a different perspective and some cool ideas for a lot of things,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “But to that point, it’s one of those things you don’t really think about. 

“I think the first year, we had a lot of young guys but, after that, you don’t think about it, especially on offense, when you’ve been with some guys for a couple years and we have some chemistry built. I don’t really look at it as we’re the youngest even though we were for a couple years. I think it’s cool that we’re not labeled as the youngest team now, but it’s not anything that is a big focus for us.”

Young By Experience, Too

The Packers also have the most inexperienced roster in the NFC. Their average player has 3.96 years of experience. The rebuilding Dolphins, who are led by former Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan, has constructed a roster with an average of only 3.08 years of experience.

The Packers have 10 rookie or first-year players. Only seven teams have more; the Dolphins lead the way with 15.

The Packers have an NFC-low five players who are 30-plus. Taylor is 37, Hargrave is 33, tight end Jonnu Smith and long snapper Matt Orzech are 31 and Franklin is 30. The Dolphins have the fewest with two.

The Chicago Bears are both young (13 rookies or first-year players) and old (10 players who are 30-plus).

The league averages are 4.47 years of experience, 9.06 rookies and first-year players and 9.00 players age 30-plus.

It’s time for the team’s increased experience to show up.

“Yeah, absolutely,” tight end Tucker Kraft said after the joint practice against Arizona. “Got to be able to just go out there and drop your nuts. Like, look across the line of scrimmage and say, ‘That guy is not going to beat me.’”

The Packers blew a big lead against the Vikings in Week 1, just like they did in the two late-season losses to Chicago. Franklin doesn’t buy that last year’s losses have bled into this season.

“I understand where it comes from, but this is a new set of guys. The locker room has an extreme turnover. We’ve all grown. We’ve all learned. And we’re playing against a different opponent, a different set of circumstances. But I do think, like I said, there are things you’ve got to work on and build on. Minnesota was an opportunity we didn’t take advantage of. We’ve got another opportunity against New York. Let’s make the most out of it.”

Packers Are Tall and Beefy

The average Packers player is 6.23 feet tall. That’s about 6-foot-2 3/4. Only Carolina (6.25) and New Orleans (6.24) are taller. The league average is 6.20. The Packers have six players who are shorter than 6 foot tall. Only six teams have fewer. The Bears and Lions have 11 each to rank among the league leaders. 

The Packers have an NFL-high 16 players who are 300-plus pounds. Their Packers player is 250.24 pounds. Only Cincinnati (252.31) and Carolina (252.11) are heavier. The league average is 246.06.

Forever Young: 22 Years and Counting

Here is where the Packers’ roster ranked in terms of average age dating to 2005, which was the late Ted Thompson’s first year as general manager. As a reminder, Brian Gutekunst has been the general manager since 2018.

2005 — 26.19 (9th, tied)

2006 — 25.57 (1st)

2007 — 25.72 (1st)

2008 — 25.57 (1st, tied)

2009 — 25.70 (1st)

2010 — 25.92 (5th)

2011 — 25.74 (3rd, tied)

2012 — 25.70 (6th)

2013 — 25.64 (9th)

2014 — 25.75 (8th)

2015 — 25.23 (2nd)

2016 — 25.55 (5th)

2017 — 25.81 (11th)

2018 — 25.74 (10th, tied)

2019 — 25.58 (6th, tied)

2020 — 25.51 (6th)

2021 — 25.74 (10th)

2022 — 25.96 (16th)

2023 — 25.13 (1st)

2024 — 24.91 (1st)

2025 — 25.28 (1st)

2026 — 26.11 (8th)