Packers OL arrested at LaGuardia for firearm possession

Just as the Green Bay Packers are shifting their focus to the offseason, starting left tackle Rasheed Walker finds himself in a complicated legal situation. On Friday, Jan. 23, authorities arrested the 25-year-old lineman at LaGuardia Airport in New York City after he attempted to check a bag containing a firearm.

The incident occurred shortly before 11 a.m. at the Delta Air Lines check-in counter. Walker, showing a level of transparency that suggests a misunderstanding of local laws, voluntarily informed an airline employee that his luggage contained a locked box with a 9mm Glock pistol and 36 rounds of ammunition.

While the firearm is legally licensed in Wisconsin, New York’s strict gun laws led Port Authority police to take him into custody. He now faces two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of criminal possession of a firearm.

This legal hurdle comes at a precarious time for the former seventh-round pick. Walker played a vital role this season, anchoring a line that protected Jordan Love during a 12-win campaign.

In the Packers’ final game, a heartbreaking 20–17 Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Walker and the offensive line held steady, allowing Love to throw for 215 yards and a touchdown while opening lanes for a rushing attack that averaged 4.2 yards per carry.

Walker is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March and is projected to command a contract worth upwards of $20 million annually. His attorney, Arthur Aidala, expressed confidence that the case will be dismissed, noting that Walker mistakenly believed his Wisconsin license permitted the transport. For now, the Packers’ blindside protector is released on his own recognizance and is scheduled to return to court on March 19.