Tucker Kraft displays leadership, calls out Packers after Week 1 loss

The Green Bay Packers recently gave tight end Tucker Kraft a four-year, $75 million contract extension because they believe he can be one of the best in the NFL.

He proved their belief in him right in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings. Despite it being the first time he had played since suffering a torn ACL in November 2025, Kraft's 2026 debut saw him catch three passes for 65 yards, averaging an incredible 21.7 yards per catch.

Kraft is back, and he's going to be a force.

The Packers also gave Kraft the contract because they believe he is one of the team's leaders and a core member of their future, and the tight end's leadership was on display after Green Bay's collapse against the Vikings in Week 1.

Despite holding a 22-10 lead early in the third quarter, the Packers lost, 39-22. They were outscored 22-0 in the fourth quarter and gave up 29 unanswered points.

It's not just this one game, either. Collapsing late in games has become a trend for head coach Matt LaFleur and his team, stemming back to the five-game losing streak to end last season.

After the game, Kraft provided an uncomfortable truth about his team.

"We're the best team in the NFL," Kraft said, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN. "But if we don't go out there and play like it, no one's going to believe us."

Green Bay Packers have talent but are lacking grit

Kraft is right that the Packers have the talent to be elite. 

Their offense showed flashes of brilliance in Week 1, led by quarterback Jordan Love. He threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and connected on multiple deep shots with Christian Watson and second-year wideout Matthew Golden.

The Packers also have stars on defense, and that's not even factoring in Micah Parsons, who is still working his way back from his own torn ACL.

Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper notched seven tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit against the Vikings. Rising-star safety Evan Williams had an interception late in the fourth quarter that could have sealed the game for the Packers, but that was waived off because of a ticky-tacky defensive penalty.

Kraft is right. The pieces are there for the Packers, but if they can't figure out how to finish, nothing else is going to matter.

He's got them dead to rights, and he's calling his team out in the way only a leader can. The Packers have got to be better, and they've got to be mentally tougher.  

No amount of talent can overcome a lack of grit and discipline, and Kraft knows that.

"Not in any way, shape or form am I condemning anyone," Kraft said. "This happens to every team, every game. It's either you call the wrong play and people are just out of position or you call the right play and someone doesn't do their job. It's just a culmination of errors, and each player has to take it upon themselves to correct this, to be coachable.

"It pisses me off just as much as it does the coaches when we're out there and we're just error after error, like we're just beating ourselves. I emphasize that all the time. The only people who can beat us are us. That's it."