Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur won’t deny he is feeling “bummed” about losing star tight end Tucker Kraft to a season-ending ACL injury, but his focus has already shifted to the next man up for their offense: Luke Musgrave.
Kraft exited in the third quarter of Sunday’s 16-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers and did not return due to a knee injury that LaFleur said “doesn’t look good” in the postgame. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, tests confirmed an ACL tear for Kraft on Monday.
“He’s doing as good as you could ever be doing, considering the circumstances,” LaFleur said Monday of Kraft. “Tuck’s a guy that’s not going to flinch, and that’s why we love him. He’s a helluva player, helluva teammate, helluva guy. I’m bummed for him, I’m bummed for us, but it’s just part of it, and it’s got to be that next-man-up mentality.
“It’s unfortunate, but now other guys are going to get an opportunity.”
Musgrave, a 2023 second-round pick, tops the list of “other guys” for the Packers. He caught 33 passes for 341 yards and a touchdown in the first 10 games of his career, but he had stints on IR in both 2023 and 2024, during which time Kraft surpassed him.
Even still, the Packers have confidence in Musgrave as he prepares to replace Kraft.
“Luke’s a guy that we’ve got a ton of confidence in,” LaFleur said Monday of Musgrave. “I think his career got started off facing a little adversity, being in and out of the lineup with some injuries, but what he does bring is he definitely brings a vertical presence, and we’re gonna have to put him in situations where he can utilize his strengths.”
Tucker Kraft Had Emerged as Top Playmaker in 2025
With Kraft out for the year, the Packers are losing more than the average starting tight end. They are losing one of the NFL’s best tight ends, a top playmaker for their offense.
While Kraft played great for the Packers in 2024, the 25-year-old seemed to unlock the next level of his game in the first half of his third NFL season. He leads the Packers in receiving yards (489) and receiving touchdowns (six) through the first eight games and was on pace to finish the year with more than 1,000 receiving yards for the first time.
On a league level, Kraft has also stood out as one of the top performers. According to SumerSports, he has the third-most yards and has run the third-most routes (216) among NFL tight ends heading into Week 9’s final game on Monday, but he also leads the group in yards after catch (344) and total EPA (49.49), underscoring his prestige.
No matter how you spin it, that’s a difficult player to lose for any NFL team.
Can Luke Musgrave Fill Tucker Kraft’s Shoes for Packers?
While Kraft is a big loss for the Packers, though, Musgrave now has a prime opportunity to validate the team’s decision to draft him with the 42nd overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Musgrave took a backseat to Kraft in the Packers’ offense through the first eight games, but he has been efficient when called upon. He is one of just seven tight ends who have run at least 50 routes and caught at least 90% of their targets through Week 9, hauling in nine of his 10 targets for 88 yards and four first downs as Green Bay’s No. 2 option.
The Packers won’t have the freedom to run the offense exactly the same with Musgrave as they have with Kraft, but LaFleur isn’t too concerned about making the adjustments.
“I’m sure there’s going to be some tweaks … just like it is with the difference in the receiver room. You ask some guys to run choice routes and you have other guys run the deeper developing routes, so there will be some tweaks in that regard.”
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