I'm no film analyst, but I've seen him miss a lot of tackles or get dragged for yards before the ball carrier goes down. What is his missed tackle %? I also wonder if he would benefit from a role change. Cooper as MLB, with Walker as strong side? Cooper is a leader...

Gute has openly said that they want to keep him, so the decision to not exercise an option that is significantly inflated by the inclusion of elite rusher pay in the formula for his position doesn’t change that. That is true regardless of what one thinks about Walker and how real or not his asserted improvement last year was.

Walker is right to bet on himself and the team is right to not fully guarantee a level of pay (and cap hit) that he has not earned. Walker is going into his second season under Hafley. If it has indeed clicked (I’m still dubious) then that should become apparent in September and October and the Packers can offer commensurately. If he doesn’t ascend to such levels, then we probably want to move on or, at best, offer much less. Walker’s career is set for prove it moments and this move reflects that.

He has all the tools to be an excellent linebacker, except one. He seems to lack instincts. He has trouble anticipating, and therefore is reacting rather than disrupting. And he seems clueless in coverage. Whether this is his not understanding what his assignment is on any given play, or the inability to adjust to realignments by the QB as they scan the defense is irrelevant. He and the coaches need to find some way to unlock his potential.
Two brief notes. First, since he is playing for a contract, he very well might suddenly become a lot better this season, only to regress once he has signed a contract. This happened with AJ Hawk, who couldn't cover a receiver in a phone booth until he hit his contract year, when he suddenly was effective. Once re-signed, back to the old AJ.
Second, is it really necessary to drag up incidents from two seasons ago to show Walker is Immature or hot headed or whatever? He made some mistakes, learned from them, and moved on. It's time for the sportswriters to do the same.

The OPTIMIST in me sees a very good athlete in Quay Walker who flashed a bit last year after finally escaping the talent-draining scheme of Defensive Coordinator Joe DingleBarry.

The PESSIMIST in me sees a guy going into his 4th season who has done next to nothing in his firs 3 seasons and really got upstaged by a 2nd round rookie in Edgerrin Cooper last season.

The REALIST in me hopes that with experience, a second season in a legitimate defensive scheme, and a top-flight LB next to him in Cooper, that Walker plays the best football of his Packer career in 2025 ... and that if he doesn't do that Green Bay allows him to join Savage and Stokes as 1st round defensive misses who were encouraged to continue their NFL careers elsewhere.

“I think he’s one of the best linebackers in the league,” said Packers safety Xavier McKinney this past January. “He can do a lot. There’s a lot of things he can do that a lot of linebackers cannot do.“

I lean more towards what McKinney says vs PFF. Walker and Cooper can make for quite a dynamic duo and they showed their potential in a few game stretch last year. If Quay plays like that all year, watch out.

It seems to me that this will be Walker's fourth prove-it year. Certainly relative to his draft position. The Packers were prudent in declining his option - as a more accurate assessment of his $ value will now be possible after this year.

Comparing Walker to Cooper is your mistake.
It's Gute's mistake. He had No help.
So we can just draft any LB now.
And they can replace him?
I don't get The Who he can become.
Get this - It's the financial stress.

Walker has the mental state to be really good.
He didn't take 3 years to develop like Wyatt.
And when he wasn't in there.
The defense just couldn't keep up.
It was obvious when he was injured.

The depth changed. Draft away.
But quay Walker earns his money.
And this defense needs him.

Giving Walker a big contract next year without a very easy out in two years would be a mistake. You can't pay two ILBs big money and I'd much rather pay Cooper.

Cory, I agree with you. Walker needs to be aggressive and play down hill. Cooper is showing the way. Barry may have messed him up by playing with hesitation. Waiting for the play to come to him. Play down hill, with aggression. That is what good LB's do.

Personally, i think the Packers took a swing at Walker at least partly, because of his RAS score.

I don't think Walker has an issue being an athlete, my guess is, that his problems are more in the mental game, than physically.

I tend to think that after 3 seasons, we've seen what we have with Walker, and i think the decline of the 5th year, tells us what the Packers think also.
I just don't see him doing anything exceptional.
I can remember everyone getting down on AJ Hawk because his tackles were downfield after a healthy gain.
Idk man....that's the way i see Walker every game.
Sometimes Walker see's a play coming, and gets there to make a play, it just isn't very often or consistent.

Maybe Hafley can pull more out of him, idk, show me.

"He’s going to be the best linebacker in the league. You can mark that. You can write that down.” - Xavier McKinney

Yea ok Tiger...he gots a ways to go.

" If Walker can show that the defense cannot function on defense without him even making a tackle,"__________

a) then if it clears up cloudy, we'll have a warm frost in the morning.

b) Walker will be in line for a big payday at the end of the season.

c) there'll be a plethora of linebackers for the aforementioned defense.

d) all of the above.

Please explain your answer, and cite references where appropriate.

Positive pictures painted…I’m not going to hold my breath. Three years and….

Overall, I would say the Packers hold onto underperforming players and coaches too long. There is a misguided sense of loyalty or sentiment that I don't see on the highest-functioning teams. Examples of this practice are plentiful. I could name 10-20+ examples off the top but I don't wish to stir up the apologists on this fine Sunday.