Green Bay Packers Taking a $13.8 Million Risk With Lukas Van Ness
Lukas Van Ness's fifth-year option guarantees millions. Can he finally deliver on his immense potential, or will the Green Bay Packers regret this high-stakes gamble?
The Green Bay Packers have officially picked up the fifth-year option for defensive end Lukas Van Ness. On the surface, and for the uninitiated, this would make sense. General manager Brian Gutekunst spent the No.
13 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft on Van Ness, after all. Why wouldn't he pick up the club option for a player he spent a ton of draft capital on? Those who have watched Van Ness over the past three seasons know the risk that Gutekunst and the Packers are taking by making this commitment (albeit for a year) to Van Ness, though.
He checks in at 6-foot-5, 272 pounds and is nicknamed "Hercules" because of his ripped stature. Coming off the bus, Van Ness looks like he should be competing with Micah Parsons for the league's Defensive Player of the Year award. And perhaps one day he will, but so far in his career, Van Ness has been a dissapointment.
He's collected only 8. 5 sacks combined over the last three seasons. Now that he's got the fifth-year option under his belt, though, he's expected to make $13.