Green Bay shocks the league by locking in a former trade candidate with a blockbuster extension that suddenly puts him beside the team’s biggest stars.QQ

Kingsley Enagbare, a fifth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2022, was once viewed as a prime trade candidate before the deadline. In his first two seasons, he mostly came off the bench, rotating in with fairly modest sack numbers. When the Packers needed cap space and extra draft capital, many believed Enagbare was exactly the kind of name they could afford to move on from.

The turning point came this season, when Kingsley Enagbare suddenly broke out in his role as a pass rusher. He consistently generated pressure, forced quarterbacks into rushed throws, added sacks and tackles for loss, and became more disciplined against the run. A late-season stretch in which he ranked among the team leaders in quarterback pressures forced the Packers’ front office to rethink their plans. From being a piece they were ready to trade away, Enagbare gradually turned into a true top priority for the upcoming offseason.

Compared with Rashan Gary, the star pass rusher who signed a massive deal, Kingsley Enagbare now looks like a far better “return on investment” for Green Bay. Gary carries a heavy cap hit and has been inconsistent since his injury, while Enagbare has exploded on a cheap rookie contract. That contrast pushed the Packers to consider moving Gary to free up cap space and funnel those resources into keeping Enagbare long-term. In the end, the team announced a four-year, $72 million extension with $40 million guaranteed, an average annual salary on par with their defensive cornerstones. From a rotational option and trade candidate, Enagbare has become a foundational piece of the defense — a player the Packers believe they can build around for years to come.