The Green Bay Packers took the field on Thursday Night Football riding a 13-game win streak in their home opener and entered as favorites against the 0-2 Atlanta Falcons. The home crowd rained down boos for much of the second half in a humbling 35-14 loss, which evidently wasn’t received well by at least one star player.
After the game, tight end Tucker Kraft called the booing “pretty tough” and not what he pictured received from the crowd at the home stadium. Just weeks off signing a historic contract extension, Kraft questioned how fans booing the Packers helps the team win and questioned if those in attendance are behind the club.
“That’s pretty tough. Everyone pictures Lambeau Field and not boos. I don’t picture boos when I picture my home stadium. That’s tough. It’s pretty disappointing. Especially for a home opener. It’s pretty disappointing. It’s not gonna help us win. I don’t know what people think, that’s gonna rally us or something like that. But we’re grown men. We’re mentally strong enough, capable enough to get back on the field and play ball. But it’d be much easier with the 70,000 people behind us rather than opposing us.”
Green Bay Packers TE Tucker Kraft on fans at Lambeau Field booing the team
Kraft is just weeks removed from signing a four-year, $75 million contract extension with a $26.5 million signing bonus that makes him one of the highest-paid tight ends in NFL history.
In his first game back at Lambeau Field, Kraft finished with the third-most targets (eight) but he hauled in just four receptions for 26 receiving yards. He played a part in the team’s offensive woes, dropping a potential four-yard reception on 3rd-and-2 before halftime on a night when Green Bay went 6-for-15 on third-down attempts.
It has been an underwhelming start to the 2026 campaign for Kraft. In his first three games, he has totaled just 106 receiving yards on nine receptions, hauling in just over half of his targets with four first downs and one fumble.
Kraft’s frustration amid the team’s struggles is understandable. However, considering ticket prices for the home opener at Lambeau Field started at over $100, fans are clearly even more angered by the product on the field they are paying to see.
Unfortunately for Green Bay, it does not get any easier from here. After facing the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4, the Packers’ schedule then puts them up against the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, and Los Angeles Rams all before December.
There is a very real possibility that the Packers will be underdogs in each of those games, four of which are at Lambeau Field. Given the state of the offensive line and the play-calling, Kraft and his teammates are almost certainly going to be hearing more boos in the weeks to come.
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