GREEN BAY \u2014 Tucker Kraft sounded awfully certain about an awful lot of things on Wednesday afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That his rehabilitation from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee is ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n
That, at the time of his injury, he was the best tight end in football.<\/p>\n
That he will be fully medically cleared for the Green Bay Packers\u2019 Sept. 13 regular-season opener against the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis and won\u2019t have his snaps limited in any way.<\/p>\n
And that when he does return to the field, he\u2019ll be as good \u2014 if not better \u2014 than he was before the injury.<\/p>\n
The only thing that the Packers star tight end was unwilling to say definitively was whether he\u2019ll have a big-money, long-term contract extension signed, sealed and delivered before setting foot on the practice field for training camp. (But still found a way to intimate it\u2019ll get done.)<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m doing good. I’m doing better than expected,\u201d Kraft said following Wednesday\u2019s second mandatory minicamp practice, which he spent on the sideline watching and occasionally offering pointers to his fellow tight ends.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would really attribute it to the time and the commitment I put into my rehabilitation early on the first three months. That really has catapulted me to where I am now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel great. My quad looks great. Swelling is minimal to none. No weird pains and aches coming out of my treatment and my trainings. So we’re really excited to get this ball rolling. And we’re going to take off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kraft suffered the ACL injury during a Nov. 2 loss to the Carolina Panthers and underwent surgery on Nov. 13. Saturday will mark seven months since his surgery, which puts him on pace to past the magical nine-month milepost after the team\u2019s preseason opener at Pittsburgh on Aug. 13.<\/p>\n
That timeline puts Kraft back on the field before teammate Micah Parsons, who tore the ACL in his left knee (and damaged his meniscus) on Dec. 14 at Denver and underwent surgery on Dec. 29. Parsons isn\u2019t expecting to be cleared for game action until mid-October.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talked a good bit early on,\u201d Parsons said of rehabbing with Kraft. \u201cWhere he\u2019s at now, he\u2019s doing a great job where he\u2019s at. And he should be back a lot before me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kraft predicted he\u2019ll start training camp on the physically unable to perform list, which wouldn\u2019t be the worst thing in the world since he\u2019d undoubtedly like to have a contract extension done before returning to action. With the team having locked up wide receivers Jayden Reed and Christian Watson over the past six weeks, Kraft is the no-brainer next-man-up candidate for general manager Brian Gutekunst and chief negotiator Russ Ball to lock up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re just playing the game. There’s a lot of things that really need to happen prior to me playing in the season,\u201d Kraft explained. \u201cBut I’m anticipating that Gutey will just start me on the PUP, just allow me to hit training camp running \u2014 if you understand what I’m saying. I feel like he wants to protect me as well as in turn protecting … the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Left unsaid was whether a new contract was a prerequisite to him practicing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’d say my goal is I want to play for this organization my entire career,\u201d Kraft replied when asked that question directly. \u201cI’m spoiled to have been drafted here and this is all I know. Green and gold is all I know, so we’d like to keep it that way. And my agent and the Packers’ front office, they’re going be in those talks in time when it comes. You guys will find out eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
Told that wasn\u2019t exactly a clear \u201cno\u201d answer, Kraft replied with a chuckle, \u201cThere’s certain information that I’m not allowed to divulge at this point. So you can do with that comment what you will. \u2026 Next question.\u201d<\/p>\n
That contract, whenever it gets done, will almost certainly make him the highest-paid tight end in the league. At the moment, the San Francisco 49ers\u2019 George Kittle ($76.4 million total value, $35 million guaranteed, $19.1 million annual average) and the Arizona Cardinals\u2019 Trey McBride ($76 million total value, $43 million guaranteed, $19 million average) are atop those rankings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel\u00a0like I went\u00a0out as Tight\u00a0End [No.] 1 in my opinion \u2014 just the things that I do at the point of attack, where I’m at on any given play. I feel like I went out at the top,\u201d Kraft said of his league-wide ranking. \u201cBut it gave me an opportunity. I think the good Lord put us on this world to endure, and there have been so many things I’ve found out about myself through this process \u2014 good and bad.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t think something like this had to happen to me to get better. I think I had the right mindset prior to my injury. But now I know what it’s about and I know how much I love this game and all the support system I’ve had to get past it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if he really felt like he was the best tight end in the league, Kraft replied, \u201cI thought that as a combination of the do-it-all Y, which is me, that there wasn’t another guy in the league that was doing it as well as I was. Some people might think I’m\u00a0delusional\u00a0to say that, but \u2026 the film is going to speak for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
And he believes that film will start in the opener in the Twin Cities. Two weeks ago on a treadmill run, he reached 21.5 miles per hour.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy anticipation is \u2014 they don’t really what\u00a0us talking about our injuries and stuff \u2014 but with how I feel, I would say I’m going to get all the conditioning I need in camp to start Week 1 on no pitch count,\u201d Kraft said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s what Week 1 is all about. I’m not really buying into the\u00a0[idea that] people come\u00a0back\u00a0off\u00a0an injury and aren’t the same. If you’re not coming back off your injury the same, then what are you doing? What were you doing your entire rehab?<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of days you wake up and you feel like [expletive]. It\u2019s not an easy rehab. Hundreds of athletes have gone through it and they\u2019ll tell you the same thing. It\u2019s just about your best ability is your availability, and that\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to do for this team, is come back stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n
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