The Green Bay Packers recorded an operating loss of $1.1 million for the 2025 season—the first time the franchise has posted a loss since 1989, excluding the COVID-19-impacted 2020 season. The culprit is straightforward: soaring player costs.
Think about that swing for a second. One year ago, the Packers were banking an $83.8 million profit. Now they're in the red by $1.1 million. That's not a rounding error—that's a structural shift in what it costs to compete in this league.
Packers CEO Ed Policy said the team remains in strong financial shape and will invest whatever is necessary to field a championship-caliber team. That's the right call. You don't build a winner by pinching pennies on the roster.
Policy also said it is more expensive than ever to run an NFL team—and he's right. This isn't a Green Bay problem. It's a league-wide reality. Player costs are climbing, and every franchise is feeling it.
The 2020 loss was an asterisk—no fans at Lambeau Field, no gate revenue, a pandemic-year anomaly. This one is different. This is the new math of NFL operations, and the Packers are staring at it straight.
