Karl Brooks

Career StatsD+

Year	Team	GP	Sacks	Tkl	TFL
Career		50	8.0	72	7.5
2025		16	0.5	28	2
2024		17	3.5	24	4
2023		17

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Karl Brooks' value math nets a C Contract Value Index — placing the deal in a clear band relative to the league median at DE. At $1.01M AAV across four years on a rookie scale deal, Brooks is being paid as a depth contributor, and his 2025 season performance (28 tackles, 0.5 sacks across 16 games) validates that modest evaluation; he produced at a level consistent with a rotational edge rusher, not a starter-caliber pass-rusher who commands premium defensive line salary. For a sixth-round pick three seasons into his NFL career carrying just 8 sacks and 2 forced fumbles total, the CVI reflects a realistic pricing—one that neither overvalues his ceiling nor undervalues the depth utility he provides. At 26 years old in his third season, Brooks occupies the classic bubble-player tier where occasional flashes (like the tackle for loss against Dallas) matter for roster evaluation but don't reshape the contract calculus; he's being compensated as organizational insurance, not a long-term anchor. The media narrative confirms this positioning: he's treated as a potential cut candidate on internal evaluations while simultaneously recognized as a solid depth option, a split verdict that the C-level CVI accurately captures. Recent team moves—including the signings of defensive backs and offensive skill players—suggest Green Bay is addressing perceived needs elsewhere, leaving Brooks to compete on merit in a suddenly crowded edge-rusher room, a dynamic that adds downside risk to an already precarious roster standing heading into training camp.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Karl's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Karl Brooks' performance grade lands at D+, capturing how he stacks up at DE this season. He's operating as a below-average rotational contributor at a position where impact pass-rushing is non-negotiable, and the numbers bear that out: in the 2025 season, Brooks posted 28 tackles and 0.5 sacks across 16 games—a stat line that screams depth piece rather than starter, particularly the half-sack production that reflects minimal pressure generation on the edge. His tackle total is his only statistical bright spot, suggesting he's at least staying involved in run defense, but that competence crumbles when asked to rush the passer, which is the core job requirement for a defensive end. Brooks played all 16 games, so durability isn't the issue; the issue is that when he's on the field, he's not producing the kind of impact metrics—sacks, pressures, batted balls—that justify a roster spot in a crowded secondary market. As a third-year player entering a precarious offseason where Green Bay has already added competition at his position, Brooks finds himself in the uncomfortable middle ground between serviceable depth and expendable commodity, with his occasional flashes of competence (like the tackle for loss against Dallas) offering just enough reason for the organization not to abandon him entirely, but not nearly enough to lock down his future with the team.

How Karl Compares at the Position

Karl Brooks ranks 107th of 147 graded defensive ends by performance. That slots Karl between Shemar Stewart (D+) just ahead and Jalyn Holmes (D+) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Karl Brooks enters the 2026 offseason holding a C-level public sentiment — a middling perception that mirrors his standing in Green Bay as a serviceable depth piece rather than a building block. The media narrative around the 25-year-old third-year defensive end is genuinely split: he earned positive coverage for a sharp tackle for loss against Dallas and generated warmth around a story involving Micah Parsons' leadership, yet he simultaneously appears on cut-candidate lists, signaling that the organization itself hasn't fully committed to him as a roster lock. That ambivalence tracks with his on-field production, which carries a performance grade of F — in the 2025 season, Brooks posted 28 tackles and 0.5 sacks across 16 games, a stat line that reflects a rotational contributor producing well below the threshold of a reliable starter, let alone an impact pass-rusher. Green Bay's recent roster activity adds another layer of pressure: the signing of EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton in early May signals that the front office is actively adding competition at his position, making his path to a guaranteed roster spot meaningfully narrower heading into training camp. For a late sixth-round pick from the 2023 draft carrying modest career production — 8 sacks and 2 forced fumbles across three seasons — Brooks represents the classic bubble player whose coverage is reactive rather than anticipatory, treated as a secondary storyline by beat writers rather than a featured name. The bottom line is that the narrative around Brooks is neither optimistic nor alarming — it's the quiet uncertainty of a fringe roster player whose next few months of evaluation will determine whether occasional flashes of competence are enough to survive a suddenly more crowded depth chart.