By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Green Bay's Tucker Kraft seemingly was on his way to putting together one of the most prolific seasons by any tight end in Packers history.

Now he's done for the season before the halfway mark.

Kraft tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the third quarter of Green Bay's 16-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers and will miss the rest of the season. The news came Monday on Kraft's 25th birthday.

"He's doing as good as you could ever be doing, considering the circumstances," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Monday. "Tuck's a guy that, he's not going to flinch. That's why we love him. He's a hell of a player, hell of a teammate, hell of a guy."

Kraft lined up left and was moving to his right behind the line of scrimmage when he ran into the backside of Packers guard Sean Rhyan, who was blocking Carolina's Nic Scourton on the play.

It's a brutal finish to a season in which Kraft had established himself as a Pro Bowl candidate.

Kraft had 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns this season. He led the Packers (5-2-1) in yards receiving and touchdown catches while ranking second to Romeo Doubs in overall receptions.

He headed into Sunday's game as just the third tight end in NFL history to have at least 30 receptions, 450 yards receiving and six touchdown catches while averaging 15.5-plus yards per reception in the first seven games of a season. The others were Jimmy Graham in 2013 and Rob Gronkowski in 2015.

"It's tough, man," running back Josh Jacobs said after Sunday's game. "In my opinion, he's a top-three tight end in the NFL."

The week before the Panthers game, Kraft had scored two touchdowns while setting career highs in catches (seven) and yards receiving (143) to help the Packers win a prime-time game at Pittsburgh.

"I'm bummed for him," LaFleur said. "I'm bummed for us. It's part of it. It's got to be that next-man-up mentality. Unfortunate for him, but now other guys are going to get an opportunity."

That starts with Luke Musgrave, who joined the Packers in the same 2023 draft that included Kraft. The Packers selected Musgrave in the second round and Kraft in the third.

"Injuries are the worst part of football," Musgrave said.

Musgrave knows that all too well after injuries limited him to 11 games as a rookie and seven in 2024. He caught 34 passes for 352 yards and a touchdown during that rookie year, but he has totaled just 16 receptions for 133 yards and no touchdowns since the start of the 2024 season.

"(He's) faced a little adversity, being in and out of lineup with some injuries," LaFleur said. "But what he does bring is he definitely brings a vertical presence, and we're going to have to put him in situations where he can utilize his strengths."

The other tight end on Green Bay's active roster is John FitzPatrick, who has caught five passes for 24 yards and a touchdown while appearing in each of the Packers' first seven games this season.

Green Bay also has tight end Josh Whyle on its practice squad.
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