UPDATE: The Green Bay Packers have officially signed Kevin Zeitler.
ORIGINAL REPORT FROM TUESDAY:
The Green Bay Packers could be turning to a familiar face for help fixing their offensive line.
And Detroit Lions fans know him well.
Veteran guard Kevin Zeitler visited the Packers on Tuesday as Green Bay explores potential additions to its struggling offensive front. Zeitler remains a free agent after spending the 2025 season with the Tennessee Titans.
No deal has been reached, but the visit creates an interesting possibility: One of Detroitโs most important offensive linemen from its historic 2024 season could soon be playing for an NFC North rival.
Kevin Zeitler Visits Packers
Zeitler, 36, remains one of the most accomplished offensive linemen available.
The veteran guard visited Green Bay on Tuesday, marking his first reported visit since becoming a free agent.
Green Bayโs interest isnโt difficult to understand.
The Packers have opened the season 1-2 and have struggled to find consistency along their offensive line. Green Bay already attempted to address the problem earlier this month by signing veteran guard Cordell Volson to its practice squad.
Now the Packers are taking a look at Zeitler.
For Lions fans, that name should bring back some good memories.
Zeitler signed with Detroit before the 2024 season and immediately became the Lionsโ starting right guard. He started 16 regular-season games and helped anchor one of the most productive offenses in NFL history.
Detroit scored a franchise-record 564 points that season while finishing 15-2 and earning the NFCโs No. 1 seed. Jahmyr Gibbs also scored a franchise-record 20 touchdowns while running behind an offensive line featuring Zeitler, Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow and Penei Sewell.
Zeitler left Detroit following that season and signed with Tennessee.
Zeitler Can Still Play
This isnโt simply Green Bay kicking the tires on a recognizable veteran.
Zeitler played well in 2025.
He finished his season with a 74.5 overall grade and 75.4 pass-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focusโ evaluation of the 2026 free-agent class. He has posted an overall grade of at least 71.5 in five consecutive seasons.
Zeitler also brings an enormous amount of experience.
The former first-round pick has spent 14 seasons in the NFL after being selected by Cincinnati with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. He has played for the Bengals, Browns, Giants, Ravens, Lions and Titans while accumulating more than 200 career starts.
He was selected to his first Pro Bowl following the 2023 season with Baltimore.
That rรฉsumรฉ makes him an intriguing option for a Packers team looking for immediate answers rather than a developmental project.
Lions Could See Zeitler Again
Whether the visit leads to a contract remains to be seen.
But there would certainly be some irony if it does.
Detroit has already watched former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson become head coach of the Chicago Bears, turning one of the architects of the Lionsโ offensive resurgence into a division opponent. The Lions and Bears have already exchanged plenty of verbal jabs since Johnsonโs departure.
Adding Zeitler to Green Bay would put another recognizable piece of Detroitโs recent success inside the NFC North.
Meanwhile, the Lions have undergone significant changes along their own offensive line since Zeitlerโs departure, with Detroit continuing to navigate questions surrounding its interior offensive line during the early portion of the 2026 season.
Zeitler isnโt the player he was a decade ago. At 36, Green Bay wouldnโt be signing him as a long-term solution.
But his 2025 performance suggests there is still something left in the tank.
If the Packers liked what they saw Tuesday, the Lions may eventually find themselves lining up across from their former right guard.
In Green Bay colors, no less.
