Packers Lineman Arrested on 2 Felonies at LaGuardia After Doing Everything TSA Told Him To Do

Rasheed Walker was arrested on Jan. 23, 2026, at LaGuardia Airport. The starting left tackle for the Green Bay Packers voluntarily told an employee at the Delta Air Lines check-in counter that there was a case in his luggage that contained a firearm. After declaring the handgun, the Port Authority police were alerted, who searched the luggage and found a 9mm Glock and 36 rounds of ammo inside the secured case. TSA requires travelers to declare any firearms at check-in. Firearms must be unloaded and inside a hard-sided, locked container separate from ammunition. Despite following this protocol, Walker’s Wisconsin permit is not recognized under New York law.

The Arrest

After Port Authority police checked the bags and found the declared firearm inside its locked case, Walker was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of criminal possession of a firearm. These charges are felonious under New York law. Following the arrest, Walker appeared in Queens County Criminal Court before being released on his own recognizance. He is set to appear in court again on March 19, 2026.

Bad Timing

Walker’s incident at LaGuardia Airport couldn’t have come at a worse time. The athlete stands to increase his rookie contract earnings from $6M to a projected four-year, $81.1M deal. CBS Sports ranks Walker as the 7th best free agent while ESPN ranks the athlete 8th. Walker’s projected earnings have been compared to Dan Moore Jr’s, who signed a four-year, 82M deal with the Tennessee Titans in 2025, according to multiple analysts.

Words From The Attorney

Arthur Aidala is Walker’s attorney and has publicly told media outlets that the firearm that resulted in his arrest is legally registered in Wisconsin. His attorney also said that Walker voluntarily declared the firearm, which was being safely stored in a locked container. The 9mm Glock was also unloaded and its ammunition separated.

Confident The Case Will Be Dismissed

Aidala told the New York Post, “He mistakenly thought because he had a licensed firearm, and it was in a locked box, that he was able to travel with it.” In a separate statement to ESPN, Aidala said that the legal team is “confident the matter will be resolved favorably.” In an email to the Associated Press, the attorney added his expectations are that the case will “eventually be dismissed.”

Statements From The Port Authority

An unnamed spokesperson for the Port Authority Police Department spoke to Fox News Digital. They told the outlet that the Port Authority Police responded to a firearms check at Terminal C of LaGuardia Airport, and that the 25-year-old athlete presented the firearm without the “proper credentials.”

An Impressive Track Record

Rasheed Walker has been with the Green Bay Packers for nearly four years, signing his rookie contract shortly after being selected in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Walker saw his first NFL start on September 17, 2023, replacing the five-time All-Pro David Bakhtiari, who had to be placed on injury reserve. In 2025, Walker started 16 of 17 regular-season games and logged 1,075 offensive snaps.

Contract Impact

When the new league year starts on March 11, 2026, Walker is set to become an unrestricted free agent. With his Queens County Criminal Court date set on March 19, the two events are uncomfortably close together. While Walker’s legal team has expressed confidence that the case will be dismissed, the arrest could affect his market value and the Packers’ ability to re-sign him during the critical opening days of free agency.

Packers Offensive Line Future

Walker has proved himself a valuable player in 2025, ranking 11th among qualifying offensive tackles in ESPN’s pass block win rate. However, the Packers already invested heavily in the offensive line through recent drafts. Jordan Morgan, a 2024 first-round pick (25th overall), started at multiple positions across the line in 2025, while Anthony Belton, a 2025 second-round pick (54th overall), stepped into the starting right guard role in Week 12 and showed promising flashes as a run blocker. Whether either could transition to left tackle to replace Walker remains an open question heading into the offseason.

Similar Incident Comparisons

The Jack Jones 2023 case is a useful point of comparison to Walker’s recent incident. In June 2023, New England Patriots cornerback Jack Jones was arrested at Boston’s Logan Airport after two loaded firearms were found in Jones’ carry-on luggage by TSA during a routine x-ray inspection — worse circumstances than Walker. Jones’ case was dropped after the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office determined that it “cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Jones had knowledge that he possessed the firearms in his bag.” After the arrest, Jones was waived by the Patriots but continued his NFL career with the Raiders and later the Dolphins. If charges were dropped in a case involving undeclared, loaded carry-on firearms, Walker’s legal team may have good reason for their stated confidence.

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Sources:
Fox News Digital — “Packers lineman charged with weapon possession at New York airport on gun charges” — January 23, 2026
Associated Press (AP News) — “Packers’ Rasheed Walker arrested on gun possession charge at New York’s LaGuardia Airport” — January 24, 2026
CBS Sports — “Packers tackle Rasheed Walker arrested at LaGuardia Airport on gun charge” — January 23, 2026
ESPN — “Packers’ Walker arrested at La Guardia Airport on gun charge” — January 24, 2026
Total Packers — “Packers Vet Among Top NFL Free Agents, Expected to Get Paid” — January 25, 2026