What the NFL Hall of Fame Game revealed about 3 former Wisconsin Badgers

The NFL season officially kicked off, kind of, with the Hall of Fame Game marking the start of the 2026 preseason slate. In the game, the Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers squared off in what was a fun back-and-forth game, culminating in an insane last-second touchdown by Panthers rookie quarterback Haynes King, diving into the end zone moments after the game clock expired.

The story of the day, however, at least for Wisconsin Badger fans, was the three alumni representing Madison in the game, two of whom played for Carolina and the other for Arizona. None of the three had groundbreaking performances, as each saw very limited action and, in turn, very limited production. With that said, it was far from an airballed performance.

On the Score Board

The Cardinals' lone Badger rep was Bryson Green, who is now two years into his Arizona tenure. Green had what you could probably call the most impactful game in comparison to any other Wisconsin alumnus, notching one catch for one yard and one touchdown.

Obviously, it was by no means a dominant outing, but the one touchdown was a solid grab in the red zone, showcasing solid balance, ball control and footwork, all of which were necessary to an unusual degree in order for him to haul in the catch.

As for his future outlook with the team, sadly, it is not the brightest. Although the catch was impressive, it was far from enough to stamp his spot on the actual roster. In all reality, Green will likely have to make a choice in the near future as to if he wants to continue to battle things out in hopes of sneaking onto the back end of an NFL roster, or make the jump to another pro league where he should dominate.

Limited Chance, Limited Impact

Maema Njongmeta and Parker Petersen were the other two Badger representatives on the field, both of whom saw limited snaps on the defensive side of things for the Panthers. With their limited opportunity, both made their impact felt in small ways, as both finished with two total tackles.

Njongmeta is no stranger to limited NFL snaps, as this now marks his third consecutive season on an NFL team. To this point, he has made his money's worth on special teams, logging over 600 snaps in that facet in just 32 total games played.

The problem with Njongmeta continues to be measurables, as despite being very technically sound, his lack of size, length and speed hinders what would otherwise be a somewhat potent skill set. The result is him likely being stuck in special teams purgatory.

As for Petersen, many Wisconsin fans may not even recognize his name, as his one year in Madison came with little impact. With that said, much to the inverse of Njongmeta, Petersen does have the measurables that NFL teams desire, making him a bit more expendable.

With that said, he, too, did not have a performance worth taking note of, leaving his NFL future largely up to chance.

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