Packers head coach latest to hype up former Clemson WR this offseason

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is very familiar with former Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Packers in April. LaFleur was the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator back in 2017 when …

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is very familiar with former Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Packers in April.

LaFleur was the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator back in 2017 when the Rams traded for Watkins, and he proved to be a good acquisition for them as he ended up recording a team-high eight touchdown receptions — one shy of his career high of nine with the Buffalo Bills in 2015, his second NFL season.

Now that Watkins and LaFleur are back together again in Green Bay, the head coach expects the former fourth overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft to play a prominent role in the Packers’ offense this season.

Although Watkins has been plagued by injuries throughout his professional career — and got hurt again last season, when he had a career-low 27 catches, 394 yards and one touchdown in his lone season with the Baltimore Ravens — LaFleur doesn’t think the 28-year-old wideout’s ability has declined a bit since their time together in LA, based on what he’s seen from Watkins in practice this offseason.

“Obviously we have history going back to LA together, so that definitely gives you a pretty good idea of what he’s capable of doing,” LaFleur told reporters last week. “I don’t think his game has fallen off at all since we were together in 2017. A little bit has been maybe a little bit lack of opportunity. But I think he’s a guy that’s out there working hard, and he’s going to be a big part of our offense.”

LaFleur isn’t the only member of the Packers’ organization who has been hyping Watkins up this offseason. Wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Jason Vrable said last month that he is “fired up” about Watkins, while general manager Brian Gutekunst said in April he believes the ninth-year NFL veteran has “some juice still left in him.”

Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, meanwhile, said last week that he “was 100% on board” with the Packers signing Watkins and that “he has everything right in front of him to have as productive of a year as he wants to.”

Watkins, who has played with the Bills (2014-16), Rams (2017), Kansas City Chiefs (2018-20) and Ravens (2021), is certainly happy to be in Green Bay now, as well.

“I think this is probably one of the best situations I’ve probably ever been in my career,” he said last week, “to come play with one of the best quarterbacks in the league, one of the best coaches, one of the best organizations and probably the winningest organization in the league, and to get this opportunity is really a blessing. Because I did nothing last year, I was hurt, and to get a call from Matt and this organization kind of revived me, and hopefully I can have a healthy season and play hard and win a ton of games.”

For his NFL career, Watkins has 348 catches for 5,059 yards and 34 touchdowns.

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