Are the Green Bay Packers not done adding to their wide receiver room? NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport thinks they could be in the market for some of the top veterans still available.
“This is a great wide receiver market for the Packers, and I think they’re going to be involved for Jarvis Landry, Julio Jones, and Odel Beckham Jr,” Rapoport said during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday.
Green Bay was interested in Beckham Jr. before last season’s trade deadline, but there is no current link between the team and Jones or Landry. A better question might be if the Packers even have room for another wide receiver.
Currently, there are 10 wide receivers on the Green Bay’s roster with a decent shot at making the team. Three of which are recent draft picks, while Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb are basically locks for the final 53.
Still, some think the wide receiver room needs more talent. The Packers do not have an established number one receiver, and their top two draft picks in Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs may require a grace period to catch on with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
So, adding a veteran might sound like a good idea, but Green Bay just did that with Sammy Watkins. Watkins was a former first-round pick by the Buffalo Bills who just signed a one-year deal worth up to $4 million. He has 348 receptions, 5,059 yards, and 34 touchdowns through eight NFL seasons. However, Watkins may not be a lock either.
Of the three names Rapoport mentioned, Jones makes the most sense. He is a future Hall of Famer with over 13,000 career receiving yards and would probably need very little time to establish a connection with Rodgers. Jones is unsigned because he has played in only 19 games over the last two seasons. Age and injuries have been a deterring factors for teams, with Jones just recently turning 33.
Then again, the Packers are already taking a chance with Watkins, who hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year. Beckham Jr. is also coming off his second ACL injury and not expected back until late 2022/early 2023.
The only way for the Packers to justify signing a guy like Jones is if they could get him at a massive discount. Jones would have to be intrigued by the idea of catching passes from the back-to-back MVP and playing for a contender.
“Let’s say you’re Julio Jones, and you’re not going to get $15 million; you’re probably not going to get $10 million. The Packers would be one of those teams you want to join where maybe you make $3 million with some incentives, but you know you got a chance to make the Super Bowl, that actually is attractive,” said Rapoport.