Green Bay Packers NFL Free Agency Preview: Receivers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With the disappointing development of the young receivers and Christian Watson’s torn ACL, the Green Bay Packers could be in the market for a receiver when NFL free agency opens next week.

Here’s a look at the Packers’ receivers and the top free agents, led by a former Packers All-Pro.

Packers Depth Chart

Jayden Reed: Reed led the team with 55 receptions for 857 yards and was second with 15.6 yards per catch and six touchdowns. He seemed to be on his way to a 1,000-yard season when he had 138 yards against the Eagles in Week 1 and 139 yards against the Vikings in Week 4.

However, after a 113-yard game against the Lions in Week 9, Reed inexplicably stopped getting the ball. Over the final eight games, he caught 19 passes for 237 yards. He had zero catches at Detroit and one catch for 6 yards at Minnesota.

Reed was one of the best deep threats in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, 72 receivers were targeted at least 10 times on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. Reed went 12-of-15 for a league-best 80.0 percent. Of 84 receivers who were targeted 50 times overall, Reed’s 7.1 yards after the catch per catch ranked sixth. However, his drop rate of 15.4 percent was the third-highest.

Romeo Doubs: After seasons of 42 catches for 425 yards, 59 catches for 674 yards and 46 catches for 601 yards, maybe Doubs never will be more than just a solid, secondary target. He runs great routes and makes plays on third down, but he drops too many passes (9.8 percent; 19th out of 84), isn’t a YAC threat (3.1; 65th) and still doesn’t have a 100-yard game in the regular season. And that’s not even getting to two concussions and a suspension.

Christian Watson: Watson looked like the team’s latest second-round star when he became a pivotal player down the stretch of his rookie season in 2022. However, he caught only 57 passes and scored seven touchdowns in 24 games the last two seasons. In 15 games in 2024, he caught 29 passes for 620 yards and two touchdowns. He ranked second with 21.4 yards per catch and 11.7 yards per target but was held without a catch five times.

Even with relatively meager production, the offense was lost without him during the team’s three-game, season-ending losing streak. In games with 50-plus yards, the Packers were 5-1. A torn ACL will sideline him for about half the season.

Dontayvion Wicks: Wicks caught 39 passes for 415 yards and five touchdowns. After a promising rookie season, a big chunk of 2024 was a nightmare. Through Week 9, he had 16 catches and six drops. While he did catch it better down the stretch, only Allen Lazard (17.8 percent) had a higher drop rate than Wicks’ 17.0 percent and only three had a lower yards per target.

Malik Heath: Heath was a healthy scratch in four games and saw his production dwindle to 10 catches for 97 yards. A big chunk of the yards came on his leaping, 41-yard catch that gave the Packers a chance to beat Chicago in Week 18. He had zero drops.

Bo Melton: After falling short in his first two training camps, Melton made the opening roster in 2024. He caught 8-of-17 passes for 91 yards (with zero drops) and added eight rushes for 54 yards. The Packers never quite figured out how to turn Melton’s speed into production.

Packers Free-Agent Outlook

All of Green Bay’s receivers from 2024 will be back in 2025. After the 2025 season, Watson and Doubs will be unrestricted free agents. After the 2026 season, Reed and Wicks will be unrestricted free agents.

Best Available Free Agents

If this were 2021, this free-agent group of receivers would have been great. Instead, it’s 2025.

Adams, who turned 32 in December, is by far the best available. (DK Metcalf, who could be had from the Seahawks in a trade, is the best available veteran.) This list does not include Tee Higgins, who was franchise tagged by the Cincinnati Bengals, and any receiver shorter than 5-foot-10. (Ages are as of Sept. 1.)

Davante Adams, New York Jets (32): With 85 receptions for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns, Adams recorded his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season. If he’s lost a step, it’s a small one. He caught 13-of-26 contested catches and averaged a solid 5.5 YAC. He hauled in 9-of-19 deep passes (47.4 percent), ranking 15th in catches and 17th in percentage. Adams scored six touchdowns in the final six games.

However, he ranked in the bottom third of the league in yards per target, success rate and drop percentage (10 drops; 10.5 percent was his worst since 2015).

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (28): After three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, Godwin caught 50 passes for 576 yards and five touchdowns in seven games before a season-ending ankle injury. He ranked No. 1 among receivers in catch rate (83.3 percent) and drop rate (zero) and was eighth in average YAC (6.9), but his average target was second-shortest.

Godwin ranked 20th among receivers with 9.3 yards per target. That was No. 1 among the free agents. He played mostly from the slot in 2022 and 2024 but mostly wide in 2023. He is not a deep threat.

Darius Slayton, New York Giants (28): In six seasons, Slayton has never topped 50 receptions or 770 yards (his career-high numbers from 2023) but his career average is 15.0 yards per catch. He was an impressive 12-of-20 on contested catches, but his drop rate of 15.2 percent was the fifth-highest.

Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans (31): Diggs’ streaks of four consecutive seasons with 100-plus catches and six season with 1,000-plus yards ended in 2024 due to a torn ACL. In eight games, he caught 47 passes for 496 yards (10.6 average) and three touchdowns. That includes just five catches for 23 yards at Lambeau. He had just two drops (4.1 percent). He could be back on the field for Week 1 but, at his age, will he ever be back to premier form?

Amari Cooper, Buffalo Bills (31): Cooper has seven 1,000-yard seasons on his ledger, including in 2023 with the Browns. However, he caught only 44 passes for 547 yards and four touchdowns in a combined 14 games with the Browns (six) and Bills (eight) in 2024. That he caught only 20 passes for 297 yards in the regular season and six passes for 41 yards in three playoff games with Josh Allen at quarterback isn’t a good sign.

Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears (33): After catching 108 passes for 1,243 yards with the Chargers in 2023, Allen caught 70 passes for 744 yards (10.6 average) in 2024. Allen dropped too many passes (10.3 percent), isn’t a YAC threat (3.4 average) and hasn’t averaged more than 11.5 yards per catch since 2018. He caught seven passes for 66 yards in two games against Green Bay.

DeAndre Hopkins, Kansas City Chiefs (33): Hopkins recorded his seventh 1,000-yard season with the Titans in 2023 but settled for 56 receptions for 610 yards in 16 games with Tennessee (six) and Kansas City (10). He put up decent numbers with Patrick Mahomes (41 receptions, 437 yards and four touchdowns) but caught just 3-of-8 for 29 yards in three playoff games.

Bargain Buys

Tim Patrick, Detroit Lions (31): After missing 2022 with a torn ACL and 2023 with a torn Achilles, Patrick became a viable contributor for the Lions with 33 receptions for 394 yards (11.9 average) and three touchdowns. In the Lions’ win over the Packers at Ford Field, he caught 6-of-7 for 43 yards and two touchdowns. He had just one drop.

Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams (30): In 17 games, Robinson caught 31 passes for 505 yards, with career highs of 16.3 yards per catch and seven touchdowns. He caught only 7-of-21 deep passes but had just one drop (3.1 percent). Of 82 receivers targeted 50 times, he was 79th with 0.99 yards per route.

Mack Hollins, Buffalo Bills (31): Hollins caught 57 passes for the Raiders in 2022, 18 for the Falcons in 2023 and 31 for 378 yards (12.2 average) and a career-high five touchdowns from Josh Allen in 2024. Drops were a problem early in his career, but he had only one in 2024 (3.1 percent). Like Allen Lazard, blocking is his calling card.

Devin Duvernay, Jacksonville Jaguars (27): A third-round pick in 2020, Duvernay in five seasons caught only 105 passes for 977 yards and five touchdowns. With Jacksonville last year, it was just 11 for 79. However, he was the first-team All-Pro returner in 2021, when he led the NFL with 13.8 yards punt return. He boasts career averages of 12.0 yards per punt return and 24.9 yards per kickoff return.

Draft Reclamation

Dyami Brown, Washington Commanders (25): A third-round pick in 2021, Brown has only 59 receptions for 784 yards and four touchdowns in 63 career games. However, he caught 14-of-18 passes for 229 yards (16.4 average) and one touchdown in the Commanders’ three playoff games, including six for 98 at Detroit. In 44 total receptions in 2024, he forced 13 missed tackles and averaged 7.3 YAC.

Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers (25): A third-round pick in 2021, Palmer has 182 receptions for 2,287 yards (12.6 average) and 10 touchdowns. He had a big opportunity in 2024 but failed to take advantage with 39 receptions for 584 yards and one touchdown, though he did average 15.0 yards per catch and 9.5 yards per target (second among the free agents). At 6-foot-2, he’s got about a 50.0 percent success rate the last two years on deep passes. He did drop four passes (9.3 percent) and isn’t a YAC threat (2.6; 74th).

Tylan Wallace, Baltimore Ravens (26): A fourth-round pick in 2021, Wallace set career highs with 11 receptions, 193 yards (17.5 average) and one touchdown. He does have a punt-return touchdown on his resume.

Terrace Marshall, Las Vegas Raiders (25): A second-round pick in 2021, he has only 67 receptions and one touchdown in 43 games. That includes three catches for 41 yards in seven games with the Raiders in 2024. At 6-foot-2 1/2 with 4.40 speed, he’s worth another look.

Wild Card

Diontae Johnson, Baltimore Ravens (29): Johnson caught 107 passes for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021. His production declined in 2022 and 2023, and then his whole career declined in 2024. In seven games for Carolina, four for Baltimore and one for Houston, he caught 33 passes for 375 yards (11.4 average) and four touchdowns. His 5.6 yards per target was one of the worst marks in the NFL.

The Ravens and Texans acquired him to help their playoff chances. Instead, both dumped him; the Ravens re-signed him in hopes of getting a compensatory draft pick.

At his best, he is an elusive target who can stretch the field. At his worst, not even Super Bowl contenders want him. Is he too much of a headcase to sign? Probably.

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Seahawks star DK Metcalf has asked for a trade. He would give the #Packers a coveted No. 1 receiver.

But at what price?https://t.co/V0B7utxprm
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) March 5, 2025