You can call me surprised. The Green Bay Packers actually want tight end Richard Rodgers back. They are reportedly already talking to him about a new deal.
Richard Rodgers' agent, Frank Bauer, said he's had preliminary talks with the Packers about a return. With or without Rodgers, the Packers need tight ends. https://t.co/cdBRFTuZJI
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) March 1, 2018
Rodgers was a third-round pick in 2014 and just played out the final year of his rookie contract. He would be an unrestricted free agent later this month.
The surprising part about this is Rodgers hasn’t been very productive. After catching 58 balls for 510 yards and eight touchdowns in 2015, his numbers have plummeted for two consecutive years. He only had 271 yards in 2016 and 160 last season.
There’s also the fact that the Packers have been trying to replace him for two years running now. They first tried to do it with Jared Cook and then with Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks.
The main thing Rodgers has going in his favor at the moment is the Packers are in bad need of tight ends. Kendricks remains under contract for another year. Former undrafted free agent Emanuel Byrd is the only other tight end on the roster.
The position is one the Packers desperately need to improve. Re-signing Rodgers just keeps it the same. It’s kind of like when the Packers kept bringing back Andrew Quarless. That got them real far.