The Packers face the same issue they have faced the previous few seasons: uncertainty about the receiving corps. The fact is, Aaron Rodgers will be working with several news receivers this season due to losing his go-to guy Davante Adams and the occasional deep threat, MVS. Any nfl betting site will likely mention the impact of this on this season’s odds.
This past April, the Green Bay Packers added another target for Aaron Rogers after signing Sammy Watkins to a one-year contract worth up to $4 million.
Watkins was a standout receiver at Clemson, catching 82 passes for 1219 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman, leading the country in yards per game, touchdowns, and all-purpose yards. As a sophomore, he had 57 receptions and three touchdowns, but exploded as a junior, hauling in 101 passes for 1464 yards and 12 touchdowns. Watkins was MVP of the Orange Bowl and announced in January of 2014 that he would enter the NFL Draft.
Selected fourth overall the by Buffalo Bills, Watkins caught 65 passes for 982 yards as a rookie and 60 passes for 1047 yards and nine touchdowns in his second season. Appearing to be a tsar in the making, Watkins played in only eight games in 2016 and was traded to Rams prior to the 2017 season. He caught only 67 passes combined of 24 games during that stretch.
Watkins looked to get his career back on track after signing with the Chiefs as a free agent in 2018. Despite playing in the Chiefs high-powered offense, Watkins only managed about 40 catches per season over the next three seasons.
Last season, Watkins was with the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year deal for $5 million. He played in 13 games but managed only 27 catches for 394 yards and multiple dropped passes. Watkins struggled with injury and missed a game versus the Packers due to COVID. His playing time dwindled to just 15 snaps per game over the final five games and didn’t catch a pass.
2022 Packer Wide Receiver Corps Getting a Lot of Negativity
Despite his ever-increasingly dwindling production, Watkins is a veteran in the mix after the trade of Davante Adams and the free-agent loss of Marquez Valdes-Scantling. While the Packers got Christian Watson out of North Dakota State in the second-round of the draft, there is no guarantee for top production. Adding a player with Watkins’ experience can only help the team.
Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers will all return with experience working with Rodgers(although Watkins does have past experience working under Matt LaFleur). As has been shown again and again, the Packers’ offensive stats when Adams was not playing are still quite impressive and that is likely to continue this next season.
10 Comments
Watkins is the poster boy of underachievers.
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Yes, he’s a veteran, but what are you getting?
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A guy who has talent but…
Loses/lost focus?
Has a history of injury concerns?
Can’t stick with a team?
Maybe not the best teammate or locker room presence?
Maybe some or all of the above perhaps.
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Watkins is going to his 5th team in what will be his 9th season.
To me…that’s a flag.
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To put that in perspective…D. Adams is now joining his 2nd team in what will be his 9th season.
Teams don’t get rid of good players…for no reason.
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I see Watkins as nothing more than a cheap band aid until Gute can hopefully piece together a decent receiver room sometime in the near future. 2018 seem eons ago..
But it’s understandable, per the circumstances of losing Adams, MVS, and ESB.
Not that ESB is some loss that would even raise anyone’s eyebrow, but MVS had his moments depending on which way the wind was blowing.
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Who will be our #1 most effective receiver this season?
Fair question under the circumstances right?
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I believe that player might be Lazard.
Rodgers and him should be on the same page from the get go, and if Lazard can play in 85-90% of the games healthy. I think he’s the guy this coming season.
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The #2 receiver?
Cobb, Watson, Jones, Watkins?
Idk…i’m not that smart.
Sammy Watkins had 27 catches on a 5 million dollar contract. This is why teams move off so many veteran WR before their time is actually up in the NFL. Yes, they can still play but they just aren’t cost effective. You can get that type of production from a rookie 5th round WR for a fraction of the cost. Fans however will always clamor to sign the veteran WR and are often disappointed after the fact. Yet both MLF and Rodgers seem to think Watkins will be an integral part of the offense. Watkins allows the team to bring players like Christian Watson along slowly at a minimal financial commitment. Where you’d like to have the rookie WR peaking come playoff time.
“You can get that type of production from a rookie 5th round WR for a fraction of the cost.” – Princess.
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That’s interesting Tommi….But the Packers (Gute) drafts a WR in the 3rd round and he catches 4 catches for 45 yards?
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Keep trying sweetheart.
Amon-Ra St Brown, drafted in the 4th round. 90 catches, 900 yards as a rookie. WR’s can be found anywhere in the draft. MVS, drafted in the 5th round signed a FA contract for 10 million per season and now has a QB that will actually throw him the ball. Your beloved Jordy Nelson fell victim to the same situation that befalls many veteran WR’s. Production doesn’t justify salary and are therefore cut for cheaper alternatives. Likewise Randall Cobb is only on the team because Rodgers says so. He’s now a shadow of his former self and isn’t worth his salary. Just as RB’s are done at 30, WR’s are way overpriced by 30. And it will be the same for Davante Adams. He’ll be worth that contract for 2 years tops and then will be an albatross for the Raiders. Trading Adams was one of the smarter moves Brian Gutekunst has done.
” Your beloved Jordy Nelson fell victim to the same situation that befalls many veteran WR’s. Production doesn’t justify salary….” – NFL Guru
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NO…Jordy Nelson fell victim to a 1st year GM in training who gave no fuck and didn’t value the production of Rodgers/Nelson.
Production = 21TD catches in 22 of his last games played with Rodgers.
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It takes a simple, uneducated mind like yours to judge Nelsons production with Brett Hundley on the field.
But then again, no one ever accused you of being very smart.
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We all figured either Jordy or Cobb was going to get released.
The consensus was that Cobb was kept because he was younger. BUT……
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(I said)…. after Nelson was kicked out the door.
Why does age even matter, because Cobb was going to be gone after the 2018 season anyway, because the Packers weren’t going to pay him.
So what happened? Just as i proclaimed, Cobb was gone the next season.
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Nelson was shown the door because our rookie GM didn’t value having a TD scoring machine for a wide receiver, and because he didn’t explore the fact that Nelson would have reworked his deal and taken less money to stay on the team.
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So Gute picked Cobb to stay…even though….
Cobbs production steadily went down ever since he signed his deal after 2014.(Look it up)
While in 2016 Nelson led the NFL in TD’s.
Good call Gute!!
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Yes Princess….We all know what you’re going to say……..
But..but..but..but….Jordy didn’t do anything with the Raiders!!!!🙄
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No shit melon head, he had to learn a new offense and get rapport with a new QB.
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But even still….Jordy Nelson had 739 yards receiving and 3 TD catches with his new team in 2018.
Cobb had 441 yards receiving and 2 TD catches for 10 million dollars in 2018 with Rodgers and the Packers.
Jimmy Graham….636 yards and 2 TD’s….10 million
Gee…good call getting rid of Nelson and spending 20 million on those two First Team ALL-PRO’s
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Gute had this grand idea of replacing Nelson, by almost immediately signing 31 year old Jimmy Graham and making him the NFL’s highest paid tight end, even after years of dwindling production from Graham.
SO SMART!!
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But….Gute knows best 😏
Just ask Jordan Love.
Wise words…from back when Jordy was released (disrespected).
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Cheese March 13, 2018
Fuck Cobb. He’s pretty much been a ghost ever since he signed that contract. Couldn’t even be the #1 guy when he was making $15mil a year. Thanks Brett Hundley, you essentially lost Nelson his job with your shitty play.
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PF4L March 13, 2018
Damn, about Hundley….that’s the first thing i thought of when i heard this, then i thought Gute is another dumb P O S.
Time will tell.
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PF4L March 13, 2018
Cobb..Last 21 games with Rodgers….5 td’s…948 yards. WOW!!…color me impressed. 5 Td’s, in only 21 games.
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Funny, that Cobb is the guy with more upside, considering his production has been declining since 2015.
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It’s funny, how Jordy lost a step, and is no longer a #1, when Brett Hundley was his QB….I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.
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PF4L March 14, 2018
Ok, now here is the thing you are missing, read carefully.
Cobb and Nelson got paid about the same. If you want to sit here and tell me Nelsons numbers were going down that’s fine, but then explain to me what you’d call Cobb’s numbers since 2014?
In both players last full season with Rodgers, Nelson had 1,257 yards, 13 YPC, and 14 td’s. While Cobb had 610 yards, 10 YPC, 4 td’s.
I don’t how you read it, but to me that looks like Cobb didn’t even have half of Nelsons production, for the same money.
Cobb has had one good season, 2014, got paid…then what? Not much huh? So lets get rid of the guy who earns his money right?
I don’t need to see what happens next year, to know what happened now. Jordy got fucked.
Thank you for trying to understand.
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Skinny March 23, 2018
Thank you Jordy. It was brother Cobb that should have been released. It wasn’t your fault. Gute will regret this for the rest of his career.
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Cheese March 23, 2018
THANK YOU Jordy, for being a stand up guy on and off the field. It’s a shame that things went down how they did. A true Packer person getting treated like a lowly Lion.
Jordy Nelson signed a 2 year contact with the Raiders. He was cut after one. His so-so production didn’t justify his salary for year number two. No other team resigned him. He was done. You can blame Gutekunst and Brett Hundley all you want but when your done in the NFL, your done. It’s the same with Randall Cobb. Fortunately when your best friend is Aaron Rodgers you get to steal money and take up a roster spot.
Thank you for trying to understand.
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Maybe next time Barney.
Tom M 31 mins ago
Jordy Nelson signed a 2 year contact with the Raiders. He was cut……….
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Why was he cut Gomer?….because the Raiders really know what they’re doing?
They make all the right moves?
Is that why they’ve been so successful these last few decades?
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Maybe that’s why they are paying Adams 65 million for 3 years.
Here’s a learning opportunity sweetheart, free of charge.
Adams won’t average 28 million as advertised.
That’s a phony number, somewhat like Hopkins.. Adams will average under 22 million a year.
They won’t keep him past year 3. Why………?
Because his cap number will be over 40 million each year after that, and his dead cap will only be 7 million for the 4th year of his deal..
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YEA YEA Princess….i know, they could restructure his deal. And you could get a life.
You think they are going to restructure Adams at 33 years old?…i doubt it.
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Here’s another one…Jordy didn’t quit football because no one wanted him, he quit football because he said he didn’t want to move again because of his family.
I thought i told you this awhile back Jughead!….Don’t you listen?
Didn’t i tell you to take notes when you read my comments?
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That is what Jordy said… but maybe you think you’re right and Jordy Nelson is a liar.
Well, if you think Nelson is someone who lies, you might be the only one.
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I was hoping you could have figured all this out for yourself Nancy,
But hell….i’ll throw ya bone once in a while and educate you.
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You’re Welcome.
Kevin, nothing gets your panties wet more Jordy Nelson and your self denial that he was done. Both Brian Gutekunst and Mike Mayock cut him and not one of the 30 other GM’s offered him a contract for all those pretend stats that exist only in your feeble mind. Quoting a thousand Jordy Nelson testimonials won’t change that. Don’t get me wrong, Jordy Nelson ranks right up there with Bart Starr as one of my favorite all time Packers but he was at the age when you hang them up. He knew it even if you don’t.