The Green Bay Packers currently have a plethora of young wide receivers on their 90-man roster. These include the three pass catchers they drafted last year: Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure. In addition, Bo Melton and Jeff Cotton were on Green Bay’s roster prior to the 2023 NFL Draft. In said draft, the Packers selected Jayden Reed (second round), Dontayvion Wicks (fifth round) and Grant DuBose (seventh round). Finally, Green Bay also signed receivers Malik Heath and Deuce Watts as undrafted free agents.
What they do not have is a seasoned veteran at the position who can help teach the young players the ropes of being a NFL player. For this reason, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report has suggested that Green Bay pursue Jarvis Landry in free agency.
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Should the Green Bay Packers Pursue Jarvis Landry in Free Agency?
In a recent press conference, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur spoke on the possibility of Green Bay adding a veteran to the wide receiver room. While he did state that he would like to see one added when he spoke at the NFL Owners’ meetings prior to the NFL Draft, he backtracked on that statement in his recent media session:
“We will see how it goes. It will be a very fluid situation just in terms of how much we throw at them. If need be, I know Gutey is going to do whatever he can to help field the best possible team, and if need be, we will turn that way (signing a veteran receiver), but right now, we are just going to let those guys compete.”
If the Packers feel like they need a veteran wide receiver, their choices will be limited. To be frank, the current free agent class is incredibly weak in terms of talent. Even Landry, a five-time Pro Bowl receiver, is coming off a season in which he played just nine game, caught 25 passes for just 257 yards, and has seen his yards total decline in each of the past three seasons.
That being said, there is more to being a NFL receiver than just catching the ball. They need to be able to do all of the little things that go unnoticed, which Ballentine argues is a reason why the Packers could pursue Landry:
“The nine-year vet isn’t what he used to be as a receiver. He had just 25 receptions for 272 yards in nine games with the Saints last season. But he’s a veteran with experience on three different teams, blocks well and does a lot of little things right.”
The question, of course, is can the Packers even afford a veteran wide receiver? According to Spotrac, the team currently has $12.1 million in cap space, though they still need to use some of it to sign the rest of their draft class and their practice squad. If Landry can be had for some kind of veteran minimum contract with some incentives, he could be an option for the Packers. After all, he played this past season on a one-year $3 million deal with the New Orleans Saints. If he will take something close to or less than that, a deal with Green Bay could get done.
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