The Green Bay Packers do not have many questions surrounding their roster going into the 2024 NFL season. Sure, there are some position battles to keep an eye on, but the bulk of the starters, particularly on offense, are back. What is more, many of these young starters, as well as other important contributors, are still on rookie contracts, which makes them incredibly affordable.
Currently, the Packers have 10 wide receivers on their 90-man roster. They cost the team a combined total of roughly $12 million. This will undoubtedly be a storyline that is brought up numerous times throughout the season, especially when Green Bay faces the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.
Earlier this offseason, the Lions gave Amon-Ra St. Brown a four-year $120 million contract. On Monday, the Vikings gave Justin Jefferson a deal for four years and $140 million.
Both players will be making $30+ million per year for the next four seasons.
Former Green Bay Packers Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell Has a Hilarious Reaction to the Justin Jefferson Contract
The contract that Jefferson signed with the Vikings is the richest for a non-quarterback in NFL history. He set out to reset the market for wide receivers, and he certainly did that. As part of his deal, he gets $110 million guaranteed and an $88.7 million signing bonus.
Former Packers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, who is now playing for the San Francisco 49ers, was shocked by the big numbers of the deal when it was first reported:
I’m bout to put my son on the Juggs machine right now with the way they giving money away to these WRs 😂😂😂😂😂
— De’Vondre Campbell (@Came_Along_Way) June 3, 2024
According to OvertheCap, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith is the highest paid linebacker in the NFL, earning $20 million per season, $15 million less per year that Jefferson.
It is easy to see why Campbell made the joke he did!
What the Justin Jefferson Contract Could Mean for the Green Bay Packers in the Future
As mentioned, the entire Packers’ wide receiver core is only going to cost $12 million this year. It is also probable that this number will not go up in 2025 as they all will still be on rookie contracts.
After that, though, Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson will be up for new contracts. While neither will get anything close to what St. Brown and Jefferson got, the fact that the standard is now higher for wide receiver contracts means that other players’ contract prices have gone up as well.
The year after Watson and Doubs need new deals, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks will too. Again, neither will likely command top market money, but they will not be cheap either.
In other words, fans should enjoy this group of young wide receivers being together while it lasts because things could change in a big way in a couple of years.
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