Packers Are Paying Next To Nothing For Gifted Group Of Receivers

At some point in the near future, the Green Bay Packers will have to write hefty paychecks to two or three of their gifted young receivers.

Whether that’s Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson or someone else remains to be seen.

For the next two years, though, the Packers will be the envy of every general manager in football.

Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson just reset the wide receiver market with a contract that averages $35 million per season. Miami’s Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle average a combined $58 million per season, while Philadelphia will pay an average of $57 million per year for the dynamic duo of A.J. Brown and Devonte Smith.

The six receivers that finished the 2023 season on the Packers’ roster make an average of roughly $8 million — combined. Yes, you read that right — $8 million combined.

And while players like Jefferson or Hill are clearly elite at the position, Green Bay’s wideouts are nothing to sneeze it.

The group of Reed, Doubs, Watson, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton and Malik Heath caught a combined 221 passes for 2,813 yards (12.7 average) and scored 27 touchdowns in 2023.

Those numbers line up favorably with teams like Miami and Philadelphia that are devoting an enormous percentage of their salary cap to the wide receiver position.

For example, Miami’s top six wideouts in 2023 — led by Hill and Waddle — caught 253 passes for 3,594 yards (14.2) and scored 23 touchdowns. Philadelphia’s top six — led by Brown and Smith — caught 227 passes for 2,934 yards (12.9) and scored 20 TDs.

About the only thing Green Bay doesn’t have is a clear-cut, true No. 1 receiver. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though.

“We have a lot of depth at the receiver position, which I think is a really good thing,” Packers quarterback Jordan Love said. “I think it’s a good problem to have and I think you don’t have to have a No. 1 receiver. I think it works out well when you can spread the ball out and you got different guys making different plays and you can put ’em in different areas.