The Packers Must Add a Free-Agent Wide Receiver

It’s time for the Packers to get serious.

On April 24, 2025, the NFL Draft kicks off at Lambeau Field, home of the storied Green Bay Packers. Often called “Christmas morning,” teams unwrap new offensive and defensive weapons for their coaches and coordinators. While some teams make splashes in free agency, others rely on their draft picks to bolster their rosters.

The Packers always seem to be one of those teams who rely heavily on talent acquired through the draft. In fact, their first-string depth chart last season only featured four players that they did not draft. Yes, four players for both sides of the ball combined.

The Packers’ 2024-25 season ended in the Wild Card round against the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles. Not bad, eh? At least they lost to the champions. But despite an 11-6 record, they never felt like true contenders. They lost to the Vikings, Lions, and Eagles, split with the Bears, and their wins came against teams with a combined 65-105 record.

There are a host of issues with the team at 1265 Lombardi Ave. General manager Brian Gutekunst deserves credit, as he cooked by signing G Aaron Banks and CB Nate Hobbs. However, when receivers were coming off the board, he must’ve been enjoying a plain vanilla scramble from Zesty Frozen Custard down the road.

Another Year of No True No. 1 Receiver?

The Packers’ status as the NFL’s youngest team was always a fun graphic. It was great when they were racking up Ws and it was clear there was no apparent No. 1 receiver, even so when backup QB Malik Willis marched them to victory with whoever held on to the football.

Every year, fans expect splashes in free agency and/or the draft, but the Packers always seem to disappoint. Sure, they picked up Josh Jacobs a year prior, but this still is a passing league. Packers wide receivers were second in the league in drop rate last season, and they’ll go into the 2025 season with a massive problem if they don’t do something fast.

Jordan Love signed a four-year, $220 million contract before the start of last season. With Christian Watson likely out for most of 2025, he’s left with an unproven crop of receivers regarding reception totals. In 2023, Jayden Reed ranked 62nd, Romeo Doubs 93rd, Dontayvion Wicks 118th, Malik Heath 275th, and Bo Melton 295th.

Of the 14 teams in the 2025 NFL playoffs, only two had receivers fall outside the top 50 for receptions: the Pittsburgh Steelers with George Pickens at 54, and the Kansas City Chiefs with Xavier Worthy at 55. Kansas City, of course, has one of the best tight ends of all time in Travis Kelce, but this should be the writing on the wall for Gutekunst to make calls on a receiver.

Which Receiver Should the Packers Go After?

Tee Higgins stayed put. DK Metcalf was traded to the Steelers. A potential reunion with Davante Adams, gone, just like that. A Marques Valdez-Scantling reunion is off the table now, too.

Higgins was a long shot for Green Bay, but the Packers must show urgency. It’s not like Metcalf or MVS jump off the screen, but they were attainable pieces and would’ve been solid additions. What’s done is done, so what’s left?

Perhaps dramatic, but of the “top” available receivers, the Packers should be targeting all of them. They were rumored to be interested in the almost 32-year-old, possibly washed Cooper Kupp. He silently had more catches than Jayden Reed but ultimately signed with the Seahawks.

There are others out there, like Keenan Allen who caught 70 balls — 15 more than Reed — and his QB ran for dear life each snap. For the right prices, the Pack should make a move. Maybe it’s crazy, but someone like Amari Cooper could resurrect his career after destroying it in Cleveland. There’s also Stefon Diggs, who tore his ACL in October of last year. He wouldn’t be horrible to consider, either. Just do something.

This especially becomes dire as the green and gold last used a first-round pick all the way back in 2002 on Javon Walker. There’s no reason to oppose a WR at pick No. 23, and that’s all fans would have left to hope for should all the other desirable free agents come off the board. With the front office’s history, such as passing on Ladd McConkey and Xavier Worthy last year (there’s more to name), another snub wouldn’t be shocking.

Maybe new president Ed Policy can steer Gutekunst in the right direction. A first-round receiver doesn’t always make a difference immediately, but that’s what the Packers need.

After all, if Gutey is going to say things like, “I think it’s time we started competing for championships” it’s time he upholds his end of the bargain.