The Green Bay Packers have one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL heading into the 2024 season. This is due to the fact that they have 25-year-old Jordan Love starting at quarterback and coming off of the best first season as a starter in franchise history. Additionally, their wide receiver and tight end rooms are filled with second and third-year players that proved to be high-quality NFL pass catchers.
Indeed, the only real question that remains unanswered as it pertains to the Green Bay offense is who the five starting offensive linemen will be. AJ Dillon not playing in the Packers’ 27-2 loss to the Denver Broncos over the weekend is evidence that he is making the team as the backup running back. The backup quarterback job remains up in the air, but the winner of that position battle will [hopefully] not affect the quality of the product on the field every week.
That being said, one question that keeps being brought up in regard to Green Bay’s offense is “who is the number one wide receiver?”
The Green Bay Packers Do Not Have a WR1, Nor Do They Feel the Need for One
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As mentioned, the Packers have a plethora of young and talented wide receivers. However, none of them are what one might call a bonified number one. That being said, almost all of the pass catchers that appeared in regular season games in 2023 ended up contributing in big ways:
| Player | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns |
| Romeo Doubs | 59 | 674 | 8 |
| Christian Watson | 28 | 422 | 5 |
| Jayden Reed | 64 | 793 | 8 |
| Dontayvion Wicks | 39 | 581 | 4 |
| Malik Heath | 15 | 125 | 1 |
| Bo Melton | 16 | 218 | 1 |
| Luke Musgrave | 34 | 352 | 1 |
| Tucker Kraft | 31 | 355 | 2 |
| Ben Sims | 4 | 21 | 1 |
Of the players listed in the table above, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks are considered to be the Packers’ top four wide receivers. Green Bay believes they are all so good that any one of them could be WR1 on any given week.
Recently, head coach Matt LaFleur was asked which of the four he thought would emerge as WR1. He responded, “I want to vomit every time I hear number one receiver. It drives me crazy. That’s something you guys talk about. I think we’ve got a lot of them.”
Knowing that this is Green Bay’s attitude towards their wide receiver room, it makes one wonder why they keep being mentioned in possible trades like the following.
NFL Analyst Names the Green Bay Packers as a Potential Trade Destination for Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Ja’Marr Chase
In a recent article posted on Bleacher Report, NFL analyst Alex Kay suggests that the Packers are one of four possible destinations for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who is holding out for a new contract despite having two more seasons left on his rookie contract (including his fifth-year option).
Kay suggests that the Packers give up Christian Watson, a 2025 first-round pick, and a 2025 third-round pick in order to make the trade work.
He defends this proposal by writing:
“Green Bay has plenty of quality receivers on the roster, but none have broken out as a true No. 1 star. The team had four different wideouts record at least 28 catches for 422 yards and four touchdowns last year, but leading receiver Jayden Reed’s 64 receptions for 793 yards and eight scores leaves a bit to be desired.
“Chase would immediately establish himself as the go-to option in the Packers’ system. He’s put up over 1,000 yards and hauled in at least 81 balls in all three of his NFL seasons, including in 2022 when he appeared in just 12 games due to injury.”
The problem with this proposal and his criticism of the Packers wide receivers’ final numbers for the 2023 season is that context is completely ignored.
Kay mentions Reed’s stat line as leaving “a bit to be desired.” He does not mention that the 64 receptions Reed had were a franchise record for a rookie wide receiver.
He also leaves out the contributions of Romeo Doubs, who is just the third player in Packers history with 100 receptions, 1,000 yards, and 10 touchdowns in his first two seasons. The other two were Sterling Sharpe and Pro Football Hall of Famer James Lofton.
In other words, the Packers are thrilled with the players that they have. They are not going to trade one of them away for a disgruntled wide receiver who is holding out for a new contract.
