Packers WR Jayden Reed clarifies report about role: ‘A lot of people misinterpreted that'
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed knew what reporters wanted to ask even before fielding his first question of the offseason.
'Y'all been waiting to hear from me, huh?' Reed said as he walked in front of microphones at Lambeau Field after Wednesday's OTA practice.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that in early May, Reed's new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, met with general manager Brian Gutekunst to clarify Reed's role after the Packers drafted wide receivers Matthew Golden in the first round and Savion Williams in the third. Schefter reported that the Packers informed Rosenhaus that those draft picks wouldn't affect Reed's status as their top receiver.
The question lingered whether Reed was unsettled after the draft and wanted reassurance about his depth chart standing or if Rosenhaus had spoken with Gutekunst on his own.
'A lot of people misinterpreted that,' Reed said. 'I hired a new agent and we talked about it before even the draft, really, that he said he was going to talk to the front office and everybody here to just catch up and make sure everybody's on the same page. As a new client, he told me that's the way he was going to do it and he did it. Now, I don't know how it got out because it was supposed to be confidential, but that's how it goes sometimes. People get a different perception. They make their own perception, which is OK. That's how it goes sometimes.'
Jayden Reed says 'a lot of people misinterpreted' the ESPN report that his new agent Drew Rosenhaus clarified with Brian Gutekunst that Reed is Green Bay's top receiver.
Reed's view of the situation: pic.twitter.com/KPo33EOY8C
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) May 28, 2025
We never truly know what players are feeling, but it doesn't sound like Reed is too perturbed at the arrival of multiple rookie receivers. After all, it was sensible for the Packers to draft a couple given the ACL injury to Christian Watson and the fact that Green Bay's top four receivers are set for unrestricted free agency over the next two offseasons, and the team may lose more than one of them.
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'In our exit meeting … that's what they talked to me about, was just being more of a leader, being more vocal,' Reed said. 'That's what I'm trying to do because I've been in their position as well. It's not easy to learn plays and it's a lot of chaos as a rookie. (Golden) has been doing a phenomenal job. He's picked it up probably faster than I did, so I commend him on that, and Savion as well. They're always around. I tried to stick around in the huddle to make sure they're good. They've been doing a great job.'
Passing game coordinator Jason Vrable and head coach Matt LaFleur say Reed's actions in practice match his words.
'I think the biggest growth, too, is the way his leadership's been right now,' Vrable said of Reed. 'I really want to commend him because he's standing behind Matthew Golden right now, helping him out with every single play.'
'He's been outstanding,' LaFleur said of Reed. 'I've been really impressed with our veterans taking these guys under their wings and kind of showing them the way and really helping them.'
Jordan Love to Matthew Golden pic.twitter.com/1seHhfnmTM
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) May 28, 2025
Reed, a 2023 second-round pick, is probably the most talented all-around receiver on the roster. After catching 55 passes for 857 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie to go along with 8.2 yards per carry and a touchdown on 20 rushes, he finished sixth in AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. In 2024, he hauled in 64 passes for 793 yards and eight touchdowns with 10.8 yards per rush and two touchdowns on 11 carries. However, Reed finished tied for fifth in the NFL with 10 drops last season, according to TruMedia.
He only caught more than three passes once in the final eight games of the regular season after doing so six times in the first nine contests. After posting three games of at least 113 receiving yards in the first nine games, Reed's single-game receiving high in the final eight games was 76 yards before catching four passes for 46 yards in a wild-card round loss to the Eagles. Reed has the talent to be Green Bay's true No. 1 receiver, even if Gutekunst's confirmation to Rosenahus was simply to appease, but he must be more consistent.
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'Drops was a problem for me last year,' Reed said. 'I've been on the JUGS machine every day this offseason. Obviously, that will help.'
Reed spent the entire offseason training with teammate Dontayvion Wicks in Florida. Reed said Wicks, a fellow 2023 draft pick at receiver, is a 'great separator' because of his twitch, timing and tempo. Training with Wicks allows Reed to better implement those strengths into his own game. Fellow wideout Romeo Doubs trained with them in Florida, too, and Doubs was present at voluntary practice on Wednesday, along with the fourth receiver on the team approaching a notable contract discussion, Watson.
Watson tore his ACL in Week 18 against the Bears. Watson's father said on social media that his son should return around Week 12. Gutekunst said at the combine in February that the Packers expect Watson back around the midway point of the season. On Wednesday, Watson stretched with the team and was seen jogging inside the Don Hutson Center, though he rehabbed off to the side once practice began outdoors. Nonetheless, his recovery seems to be charging full steam ahead.
'Christian's doing outstanding,' LaFleur said. 'I would say he's ahead of schedule, but again, I'm not a doctor. I'm not medical staff, so we'll see where he's at.'
Christian Watson stretching and jogging here at OTAs. He tore his ACL in Week 18. Gutekunst said in February he's expected to return around the midway point of the season. pic.twitter.com/kB0cFoVFhp
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) May 28, 2025
At some point this season, the Packers hope to have all six receivers — Reed, Watson, Doubs, Wicks, Golden and Williams — healthy. Four of those players want to get paid in the near future. One of them is a first-round pick who will certainly see the ball. The other is an intriguing third-round chess piece that coaches sound enamored with, too.
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With only so many targets to go around, is putting egos aside as easy as players and coaches make it sound? Or have feathers been ruffled and will there be unhealthy tension seeping from the room?
'I think they're doing great right now,' quarterback Jordan Love said of the wide receiver room. 'They're all here. They've been working really hard, but I think any time you draft guys in your room, that's the nature of it, to feel that way … At the end of the day, there's always going to be competition. I don't think any of those guys are shying away from competition. They all want to be the best and be out there on the field. The vibes are good right now.'
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