Paul Bretl | 7/17/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The 2024 season was a tale of two halves for Packers’ wide receiver Jayden Reed.
From Week 1-9, Reed caught 36 of his 47 targets for 620 yards and did so at a hefty 17.2 yards per catch. He also had three touchdowns and rushed for 110 yards with another score.
However, from Weeks 10 through 17, Reed’s production declined. In eight games, he saw just 28 targets, catching 19 of those passes at 12.5 yards per attempt with three touchdowns. He had only 237 total receiving yards, three touchdowns, and 53 rushing yards.
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So what changed so drastically? Well, as always, there are several factors in play. As Matt LaFleur described earlier this offseason at the NFL Owners Meetings, Reed was banged up for much of the second half.
“It definitely started off hot,” LaFleur said of Reed’s 2024 season. “It’s a long season, and there’s ebbs and flows with every season. I think there was a point in time about midway through where he got a little bit banged up. Nothing serious, just the overall pounding, I would say, and I think it definitely took a little bit of a toll.”
But in addition to that, and by LaFleur’s own admission, he and the coaching staff could have done a better job of putting Reed in advantageous situations more often.
“I also think that we could have done better from a staff perspective of trying to put him in some more advantageous situations where he could have produced those numbers, because he’s an explosive player and he’s one of those guys that you want to get the ball to, no doubt about it,” LaFleur added.
When it was all said and done, Reed had still put together a productive season. He was second on the team in targets, first in receptions, and first in yards with 903. In the playoffs, he averaged over 15 yards per catch, and his six touchdowns were the second-most on the Packers as well.
However, while the overall numbers look good, also contributing to Reed’s second-half dip in production were dropped passes. Although the dropped passes by Dontayvion Wicks garnered a lot of attention, by PFF’s tracking data, Reed actually finished the season with more drops. In fact, Reed’s 10 dropped passes on the year were the second-most in the NFL among wideouts.
That, the second half dropoff in production, along with the Packers losing their final three games, left the feeling that there was a lot left out there last season for Reed.
“Like I said, every day I’m on the JUGS machine, so hopefully I minimize my drops,” Reed said during OTAs. “That’s more opps for me. That’s more plays made. Other than that, man, I’m just dialing in that playbook so I know what I’m doing and when I go out there, I can play fast. So I think that’s most important and then everything else take care of itself.”
More consistency from the Packers’ wide receiver position as a whole is needed this season. To increase the competition in that room, which then hopefully elevates the overall level of play, GM Brian Gutekunst made two early-round additions in the NFL draft, selecting Matthew Golden in Round 1 and Savion Williams in Round 3.
Not long after the draft, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Drew Rosenhaus, Reed’s agent, reached out to the Packers to clarify what his status was and would be with the team moving forward. Reed would say that many “misinterpreted” that.
“As long as, at the end of the day, we end out on top and we win, that’s all that matters,” Reed said. “I’m not the type to care about targets. I really don’t care about it. I could have two targets. If we win, I don’t care, you know what I’m saying? That’s just how I look at things.
“I’m a very unselfish person. Whenever anybody fall, I try to be the first person around to pick ’em up. I try to pick players up when they got they head down, so yeah, that’s just what kind of player I am.”
On what is still a young Packers’ team, a priority for LaFleur this offseason has been to make sure that they are developing leaders. Reed, and the wide receiver room as a whole, have “taken it to heart,” as LaFleur put it.
One example of this, brought up by passing game coordinator Jason Vrable, is Reed standing behind Golden during his practice reps to then provide him with pointers.
“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, coaching them,” said LaFleur of the receivers. “That’s one of the emphasis of this offseason, I would say, is just trying to make sure that we’re developing leaders. Especially when you have a younger team, you want to make sure that you have leaders. Those guys have taken it to heart. Jayden’s been instrumental.”
Along with prioritizing time on the JUGS machine this offseason, Reed has also spent some time working out with Romeo Doubs, and the entire offseason, he was with Wicks, specifically trying to pick up any tips and tricks from a route-running perspective that he can implement into his own game.
The additions of Mecole Hardman, who can handle punt return duties, along with Williams, who can be utilized as the jet sweep or motion man, could take those responsibilities off of Reed’s plate, which could then reduce the number of hits he takes over the course of a season and hopefully keep him healthy.
While it’s a cliche to say, perhaps the biggest strength of this Packers’ receiver room is in its numbers. With so much depth and a variety of skill sets, it really allows LaFleur to customize the game plan each week based on what each opponent does and how they should be attacked schematically.
The downside to that, however, is that targets and opportunities can vary greatly from week to week as they depend on who the opponent is and how they defend the Green Bay offense. The Packers aren’t going to go away from this approach, but at the same time, there shouldn’t be games where Reed is forgotten about either. He’s shown he can be a high-volume target, and he brings playmaking potential to the offense.
“I just think we’ve got a lot of playmakers in the room and on any given day, anybody can go off,” Reed said. “All that wide receiver one stuff, I don’t look at it as that. It’s like we’ve got a lot of different playmakers in the room that can make plays and at the end of the day, it’s about a team coming together and getting a job done and winning.
“So all that stuff, I don’t take that stuff too much seriously, I just think we’ve got a lot of young guys in the room that can ball. That’s what we’re going to try to continue to do and try to continue to get better.”