The Green Bay Packers are going to have a very interesting position battle amongst their wide receivers this offseason. Jayden Reed (nine drops), Dontayvion Wicks (nine drops), and Romeo Doubs (seven drops) all ranked among the NFL leaders in dropped passes last season, prompting the Packers to add Mecole Hardman via free agency as well as Matthew Golden (first round) and Savion Williams (third round) in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Despite the drop issues, Reed, Wicks, and Doubs are almost assuredly guaranteed spots on the 53-man roster. After all, they finished as the top-three targeted receivers on Green Bay’s roster last season, indicating that quarterback Jordan Love has a great deal of faith in them despite the drops.
Additionally, one should assume that Golden and Williams will both make the roster as top-100 draft picks. That means that a plethora of others will be vying for one (maybe two) open spot in the wide receiver room this upcoming season.
Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver Christian Watson Named as Potential Pittsburgh Steelers Trade Target for Aaron Rodgers
Earlier this weekend, former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the few short days since that signing, media outlets everywhere have been discussing which current pass catchers Pittsburgh could add to help him be successful.
Doubs, who played with Rodgers as a rookie in 2022, has often been name mentioned. However, the fact that Love targets him more frequently than any other Green Bay pass catcher makes him an unlikely option.
Christian Watson, too, played with Rodgers in 2022, and, for some reason, was recently named by Alex Buck of NFL Analysis as a possible Steelers trade target:
“This one is more of a ‘hot fix’. Christian Watson is heading into the final year of his contract with the Green Bay Packers. They just drafted a wide receiver in the first round, and Watson has fallen into the depths of the rotation as a result.
“The Packers’ predicted lineup is Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs, and Jayden Reed, meaning Watson is expendable as depth.
“He spent his rookie season playing with Rodgers in Green Bay, and while the two had trouble forming a connection at times, they did create a bond on the deep ball.
“Watson wouldn’t be a 1,000-yard receiver with the Steelers, but he would be familiar. He would give the offense another outlet should they need it, and it’s always been clear that Rodgers likes to work with receivers he knows.
“The Packers receiver is still only 26 years old, but health concerns and consistency would likely mean a very minimal fee to acquire him.
“If the Steelers could get him for a mid-to-late day three draft pick, and he can have a healthy season in 2025, there’s a lot of upside. That upside is the reason to make the trade.”
There are, of course, two reasons why this is a confusing connection. First, Watson had the lowest drop percentage (3.5%) of any of Green Bay’s wide receivers last season. With the drop issues that were mentioned above, it is unlikely that the Packers would offload their most sure-handed pass catcher in a trade.
But the second reason, which is well-known by the Green Bay faithful, is the most glaring reason why the idea of Watson being a trade target is confusing: he is already injured.
Watson tore his ACL during the Packers’ Week 18 loss to the Chicago Bears at the end of the 2024 NFL season, meaning that he will [likely] not be available for the start of the 2025 season.
One would have to imagine that Pittsburgh does not have any interest in giving up any draft compensation for a player who already is expected to miss games for injury and would likely only play one season for their team.
