Four Offseason Losers for Packers

Any offseason is a vote of confidence for some players or a turning up of the thermostat for others.

For the Green Bay Packers, a perfect example of turning up the heat is what happened in the receiver room. That the Packers used a first-round pick on Matthew Golden and a third-round pick on Savion Williams served as a clear signal to the returning receivers that they better be on their game.

The additions of the receivers made Jordan Love a big offseason winner. The fallout on the receiver room headlines our list of the big losers.

Christian Watson

Receiver Christian Watson could have made this list as soon as he fell to the Lambeau Field grass on Jan. 6. His torn ACL could not have come at a worse time for the team, but also for himself. Watson is entering the final season of his rookie contact and could have played his way into an extension with a big year.

Watson averaged 21.4 yards per reception in 2024. That big-play ability is something that is attractive to teams across the NFL.

Now, even if he has a nine-month recovery, he won’t be back on the field until October. The more likely scenario is he won’t play until November, at the earliest. A two-month audition would give Watson fewer opportunities to showcase his skills and to prove that he’s fully recovered from the injury.

Time is simply working against Watson. Instead of potentially signing an extension with the Packers or a long-term contract in free agency, the reality is the injury could delay Watson’s chance to earn a bigger contract. Football is a violent game, and another injury could end any chance he has at getting a bigger contract.

All of the above was true, and then the Packers added two receivers in the first three rounds of the draft.

The Packers’ four primary receivers from last season are set to be free agents after the 2025 and 2026 seasons. They were never going to keep all of them. Watson’s injury may have changed his stance in the pecking order simply out of necessity.

Romeo Doubs

Receiver Romeo Doubs is on this list for the same reasons as Watson.

The last time Doubs was on the field, he left with help from trainers after sustaining a concussion during the team’s 22-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. That came on the heels of a concussion suffered against the San Francisco 49ers. Both injuries were scary.

By all accounts, Doubs is fully recovered and should be ready for the start of offseason practices this month and training camp in late July.

Doubs has the most replaceable skill-set among Green Bay’s receivers and had some issues regarding his role a season ago, which led to him being suspended for one game.

If Doubs had any chance of remaining in Green Bay, it likely would have required a huge season that saw him take the leap into the role of Green Bay’s top receiver.  With the selections of Golden and Williams, that does not feel like a bet that should be made.

Rasheed Walker

It’s hard to call yourself a winner of the offseason when you’re an established starter for two years and all anyone in the organization can talk about is replacing you.

That is the life that Rasheed Walker has lived this offseason. Walker has been the team’s left tackle since a knee injury essentially ended David Bakhtiari’s career in 2023. He’s started 32 games the last two seasons and been solid if not spectacular. Following in the footsteps of a franchise legend is not easy, but Walker has done so capably.

Despite that, the Packers drafted Jordan Morgan, a left tackle at Arizona, in the first round in 2024. They doubled down in this year’s draft by taking Anthony Belton, a left tackle at NC State, in the second round. The Packers have said Morgan will compete with Walker for the starting job. Belton could get into the fray, as well.

If the battle between Morgan and Walker, who is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the season, is close at all, Morgan likely will earn the nod because he is younger and less expensive in the near future.

Going to the bench would cost Walker a lot of money in free agency. Eleven left tackles are earning at least $20 million per season. Because of the importance of the position, they’re overdrafted and overpaid due to the lack of supply.

Finding quality offensive linemen is difficult. That’s why Green Bay is in a good position with at least three players they believe could capably play at tackle on either side with Walker, Morgan and Zach Tom.

If Walker had to sit on the bench the entire year, he could lose tens of millions of dollars.

To Walker’s credit, he’s typically thrived in competitive environments like this one. When Bakhtiari was poised to return to the starting lineup in 2023, Walker was competing to be the team’s primary backup. He defeated the incumbent swing tackle, Yosh Njiman. After the Packers drafted Morgan last year, Walker had his best training camp.

Maybe the pressure turning up on Walker to keep his job will bring out the best in him, but he still makes this list due to the efforts the Packers have made in appearance to replace him.

Sean Rhyan

Of all the starters with expiring contracts following the 2025 season, right guard Sean Rhyan might not be a priority to re-sign.

The Packers are willing to pay interior offensive linemen if they feel they are high-level players. Elgton Jenkins is one example of a player who received a second contract. Aaron Banks got a truckload of cash in free agency this offseason.

The additions of Banks and Belton felt like the nail in the coffin for Rhyan’s tenure in Green Bay.

Rhyan has been a nice story after a disastrous rookie season in which the third-round pick played zero snaps on offense, one snap on special teams and finished the season serving a suspension for violating the NFL’s policy for performance-enhancing substances.

He grew into a rotation at right guard with Jon Runyan during the second half of 2023. In 2024, he faced competition from Morgan, but Rhyan continued to hold him off before a shoulder injury ended Morgan’s season.

Despite that, Rhyan is likely viewed in the same ilk of guys like Darryn Colledge and Runyan. The Packers are more than happy to start him, but they have someone in the stable ready to replace him once his contract expires.

Rhyan was once that player in the stable, and now he’s likely to see one of Belton or Morgan become that player for him once the season ends.