The Wide Receiver Starved Green Bay Packers Add Sammy Watkins To The Mix

Sammy Watkins was the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Davante Adams went at pick No. 53.

Adams became a star in Green Bay, reaching the Pro Bowl each of the last five seasons and earning All-Pro honors twice. Watkins, meanwhile, never lived up to the hype and bounced between four teams.

Today, Adams is playing for Las Vegas. And on Thursday, the Packers signed Watkins to help fill the cavernous void Adams left behind.

Watkins signed a one-year contract with the Packers worth up to $4 million. The news was first reported by NFL Network.

“He’s OK, but he’s nothing like the guy he was coming out of Clemson,” an AFC scout texted me after the signing. “It’d be best if he’s your No. 3 (receiver) right now. You don’t want him as your (No.) 2.”

Watkins, the first receiver taken in the 2014 draft, certainly hasn’t lived up to the hype of being such a high pick. And now, with Watkins set to turn 29 in June and entering his ninth season, it seems unlikely he’ll ever be more than a role player.

During his first eight seasons, Watkins averaged 43.5 catches, 632 yards and 4 TDs per year. On the flip side, Adams averaged 84 receptions, 1,015 yards and nine touchdowns in his first eight seasons.

Watkins spent his first three years in Buffalo, played one season with the Los Angeles Rams, three more in Kansas City and the 2021 campaign with the Baltimore Ravens.

Watkins had just 27 receptions for 394 yards (14.6 average) and one touchdown a year ago in Baltimore. In 2020, Watkins caught 37 passes for 421 yards (11.4 average) and two TDs with the Chiefs.

“He’s on the downside,” the scout said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Watkins also played with the Rams in 2017 when current Packers’ head coach Matt LaFleur was the offensive coordinator. That season, Watkins had 39 receptions for 593 yards and eight touchdowns, but became frustrated with his role in an offense that included Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Tavon Austin and Todd Gurley.

“As a player, of course you’re going to be frustrated,” Watkins said that season. “I don’t know a player, a wide receiver, that’s not frustrated throughout the game if you’re not getting the ball.”

Green Bay became desperate for wide receiver help after trading Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders last month for a first- and second-round draft choice. Without Adams, Green Bay was left with arguably the worst collection of receivers in football.

Allen Lazard was undrafted coming out of Iowa State due to a lack of explosiveness — something that certainly hasn’t changed. Randall Cobb, set to enter his 12^th season, hasn’t played a full year since 2015. And Amari Rodgers was dreadful as a rookie in 2021.

Green Bay — which has two first- and two second round picks in the draft which begins on April 28 — will almost certainly still add one or two wide receivers early on. But the addition of Watkins means the Packers’ talent and depth at the position is slightly better than it had been.

Coming out of Clemson, the 6-foot-1, 211-pound Watkins ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds. Scouts fell in love with his play speed, his impressive frame, his run-after-the-catch ability and his tremendous hands.

The Bills were so enamored with Watkins they gave up their 2014 first round pick (No. 9 overall) and a first- and fourth rounder in 2015 to jump up five spots and select Watkins.

“We thought it was a calculated risk and a risk we were willing to take,” then-Bills general manager Doug Whaley said. “The high cost of not making the playoffs is something we weighed in and we thought this guy was going to get us to the playoffs.”

But things never fully clicked for Watkins in Buffalo — or any of his four previous stops.

Watkins’ best seasons were his first two in Buffalo while playing with the hodge-podge quarterback crew of Tyrod Taylor (13 starts), Kyle Orton (12), EJ Manuel (6) and Matt Cassel (1). Watkins averaged 62.5 receptions, 1,010 receiving yards and 7.5 touchdowns in those two seasons and it appeared stardom was in his future.

Watkins played just eight games in 2016, though, due to a broken bone in his foot. And after a pedestrian 2016 campaign, Watkins was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in Aug., 2017.

After his one season in Los Angeles, Watkins signed a three-year, $48 million free agent deal with Kansas City.

Watkins scored three touchdowns during his first game with the Chiefs in 2018. But he had just three more TDs during the rest of his three-year stay in Kansas City and only one in Baltimore last year.

“I had my best times there, and I really enjoyed my time,” Watkins said after leaving the Chiefs. “I think my time was up. I just wanted to be somewhere different.”

Baltimore certainly wasn’t the panacea Watkins hoped it would be. In fact, the last two seasons have been the worst of Watkins’ career, despite playing with MVP quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.

Watkins has also missed 29 of a possible 128 career games due to injury (22.7%) and hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year in 2014.

But the Packers determined that Watkins was the best of the unsavory crop of remaining free agents wideouts. And now, they’ll cross their fingers that he can add some juice to one of the NFL’s most pedestrian receiving corps.