The Green Bay Packers had a very strange off-season. They gave Aaron Rodgers a three-year, $150 million extension in a structure they designed to allow the veteran quarterback to play for at least two more seasons. However, the team traded Davante Adams, failed to add veteran weapons outside of Sammy Watkins, and rebuilt their wide receiver room with second-round pick Christian Watson and fourth-round pick Romeo Doubs.
As a consequence, the 2022 season felt lost at first. The rookies, especially Watson, took some time to integrate into the offense and battled injuries. The picture is clearer now that Watson and Doubs finally played significant snaps together in a game. Maybe now there is a reason to extend Aaron Rodgers’ window into 2023.
During the 24-12 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, the two rookie receivers combined for nine catches and 101 yards, with an average of 11.2 yards per reception. Every other Packers wide receiver combined for four catches and 39 yards on Monday — Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard accounted for those other receptions.
The season has been a challenge for the rookie receivers. First, Watson had hamstring injuries and a concussion. His level of play wasn’t great, either. However, he has broken out since the win over the Dallas Cowboys, and he’s become one of the top weapons in the league in the last six weeks. Doubs is not as explosive, but he’s a reliable receiver who had an immediate impact before suffering a high-ankle sprain against the Detroit Lions in Week 9.
Only now are they fully healthy, allowing the Packers to integrate them into the offense. And it’s already possible to see the results.
“You can certainly see his route-running ability, how effortless it is when he catches the football,” Matt LaFleur said of Romeo Doubs, who played his first game after the ankle injury.
Watson is the big difference-maker. His ability to stretch the field vertically and horizontally has allowed the entire offense to function better.
“It’s been a rapid, wild development,” Rodgers mentioned after the Chicago Bears game. “It’s hard to think about someone who goes from being kind of here-or-there, minimal-production to a home-run player.”
Their presence changed the complexity of the offense. Running the ball was often the safe play because of how talented Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon are. However, it’s virtually impossible to be a good NFL offense without a strong passing game. With Watson and Doubs together, they can do that. And that opens up everything else, including a more effective running game.
The quarterback decision
The Packers have an important decision to make between March and September. Aaron Rodgers has a $58.3 million option bonus, so the team must decide if they want to pay it and keep Rodgers or if they move on to Jordan Love and trade the veteran. Rodgers also needs to determine if he will keep playing.
“It’ll all factor into it,” Rodgers said when asked if Watson’s development could impact his decision. “But there’s gotta be mutual desire on both sides.”
And it seems like there is. General manager Brian Gutekunst assured fans that he wants his starting quarterback back in 2023.
“Well, certainly, that’s an offseason-type kind of decision, but surely, yeah,” Gutekunst said during his latest press conference. “I mean, we want all our guys back. We made a big commitment to him this offseason, so that was obviously something that was really important to us. But like we’ve talked about in the past, this is something we’ll sit down with him after the season, and it will be something we do together and move forward that way.”
Green Bay’s timeline was strange because they had Rodgers as a 39-year-old quarterback ready to win now. On the other hand, they had a young group of receivers full of uncertainty and in need of development. If Watson and Doubs transform into a shiny duo, though, the Packers might be on the right track even if they can’t reach the playoffs this season. The version of the offense we have seen in the last month and a half may be the answer for 2023, and another full offseason will only improve it.
