Acme Packing Company
Yes, Bengals receiver Tee Higgins makes a lot of sense for the Packers
On Thursday, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst stated several times that the team is hoping to be aggressive in the offseason, but that they do not have plans on bringing in over-the-hill players to a roster that already returns 46 players from their 2024 53-man roster and injured reserve. Essentially, Gutekunst made the point that the team is interested in Xavier McKinney or Josh Jacobs types, young players who would be multi-year swings for the club, rather than short-term rentals.
That, generally, tracks with the other big signings the Packers have made under Gutekunst, not just in 2024. When Green Bay flooded the free agent market with money for Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith and Billy Turner in 2019, those players were all 28 years old or younger, too. With that in mind, let’s take a look at which young (28 years or younger) free agents are expected to hit the open market beyond quarterback, running back, tight end and safety, positions that the Packers will most likely avoid in free agency.
We’re going to take you position-by-position, analyzing what the young players in these groups can bring to the table in Green Bay and whether there are some Packers ties or injury concerns with these players. The rankings by players’ names signify where Pro Football Focus has them ranked in the free agent class.
Just about every Packers fan has kept tabs on Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins ever since Green Bay made the decision to take quarterback Jordan Love over Higgins in the 2020 NFL draft. In his five seasons in the league, Higgins has posted 330 receptions for 4,595 yards and 34 touchdowns, despite splitting passes with receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd. If the 25-year-old hits the open market, expect him to have a lot of suitors. The only question is whether or not the Bengals will tag him or let him walk, similar to Xavier McKinney’s situation with the New York Giants last year.
Marquise Brown’s situation is very interesting. After three years in Baltimore, Brown was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for a first-round pick. In two years there, he only managed to record 118 receptions for 1,283 yards and seven touchdowns. He was supposed to try to play through a “prove it year” deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024, but he injured his collar bone, limiting him to just two regular season games played this past year. He is the field-stretching type of receiver that the Packers would be looking at to replace Christian Watson’s snaps, as Watson will be out at least three-quarters of next regular season with his ACL injury.
