GREEN BAY – The Packers like the mojo in their wide receiver room.
On Wednesday following OTA practice, Head Coach Matt LaFleur referred to third-year pro Jayden Reed as "outstanding" and "instrumental" as a leader at the young position.
Meanwhile, quarterback Jordan Love mentioned "the vibes are good right now" amongst the receivers, and running back Josh Jacobs emphasized there are "a LOT of special guys in that room."
Those comments, which came across entirely genuine, should put to rest any thoughts of potential dissension that appeared to arise, externally only, at different moments this offseason.
The first time came during Super Bowl week, when Jacobs spoke on Radio Row about the offense needing a bona fide, veteran No. 1 receiver.
Jacobs explained Wednesday that he spoke with the receivers following the interview and nothing's been held against him or anybody else. He said Reed even admitted the comments were motivating to the receivers, and Jacobs believes he "lit a little fire under them" judging by how they've attacked offseason workouts.
"It's just about pushing them to want to be great … trying to help them see it in themselves," Jacobs said. "That's what our team needs."
Then after the Packers drafted receivers Matthew Golden in the first round and Savion Williams in the third, a report surfaced that Reed's agent contacted the Packers' front office about where his client stood.
Reed clarified that he'd hired a new agent, who told him before the draft he'd be checking in with the team on his new client's behalf as a matter of course. So he did, and it was leaked within the context of the Packers' significant draft investments at his position, which Reed said led to a misinterpretation.
It's all a non-issue to Reed, who has been focused on the greater leadership role he was asked to take by the coaches during his exit interviews at the end of last season. He's proceeded in that vein with a purpose as it relates to Golden and Williams, and everyone from LaFleur to offensive passing game coordinator Jason Vrable to receivers coach Ryan Mahaffey has publicly acknowledged it.
"That's what I'm trying to do because I've been in their position as well," Reed said when asked about taking Golden under his wing, helping and coaching when necessary. "It's not easy to learn plays and it's a lot of chaos as a rookie. He's been doing a phenomenal job.
"He's picked it up probably faster than I did, so I commend him on that, and Savion as well. They're always around, I try to stick around in the huddle to make sure they're good."
So while the receiver room is as crowded and competitive as ever – with the rookie additions joining Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton, Malik Heath and the rehabbing Christian Watson as the veterans – and there are only so many snaps and targets to go around, the approach of the group is professional as well as collegial. That's the idea, and so far it's working as intended.
"There's always going to be competition," Love said. "I don't think any of those guys are shying away from competition. They all want to be the best and be out there on the field.
"We've got a great group of guys. They all know what the main objective is that we're trying to get done here, and they know they're going to get those opps that come their way … I'm going to try to find the guy who's open. They all know that. Nobody's being sensitive about the number of targets right now. Everybody's just working to get better."
It's been that way for months, as Reed worked out with Wicks for much of the offseason in Florida, and connected with Doubs a couple of times, too.
Since returning to Green Bay, Reed specifically noted spending extra time on the JUGS machine to cut down on his drops from a season ago. He wasn't the only one with too many drops, but he'd admit his team-best 55 catches for 857 yards could've been better. He was thankful he didn't need offseason surgery on the shoulder injury that occurred in the playoff loss at Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, Watson isn't participating in drills but is around the group regularly and "ahead of schedule" in his comeback from ACL surgery, according to LaFleur. Doubs, Wicks, Melton and Heath all look healthy and active on the field, with Golden rotating in for first-team reps. Williams is currently wearing a red non-contact jersey for an unspecified reason.
Each individual has his goals and focal points, while the collective energy is channeled toward the team, which has fallen short in the postseason each of the last two years but has a lot of promise heading into 2025.
"Since I've been here, I made the playoffs but I'm not satisfied," Reed said, echoing thoughts expressed by Jacobs as well. "Every year (the desire) is to elevate and be better, so my goal is to be even more hungry than I was last year.
"I feel like that's the whole team demeanor right now."
