The Green Bay Packers have been busy in advance of free agency but several pressing questions remain at the wide receiver position, including one involving a player who just hit market.
The biggest question in Green Bay is what to do about All-Pro wideout Davante Adams’ ultimatum that he will not play next season on the franchise tag, which he issued early Monday, March 14. The next is who to pair alongside Adams if, and when, he takes the field for the Packers in 2022.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network provided a possible answer to the second question in the form of wide receiver Jarvis Landry, whom the Cleveland Browns released Monday.
“The #Packers are also expected to be in the mix for Jarvis Landry, source says,” Garafolo tweeted.
Ian Rapoport, Garafolo’s colleague at NFL Network, reported earlier in the day that the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs are also among the “teams to watch” in the Landry sweepstakes.
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Landry Was Banged Up During Down Year For Browns in 2021
GettyWide receiver Jarvis Landry, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, makes a catch against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half of an NFL game at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 1, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Browns released Landry with one year left on his five-year contract. The wide receiver was owed $16.3 million but diminished production in 2021, at least partially due to injury, made his services at that amount a precarious proposition at best.
Landry detailed the ailments that plagued his entire season in a tweet on February 22.
1/2 Reality behind all this is I came back to play in the best shape of my life, I got hurt week 2 with a high grade MCL Sprain,Partial quad tear and bone bruise. Then came back way to early and ended up staying hurt the entire season. You never heard me mention anything about it
“Reality behind all this is I came back to play in the best shape of my life, I got hurt Week 2 with a high-grade MCL sprain, partial quad tear and bone bruise,” Landry wrote. “Then came back way too early and ended up staying hurt the entire season. You never heard me mention anything about it.”
Landry made 52 catches for 570 receiving yards and found the end zone only twice the entire year. Despite his statistical drop, Landry remains just 29 years old while his seasons in the NFL number only eight. With a return to full health, Landry can presumably reattain the status of a valuable No. 2 option alongside a player like Adams in Green Bay, Tyreke Hill in Kansas City or Stefon Diggs in Buffalo.
Now a free agent, Landry’s decision on who to play for next will be his own, though all three options reported by the NFL Network make sense. The wideout spent the first half of his career floundering with the Dolphins in Miami, where he appeared in the postseason only once. The Browns also made the playoffs just once during Landry’s tenure there.
After watching his good friend and former teammate Odell Beckham Jr. force his way out of Cleveland and win a Super Bowl ring with Los Angeles Rams, Landry will presumably be looking for a championship-caliber roster of his own to join this offseason.
NFL Insider Offers Conflicting Report, Says Packers Not in Play For Landry
Getty ImagesWide receiver Jarvis Landry, formerly of the Cleveland Browns.
While Garafolo reported Monday that the Packers are a team to watch in the market for Landry, another NFL insider contended that the opposite is true.
Josina Anderson of CBS Sports and USA Today reported that Landry will garner significant interest around the league, though it will not extend to Green Bay.
While Jarvis Landry will have his his share of interest out there…the #Packers are not expected to be a team on that list…even as Marquez Valdes-Scantling is set for unrestricted free agency, per league source.
“While Jarvis Landry will have his share of interest out there … the #Packers are not expected to be a team on that list, even as Marquez Valdes Scantling is set for unrestricted free agency, per league sources,” Anderson tweeted.
Whoever proves to be correct between Garafolo and Anderson, Packers fans will likely know by week’s end whether Landry will join Adams and quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay or if the team will go in another direction at the wide receiver position.
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Packers to Pursue 5-Time Pro Bowl Wide Receiver in Free Agency: Report