The Green Bay Packers finally have some clarity on Jayden Reed. It isn’t good.
Reed is headed to injured reserve because of the neck injury he suffered against the New York Jets in Week 2, and there is no timetable for his return. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that Reed is out indefinitely and could miss the rest of the season as he continues his recovery.
The timing of the news was hard to miss.
Earlier Wednesday, Reed posted a short message on Instagram: “11 out.”
Green Bay had already been preparing to play without him. Now the Packers know this won’t be a short-term absence.
Jayden Reed Headed to IR With Neck Injury
Schefter’s report went well beyond the four-game minimum that comes with injured reserve.
“Packers are placing WR Jayden Reed on injured reserve due to his neck injury, per sources. Reed is out indefinitely if not for the season as he continues his recovery. He posted on IG today, ’11 out,'” Schefter wrote.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur then confirmed his wide receiver’s season was over as he will undergo season-ending surgery, per Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein.
“It’s tough. Like I said, he brings so much, and the versatility, and how we use him, and just all the different roles. I would say it’s going to be by committee,” LaFleur said, per NFL.com’s Jason B. Hirschhorn.
Reed’s injury came on Green Bay’s second offensive play against the Jets on Sept. 20. He caught a 4-yard pass from Jordan Love, took a hard hit and stayed down as medical personnel rushed onto the field.
The scene was scary. Reed was immobilized on a backboard, carted off and taken to a New Jersey-area hospital, where he remained overnight for observation. Matt LaFleur later said Reed had movement in all of his extremities.
Reed gave Packers fans some encouraging news that night, posting that he was “doing much better” and thanking everyone for the prayers and support.
Since then, though, the football updates have been much less encouraging.
LaFleur said Sept. 22 that Reed was back in Green Bay undergoing more tests, but called it “way too early” to know whether he could play again this season. By Monday, LaFleur still had no timetable for his return.
Two days later, Reed is going on IR.
His “11 out” Instagram message came before Schefter’s report, and it now looks like Reed was giving everyone a heads-up about what was coming.
Packers Now Have to Replace Jayden Reed Again
Reed barely got a chance to get his fourth NFL season going.
He caught three passes for 20 yards in the opener against Minnesota, then made one catch for 4 yards against the Jets before the injury. His season totals sit at four receptions for 24 yards.
That is a long way from what Green Bay has come to expect from him.
Reed led the Packers in receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, finishing with 793 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie before going for 857 yards and six scores in 2024. Injuries wrecked most of his 2025 season, limiting him to seven games, 19 catches and 207 yards.
Green Bay still made it clear this offseason that Reed is part of the long-term plan, signing him to a three-year, $50.25 million extension in April.
For now, Jordan Love will have to lean even more on Christian Watson and Matthew Golden. Skyy Moore, Bo Melton and J. Michael Sturdivant are the other healthy receivers on the active roster, while Savion Williams opened the season on injured reserve with a designation to return.
The Packers have already spent the first three weeks trying to fix an offense that hasn’t found much consistency.
Now they’re doing it without Reed, and Schefter’s report leaves open the possibility that they may have to do it without him for the rest of 2026.
Packers Get Bad Jayden Reed News With Troubling Return Timeline