The best wide receiver in the game and a pair of 2018 draft picks have run deep routes right out of town in the last couple of weeks. Marquez Valdes-Scantling the latest, landing in Kansas City on a reported three year, 30 million dollar deal and with big numbers catching Patrick Mahomes passes, incentives could push it to 36 million.
A price too steep for Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst who has already moved Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders for two picks and money to keep a couple of free agent defenders, and lost MVS’s initialed late round choice EQ, Equanimeous St. Brown to the Chicago Bears. When those two moves were made, Gutekunst stayed in touch with Valdes-Scantling but that kind of payout would bring added pressure to the salary cap situation they scrambled to address by March 16.
MVS was brought aboard to take the sting out of KC trading Tyreek Hill to Miami where he supplanted Adams as the highest paid receiver, Davante’s reign lasted all of a week. Valdes-Scantling played in 11 games last season, catching just 26 balls for three scores. Running healthy in 2020 led to his breakout, 33 catch and an NFL best 20.9 yards per grab and six of his 13 career scoring play season. Nearly all of them were a part of MVS’s farewell to Green Bay instagram video he posted. To his credit, he overcame a few whopper drops in his first two seasons and has cashed his way out of Lambeau.
Now what?
I’m hard pressed to believe Aaron Rodgers will make it an MVP three-peat throwing to Allen Lazard, back on a second round tender offer, Randall Cobb at a much reduced friends and family rate, last year’s draft choice Amari Rodgers, Malik Taylor and Juwan Winfree you’ve heard of but Chris Blair and Rico Gafford, probably not.
Gutey’s got quite a to do list in the wide receiver cupboard.
He’ll resist anything long term with veteran free agents like Julio Jones and A.J. Green. He certainly can’t wait for an Odell Beckham Jr. to heal.
Ah, but he does have draft choices. 11 of them this year with four of the top 59 thanks to the Raiders. Could the Seattle Seahawks be tempted with one of the two in the opening round? John Schneider and Pete Carroll are in rebuild mode and D.K. Metcalf or Tyler Lockett’s departure could hasten the process.
Gutekunst is also getting a handle on the deep group of receivers on his and everyone’s draft board. He brought along his chief lieutenant Jon-Eric Sullivan to Happy Valley this week for the pro day of Penn State’s Johan Dotson. The Ohio State offensive game tape has a pair to watch in Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave who is the darling of many a mock Packer draft. There’s Jameson Williams of Alabama, the explosive 15 touchdowns in 15 games playmaker who’s knee exploded in the national championship game. As good as he is, and hopefully will be again, again, Gutekunst really can’t afford to take a player for later when he needs one tomorrow.
Waving all those picks like a poker hand in front of his face, Gutekunst has options to send one or two across the table for a worthy veteran, parlay some to move up in round one next month to make sure his favorite is taken or just take the Costco approach, bulk up on wide receivers to re-load.
