Christian Watson

The Green Bay Packers' wide receiving corps is apparently tired of being scapegoated for the team's offensive struggles.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported the criticism of the receivers "isn't sitting well" given Aaron Rodgers' decision to not attend voluntary offseason workouts.

The Green Bay offense has been completely lacking in chemistry all season, with Rodgers going from back-to-back MVP to one of the worst starting quarterbacks in football. Rodgers currently sits 27th among starters in QBR, and his seven interceptions are already the most he's had over a full season since 2016.

No Packers wideout is currently on pace to top 1,000 receiving yards. Allen Lazard leads the team with 427 yards on 30 receptions, but he's been nowhere near a consistently reliable target. Rookies Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson have dealt with injuries and have not been particularly impressive when they've been on the field.

While there may be some merit in criticizing Rodgers for skipping out on OTAs, the Packers had an entire training camp and more than two months of a regular season to fix things. They scored nine points against the Detroit Lions defense on Sunday.

Much of the fault here lies at the feet of the front office, which traded Davante Adams without a clear plan on how to replace him. The Packers had two first-round picks and selected a pair of defensive players before taking a gamble on Watson at the top of the second round. It's fair to wonder whether the front office should have used those two firsts to move up and select Chris Olave or Garrett Wilson.

Watson was always going to be a project after playing at FCS North Dakota State, and Rodgers turns 39 in December. He's not exactly on a patient timeline.

Regardless, following more silence from Lambeau at the trade deadline, it's clear the offensive misfires lay mostly at the feet of the people making roster decisions.

The Green Bay Packers might be sending a message to Aaron Rodgers in their lack of activity before Tuesday's trade deadline, as one opposing general manager told Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post:

The league is really changing, and if you are trying to win, then you've got to be willing to part with picks and be more aggressive. But they also might be looking at it like they just gave their quarterback $50 million [a year] and he isn't like [Drew] Brees or [Tom] Brady. There wasn't any discount so they could spread it around to other guys. He wanted every penny, and they might be sending a message back to him now.

The Packers fell to 3-5 with their fourth straight loss in Week 8, but they didn't make any upgrades at the deadline to help out Rodgers.

"Must be a f--ked up place," a different GM told La Canfora.

After multiple years of uncertainty over his future, Rodgers signed a contract extension last offseason that made him the highest-paid player in the NFL with an average annual salary of $50.3 million per year. The new deal came after the quarterback earned the MVP award in each of the past two years, giving him four for his career.

Unfortunately, the Packers also traded away All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, while also losing Marquez Valdes-Scantling to free agency. It left the offense with limited experience at receiver, relying on Allen Lazard and rookies Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson.

The result is an offense that ranks 22nd in the league in passing and 26th in points per game.

Rodgers ranks 27th out of 33 qualified passers with a 38.2 Total QBR.

An impact receiver like Chase Claypool—who was traded to the Chicago Bears—might have helped the Packers, but the team stood pat at the deadline.

Rodgers will now have to try to turn things around himself after a slow start to the season.

The Green Bay Packers reportedly offered the Steelers a second-round pick for wide receiver Chase Claypool before Pittsburgh traded him to the Chicago Bears.

Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the Steelers chose the Bears' offer because the Pittsburgh front office believes the Chicago pick will be higher than Green Bay's. The Bears and Packers enter Week 9 with matching 3-5 records.

Chicago's trade for Claypool came as a bit of a shock after the team was seemingly setting itself up for a rebuild. The Bears traded linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive end Robert Quinn before the deadline, sending a signal they were sellers rather than buyers.

Green Bay, meanwhile, was linked to nearly every wideout on the market but ultimately stood pat—locking Aaron Rodgers into arguably the worst receiving corps of his career. No Packers pass catcher has more than 340 yards this season, and Rodgers hasn't topped 255 passing yards in a single game.

After winning back-to-back MVPs with Davante Adams hauling in 100-plus catches, Rodgers has looked like a shell of himself in a moribund offense.

If the Packers' deadline was Claypool-or-bust, they didn't do nearly enough to ensure he'd be making the trip from Pittsburgh to Green Bay. Adding a Day 3 pick to the mix might have been enough to create the difference between where the Bears' and Packers' second-round picks are expected to fall.

Regardless, it's borderline inexcusable for the front office to saddle its 38-year-old MVP quarterback with this group of receivers, especially given the Packers are winners of three straight divisions and came into this season considered a Super Bowl contender.

The Green Bay Packers are in trouble, even if quarterback Aaron Rodgers believes that it isn't time to panic.

"I'm not worried about this squad. In fact, this might be the best thing for us," the 38-year-old told reporters after Sunday's 23-21 loss to the Washington Commanders.

Rodgers, who has a passer rating of just 94.9—his lowest since 2015—has been part of the problem. The reigning MVP hasn't been shredding defenses, making huge plays with consistency or carrying the offense as he has in the past.

One reason for this is that Green Bay just doesn't have a ton of receiver talent.

The Packers traded No. 1 receiver Davante Adams in the offseason, and they've found no one to replace him as Rodgers' top target. Second-round rookie Christian Watson has been underwhelming when he's even been available, and Allen Lazard is not a No. 1-caliber receiver.

On Sunday, the signal-caller's best target was running back Aaron Jones, who finished with nine receptions, 53 yards and two touchdowns. In a game in which the Packers trailed by two scores late, that's a serious problem.

Green Bay may have to find its solution on the trade block, and Rodgers does expect general manager Brian Gutekunst to be active.

"There's the possibility, if certain guys emerge, of us having a chance to make a run. I know [GM] Brian [Gutekunst] believes the same thing," Rodgers told reporters last week. "But if there’s an opportunity, I would expect that Brian will be in the mix."

Others around the league expect Green Bay to target a receiver before the November 1 trade deadline as well.

"A few general managers I've spoken to are certain Green Bay is looking for potential receiver help on the trade market," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote last week.

Two of the biggest names the Packers could target are Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Chase Claypool and Houston Texans receiver Brandin Cooks. New York Jets wide receiver Denzel Mims and New England Patriots wideout Kendrick Bourne are also in the mix.

Cooks has been the "target of multiple calls," according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.

"The Jets' Denzel Mims, the Patriots' Kendrick Bourne and the Steelers' Chase Claypool are among the wideouts that teams expect to be available prior to the Nov. 1 deadline," ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote.

However, Claypool and Cooks may not be realistic targets for the Packers. The Texans were reluctant to part with the latter last year and instead view him as a long-term piece of the puzzle.

"The productive Cooks is the kind of player the Texans want to build around, not trade. Don't expect him to be available," Rapoport wrote at last year's deadline.

The Steelers, meanwhile, aren't going to let Claypool go at a low price point and may not make him available at all. If the Packers want to add a bigger name at the deadline, they may want to target Denver Broncos wideout Jerry Jeudy.

Jeudy, who was a first-round pick in 2020, is an interesting name to consider. He hasn't been spectacular this season, but he does have 386 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The Broncos have stumbled to a 2-5 record and are short on future draft capital after dealing for quarterback Russell Wilson.

Might Denver be willing to move Jeudy to add another high selection or two to its draft cache? It's worth a little investigation on Gutekunst's part.

If Jeudy cannot be had at a reasonable price, the Packers should at least kick the tires on Mims. He's made only one appearance this season (in Week 7) but was available in the offseason.

While the 25-year-old remains largely unproven, he shouldn't be expensive to acquire.

Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore has requested a trade and was inactive against the Broncos on Sunday, which led to Mims getting an opportunity.

The Jets certainly don't sound as if they intend to trade Moore, though.

"We're young at the skill positions on offense and it's got a really good chance to grow together," Jets head coach Robert Saleh said, per NFL.com's Nick Shook. "So from his perspective, I just think he's competitive. He wants more, and that doesn't make himself. it just, in my mind, makes him a competitor."

While the Packers may not have many realistic trade options, Gutekunst needs to consider them all and make a strong push for players like Claypool and Cooks, even if they're ultimately unavailable. Green Bay is desperately missing a downfield element to its passing attack, and that's a major hindrance.

Not only has the offense become relatively one-dimensional, but the lack of an explosive passing game has also led to defensive struggles.

Green Bay's run defense, which has allowed an average of 4.8 yards per carry, has been exposed because opponents are no longer playing catch-up on the scoreboard. Last year's run defense (4.7 yards per carry allowed) was also bad, but it was masked by the Packers often playing with a lead.

Getting Watson (hamstring) and Randall Cobb (ankle) back may help, but there doesn't appear to be a quick fix on the Packers' roster. If Green Bay hopes to dramatically improve its passing attack, it will have to seek a trade. And with the November 1 deadline fast approaching, the clock is ticking.