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Jayden Reed

Packers WR Jayden Reed Undergoes Clavicle, Foot Surgeries

September 17th, 2025 at 3:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Given an extended rehab window after suffering a broken collarbone in Week 2, Jayden Reed will use it to address another issue that had plagued him entering the season. As a result, the Packers wide receiver will have an unusual road to travel.

In addition to the expected clavicle surgery, Reed confirmed (via X) he also underwent a foot operation. Reed will now be out indefinitely, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This will create an interesting mission for the third-year pass catcher. The 2023 and ’24 Green Bay receiving leader will be rehabbing two surgeries in-season while having a presumptive goal of returning before year’s end.

The collarbone injury was to sideline Reed between six and eight weeks. As we discussed last week, this injury opened a door for Reed to take care of his foot issue — one he had previously tried to play through. A late-August report confirmed Reed had suffered a Jones fracture in his foot. This injury can sideline players for several weeks, but in-season returns are not unheard of. Deebo Samuel came back from a June 2020 Jones fracture by Week 4, while Derrick Henry rehabbed a November 2021 Jones fracture in time to return for the Titans’ divisional-round game.

Reed, of course, will need to devote time to recovering from two injuries. He had missed most of training camp but returned in time for Week 1, hauling in three receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown against the Lions. This will mark one of the more interesting rehab odysseys in recent NFL history, especially with the Packers looking like one of the NFL’s best teams through two weeks. They have also done so, once again, without a defined target hierarchy.

Reed’s agent spoke with Packers brass about the WR’s status following the team’s first- and third-round receiver picks (Matthew Golden, Savion Williams). Through two games, the Pack have not seen Golden contribute much. The Houston- and Texas-developed wideout has two receptions for 16 yards. Romeo Doubs (96 yards) and Dontayvion Wicks (74) are leading Green Bay WRs in yardage, with Tucker Kraft emerging as the team’s de facto No. 1 receiver (with 140). Much will be expected of Golden post-Reed, but the Packers still have some depth even without Reed and Christian Watson.

Watson, who is rehabbing an ACL tear sustained in Week 18, is now expected to return before Reed. With the latter now on a two-surgery rehab road, it will be interesting to see how his timetable will be affected. The Packers still have a route to their deep receiver array emerging, but a second Reed procedure does provide a notable complication.

Jayden Reed Suffers Broken Collarbone

September 12th, 2025 at 3:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

September 12: Reed is expected to undergo surgery early next week to repair his collarbone, per Rapoport. The Packers are hoping that he can return in November. That recovery timeline may also help Reed fully heal from his foot injury and become a significant late-season addition to Green Bay’s offense.

September 11: Jayden Reed entered Thursday night’s Packers-Commanders game with a significant foot issue. The third-year wide receiver had played through that, but a collarbone injury will sideline him for the foreseeable future.

Matt LaFleur said postgame Reed suffered a broken collarbone and is heading for IR. This may not be a season-ending malady, but Reed will miss a chunk of time. This will further deplete a Packers offense playing without Christian Watson. Reed is expected to return later this season, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds.

The team is hoping for a return around the six-week mark, per Rapoport, though the recovery timetable could stretch to two months. A six- to eight-week timetable would sideline the talented pass catcher into November.

This is a major blow for Reed, who saw the Packers draft two more wide receivers — Matthew Golden, Savion Williams — during the draft’s first two days. Green Bay will need to call on its rookies after this setback, though veterans Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks — and fast-emerging tight end Tucker Kraft — remain healthy exiting the team’s Week 2 win.

Kraft and Doubs’ early-career production notwithstanding, Reed has been the most reliable Jordan Love target during the young passer’s first two-plus seasons at the helm. Reed led the Packers with 793 receiving yards in 2023 and 857 last season. Despite suffering a Jones fracture in his foot this summer, the former second-round pick opted to play through the malady — one that regularly sidelines players for several weeks — and scored a touchdown in Green Bay’s Week 1 rout of Detroit. But the Michigan State product will see a separate injury blunt his momentum.

The Golden and Williams draft choices (in Rounds 1 and 3, respectively) prompted Reed agent Drew Rosenhaus to meet with Packers brass about his client’s standing in the organization. LaFleur, as could be expected, endorsed Reed as a key Packer. But the team will need to get by without the inside playmaker for a while. Kraft, whose 124 yards were the most by a Packer tight end in a game since 2015 (the Richard Rodgers Hail Mary night), figures to be a key part of the Pack replacing Reed’s production.

Reed, 25, will become extension-eligible in January. Golden’s arrival does complicate the Packers’ long-term receiver plan, especially with Love on a $55MM-per-year contract and Micah Parsons smashing the defender AAV record (at $46.5MM) after his trade arrival. Reed, who entered Thursday having missed just one career game, could certainly make a strong case for an extension if he submits a productive second half for a Packers team that has looked dominant through two games. The Pack have Doubs unsigned beyond 2025 but extended Watson this week (on a one-year, $11MM deal), providing some clarity for its WR room.

Green Bay already placed running back MarShawn Lloyd and offensive lineman Jacob Monk on short-term IR upon setting its initial 53-man roster. This leaves the Pack’s injury-activation count at six, with Reed poised to become an in-season IR-return player as well. While Reed’s upcoming absence could be complicated due to having two injuries, he will now have more time to stay off his fractured foot ahead of a possible stretch-run reemergence.

Packers WR Jayden Reed Has Foot Fracture

August 28th, 2025 at 10:51pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed has a Jones fracture in his left foot, according to Channel 3000.com’s Jason Wilde, but is planning to play through the injury.

Reed was spotted sporting a boot during Green Bay’s first preseason game but returned to practice on Wednesday. He said that he’s not at full strength, but is “working through” the injury.

It typically takes a few months to recover from a Jones fracture, per Wilde. The injury can also require surgery, but Reed is committed to avoiding that scenario. His status for Week 1 remains uncertain, but the Packers’ decision not to place him on IR with a return designation indicates that they expect him back within the first four weeks of the season.

Reed’s absence would leave the Packers without their primary slot receiver. Christian Watson is starting the season on the physicall unable to perform list and won’t be an option for at least four weeks, though the team is hoping that’s all he’ll need to complete his recovery from last year’s ACL tear. Neither of the Packers’ rookie wideouts – Matthew Golden and Savion Williams – lined up in the slot for a large portion of their college snaps, so third-year wideout Dontayvion Wicks could be the next man up after a secondary slot role in 2024. Wicks returned to practice on Wednesday after missing multiple weeks with a calf injury and may take on a bigger target share at the start of the season.

Reed’s choice to play through the injury is a significant gamble due to the risk of further damage to his foot and of decreased production while hobbled. He’s entering the third year of his rookie contract after collecting a total of 119 receptions, 1,650 yards, and 15 touchdowns in 2022 and 2023. With other Packers receiver like Watson, Wicks, and Romeo Doubs up for extensions, re-injury or regression might hurt Reed’s chances of staying in Green Bay long-term. Shutting himself down, at least temporarily, would give him a better chance of staying healthy and continuing to grow his production.

Christian Watson Likely To Land On Packers’ Reserve/PUP List; Jayden Reed Uncertain To Play In Week 1?

August 12th, 2025 at 9:46am CST by Rory Parks

AUGUST 12: When speaking to the media on Tuesday, Gutekunst confirmed (via USA Today’s Ryan Wood) Watson is expected to begin the season with a reserve/PUP designation. He added, though, a return as early as Week 5 could be in store given Watson’s steady progress in the rehab process.

AUGUST 10: Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed is expected to be among Green Bay’s top pass catchers in 2025, just as he has been over each of his first two years in the league. Unfortunately, he is dealing with an injury that could jeopardize his availability for the start of the season.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter says Reed is in a walking boot due to a sprained foot, and one source described his status as “day to day.” When asked about Reed following his team’s first preseason contest on Saturday, head coach Matt LaFleur said he hoped Reed would be on the field for Week 1. He added, however, “any time you see a guy in a boot that’s a concern” (via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky).

Reed, a 2023 second-round pick, has produced a 17-game triple-slash average of 61/850/7 through the first half of his rookie deal, thus proving his importance to the Packers’ Jordan Love-led offense. He did struggle with drops (nine) in 2024, but after agent Drew Rosenhaus approached Packers GM Brian Gutekunst with questions about Reed’s role in the wake of Green Bay’s significant investment in the WR position in April’s draft, LaFleur suggested there should be no such concerns in that regard.

The rookie wideouts, Matthew Golden (first round) and Savion Williams (third) could be especially important in the early stages of the season if Reed is forced to miss time. Deep threat Christian Watson was already expected to be sidelined, perhaps until midseason, as a result of the ACL tear he sustained at the end of the 2024 campaign.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirms Watson is expected to be placed on the reserve/PUP list at the end of training camp, which would force the contract-year receiver to miss at least the first four games of the 2025 schedule. While both Fowler and Wes Hodkiewicz of the team’s official website acknowledge Watson is moving well and has shown no lingering effects from his injury, Hodkiewicz cautions Watson is not “going full blast” just yet. Green Bay will exercise patience here, a decision made easier by Golden’s standout camp.

The news is better for linebacker Quay Walker, who will again serve as a starter in the middle of the Green Bay defense. Since the club declined Walker’s fifth-year option – which was not surprising, as the fifth-year number for all linebackers is inflated by the salaries of outside linebackers who rush the passer – Walker is, like Watson, entering a platform season.

Walker opened training camp on the PUP list, and though he was activated on July 23, he had not taken part in 11-on-11 drills until a few days ago. As Demovsky writes, Walker has returned to full participation after dealing with an ankle injury that impacted him most of last year and that caused him to miss the final three regular season games of 2024.

Walker, 25, underwent surgery on the ankle in late May, per Demovsky. Given his camp status, it sounds as if he has made a full recovery, and Gutekunst has expressed a desire to keep the 2022 first-rounder on the club for the foreseeable future. Player and team have recently engaged in extension talks.

Packers Discussed Davante Adams Reunion

May 31st, 2025 at 1:01pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

According to Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, the team explored a reunion with All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams when he became a free agent earlier this offseason.

“I think any time you have a player of that caliber, there’s definitely conversations that go into it,” LaFleur told Kay Adams last week. “Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.”

Adams spent the first eight years of his career in Green Bay but refused to play under a franchise tag in 2022 and requested a trade to the Raiders. Since his departure, the Packers have focused on drafting and developing young receivers rather than signing expensive veterans. They selected Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson in 2022 and Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks in 2023; all four have emerged as reliable targets, though none have matched Adams’ production.

That led to rumors this offseason that the Packers were looking to add a veteran target to round out their room. They never made an offer for D.K. Metcalf, but Adams was apparently on their radar. Instead, they doubled down on their recent youthful strategy, drafting their first wide receiver in the first round since 2002, before that rookie from Texas, Matthew Golden, was even born.

Moving forward with the bodies they have in the building, though, requires them to start looking into new contracts for the players who have been leading the way the past few years. We saw that a week ago, when it was reported that Reed’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, met with Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, to “clarify (Reed)’s status” with the team. At the time, head coach Matt LaFleur was shocked to receive a question about Reed, pointing out how well the young receiver has done with taking Golden under his wing. LaFleur clarified earlier this week that he hadn’t been a part of the conversation between Rosenhaus and Gutekunst, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, and doubled down on Reed continuing to be an excellent leader.

Reed is also reportedly able to lead by example as “he’s good to go now,” despite not undergoing surgery this offseason. His season ended in Philadelphia with a dislocated shoulder and a partially torn labrum. Seemingly, surgery was not necessary for the injuries to heal as Reed claims it took “about four or five months” to remedy without a procedure, according to Ryan Wood of USA Today.

Another receiver attempting to come from injury is Watson, who suffered “a torn ACL and additional damage” in the final week of the regular season. The non-contact injury was initially expected to force some missed time in his 2025 campaign, but a timeline had not been generated in those earlier reports. While still unable to provide a timeline, per Demovsky, LaFleur remains optimistic, claiming that the 25-year-old is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation and recovery.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

NFC North Notes: Reed, Bears, Lions, Vikes

May 24th, 2025 at 12:09pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Since trading Davante Adams to the Raiders in 2022, the Packers have relied on the draft to add wide receivers rather than pursuing veteran talent.

They did so once again this year, drafting Matthew Golden with the 22nd overall pick and double-dipping with Savion Williams in the third round (No. 87 overall). Those picks raised questions about the future of their current receiver corps. Both Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson are entering the last year of their rookie contracts, and Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks are schedule to hit free agency after the 2026 season.

That uncertainty caused Reed’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to meet with Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst in an effort to “clarify the wide receiver’s status in Green Bay,” per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Reed was the team’s leading receiver in his first two NFL seasons, and the Packers intend to keep him in that role moving forward.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur expressed surprise when asked about Reed by NBC Sports’ Chris Simms and praised the 2023 second-rounder’s leadership and production in Green Bay.

“He’s coaching up Matthew Golden, so he’s a guy I don’t worry about,” said LaFleur.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • Isaiah Simmons‘ versatility was one of the main reasons that he was a top-10 pick in 2020, but he has struggled to find a positional fit in the NFL. He signed with the Packers this offseason and will play linebacker in Green Bay, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman. Simmons spent his first five years in the NFL in a hybrid box/slot role; streamlining his responsibilities at LB could help him unlock his athleticism and finally live up to his draft billing.
  • Lions second-round pick Tate Ratledge primarily played guard at Georgia and will compete for starting jobs with veteran Graham Glasgow and 2024 sixth-rounder Christian Mahogany as a rookie, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley added that Ratledge would also see time at center during OTAs to train for a backup role to Frank Ragnow.
  • Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said that rookie Shemar Turner will focus on playing along the interior of the defensive line before the team tests his edge versatility (via Scott Bair of Marquee Sports Network). Turner lined up off the edge at Texas Tech in 2022 and 2023 before bulking up for interior work in 2024. Chicago has depth at both spots this year, but they’re thinner at DT in the long-term, which is where Turner will spend most of his time. Still, his athleticism and experience should give him a chance to contribute as an edge defender at some point in his NFL career.
  • A jury trial for Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison has been scheduled for June 16 in the Superior Court of California, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. Addison received a citation for a DUI in July 2024 and pleaded not guilty in December.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/24/24

July 24th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Placed on active/NFI list: T Gottlieb Ayedze, WR Shaquan Davis
  • Placed on active/PUP list: S Sydney Brown

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

In New Orleans, Young has officially made the comeback from offseason neck surgery, passing his physical today alongside Olave, who is no stranger to offseason injuries.

Treadwell will join his eighth team in nine years after only making one catch in five games with the Ravens last season.

Brown is working his way back from an ACL tear that he suffered in the final game of his rookie season last year, so it’s no surprise that he will start the offseason on PUP.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/21/24

July 21st, 2024 at 8:52pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions to wrap up this final weekend before training camps begin:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Packers Ink Round 2 WR Jayden Reed, Concluding Rookie Signings

July 19th, 2023 at 10:01pm CST by Ely Allen

The Packers follow close on the Saints’ heels as the most recent team to wrap up the signing of their 2023 draft class. According to his agent, David Canter of GSE Worldwide, Michigan State second-round wide receiver Jayden Reed has officially signed his rookie contract.

This area of the second round of the draft has proven to be sticky in concern to contracts. The majority of the remaining unsigned rookies were selected around the early- to mid-second round. If Reed and others around his draft position are able to secure similar guarantees as Panthers’ rookie receiver Jonathan Mingo, it could help set a healthy precedent moving forward.

Reed, fifth-round pick Dontayvion Wicks, and seventh-round selection Grant DuBose will all hope to mirror and build off of some of the success seen from last year’s three rookies, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure. The now veteran leaders had the added benefit of receiving balls off the arm of now-Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers last year, but the new rookies will join with them in an attempt to provide new starter Jordan Love with a bevy of young, talented targets, along with rookie tight end Luke Musgrave, who signed his rookie contract earlier today.

Reed is a slightly undersized target coming off a down year for the Spartans. He transferred to East Lansing after an impressive eight-touchdown, nearly-800-receiving yard-performance at Western Michigan. It took him a couple years to adjust, but by his junior season in 2021, Reed broke out for career-high totals of 59 catches for 1,026 yards and 13 total touchdowns (including one rushing and two on punt returns).

With Watson (6-foot-4) and Doubs (6-foot-2) providing plenty of size, Reed (5-foot-11) provides a versatile new look and ability to the top-end of the receiving corps. If he can overcome the injuries that marred his senior year of college, he has the speed and route-running ability to contribute in the slot, out wide, and in the return game.

It’s no wonder that it took this long for Green Bay to conclude their rookie signings as they had a hefty 13 picks to sign. Here is the Packers’ 2023 draft class:

Round 1, No. 13 (from Jets): Lukas Van Ness, DE (Iowa) (signed)
Round 2, No. 42 (from Browns through Jets): Luke Musgrave, TE (Oregon State) (signed)
Round 2, No. 50 (from Buccaneers): Jayden Reed, WR (Michigan State) (signed)
Round 3, No. 78: Tucker Kraft, TE (South Dakota State) (signed)
Round 4, No. 116: Colby Wooden, DL (Auburn) (signed)
Round 5, No. 149: Sean Clifford, QB (Penn State) (signed)
Round 5, No. 159 (from Falcons through Jaguars and Lions): Dontayvion Wicks, WR (Virginia) (signed)
Round 6, No. 179 (from Texans through Buccaneers): Karl Brooks, DE (Bowling Green) (signed)
Round 6, No. 207 (from 49ers through Texans and Jets): Anders Carlson, K (Auburn) (signed)
Round 7, No. 232: Carrington Valentine, CB (Kentucky) (signed)
Round 7, No. 235 (from Lions through Rams): Lew Nichols III, RB (Central Michigan) (signed)
Round 7, No. 242 (from Jaguars): Anthony Johnson, CB (Virginia) (signed)
Round 7, No. 256: Grant DuBose, WR (Charlotte) (signed)