2024 Roster Status/Tracker

[tynimiller]

Would his agent really allow that? That would mean he'd play in '26 on a cap # of $2.9mil and be a FA in '27 as a 4-year vet at age 28.

I don’t believe there is a “choice” in this.

 

[mradtke66]

Would his agent really allow that? That would mean he'd play in '26 on a cap # of $2.9mil and be a FA in '27 as a 4-year vet at age 28.

If Watson can't pass a physical, there isn't a choice. He starts the pre-season on the PUP, presumably isn't ready by week 6, so he must be activated "eventually" to have 2025 count.

As he was injured in Week 18 and ACL recoveries are roughly 1 year of recovery, there is a very real chance he isn't activated during the regular season. That brings us to him needing to be activated for the playoffs. While we presume to make them next year, if something flukey happens and we miss them, 2025 tolls. End of story. Assuming we do make the playoffs, is it wise to bring back a player on a rookie deal, missing 1 year of practice, in the most important games a team has each year?

I presume he's here for 2026 on that tolled contract.

 

[tynimiller]

If Watson can't pass a physical, there isn't a choice. He starts the pre-season on the PUP, presumably isn't ready by week 6, so he must be activated "eventually" to have 2025 count.

As he was injured in Week 18 and ACL recoveries are roughly 1 year of recovery, there is a very real chance he isn't activated during the regular season. That brings us to him needing to be activated for the playoffs. While we presume to make them next year, if something flukey happens and we miss them, 2025 tolls. End of story. Assuming we do make the playoffs, is it wise to bring back a player on a rookie deal, missing 1 year of practice, in the most important games a team has each year?

I presume he's here for 2026 on that tolled contract.

Barring a crazy fast turn around and recovery, I agree 100%.

I also in the scenario of say he is not able to be activated all year and then we activate him just for the playoffs.....I'm sorry I would be so incredibly PISSED at the Packers that'd be an insanely dirty way to force him to enter FA and take less likely due to having zero film recently essentially.

I truly think 2026 will be his year to prove to what degree he is back and ready to be that weapon GB has always seen he is.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Barring a crazy fast turn around and recovery, I agree 100%.

I also in the scenario of say he is not able to be activated all year and then we activate him just for the playoffs.....I'm sorry I would be so incredibly PISSED at the Packers that'd be an insanely dirty way to force him to enter FA and take less likely due to having zero film recently essentially.

I truly think 2026 will be his year to prove to what degree he is back and ready to be that weapon GB has always seen he is.

Watson and his agent might not mind that happening IMO. I think if he has to sit out 2025, but made free agency afterwards (for whatever reasons), he gets a bigger deal than the $1.965M he would get if his contract was tolled into 2025. Maybe not a bigger base, but a vet min. with lots of incentives pay.

Obviously, we don't know the full extent of his injuries yet or I don't. All I read was "Torn ACL and other things". If he can't get his old speed back, or ends up going through a Bahk like recovery, he may have played his last NFL game. His previous injury history won't favor him in the slightest when it comes to a team taking a chance on him.

 

[tynimiller]

Watson and his agent might not mind that happening IMO. I think if he has to sit out 2025, but made free agency afterwards (for whatever reasons), he gets a bigger deal than the $1.965M he would get if his contract was tolled into 2025. Maybe not a bigger base, but a vet min. with lots of incentives pay.

Obviously, we don't know the full extent of his injuries yet or I don't. All I read was "Torn ACL and other things". If he can't get his old speed back, or ends up going through a Bahk like recovery, he may have played his last NFL game. His previous injury history won't favor him in the slightest when it comes to a team taking a chance on him.

I don't see that, only because at that rate his agent is going to be fighting with teams not wanting to do multi-year deals or do HIGH value single year deals for a guy that hasn't played in a year basically.

If he has a typical recovery time I think the best case for both sides is tolls over to 2026 and Watson lays down a case to be paid out in a multi-year deal of a lot more than he'd have gotten otherwise.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I don't see that, only because at that rate his agent is going to be fighting with teams not wanting to do multi-year deals or do HIGH value single year deals for a guy that hasn't played in a year basically.

If he has a typical recovery time I think the best case for both sides is tolls over to 2026 and Watson lays down a case to be paid out in a multi-year deal of a lot more than he'd have gotten otherwise.

If he doesn't play at all in 2025 and remains a Packer, I would take advantage of his final contract year (2025) tolling into 2026 and not work out a new deal until mid season, if that. I like Watson, but given his injury history, paying him too much, especially in guarantees, wouldn't be the way to go. I do think that along with this and the fact that Doub's deal is after 2025 and Reid after 2026, the Packers will be using a high pick on a WR.

 

[Voyageur]

In the meantime, with all the discussions on Watson, the team will have to move on and either sign a FA WR or bring one or two in through the draft, with the intent of him never playing again. There's no way they're going to stand with him. They're going to move on as if he's never playing another down with the team, even if they keep talking about him coming back.

Based on the talent coming out, I see about 8 WRs taken in the first two rounds, maybe as many as 10s. There's some good hands and speed on the table to choose from. The question is, can the Packers afford to take someone in one of the first two picks, or wait until #3? Which would be in the mid 80s. If you can hold out until the 4th round, I'd go with Dont'e Thornton out of Tennessee. The guy runs a 4.3, is about 6-5, has long arms, and big hands. Speed and reach. Someone who can hand fight for those long balls and either get the catch or an interference call on plays. In the right system, where they can utilize his skills, he could be something special. I honestly believe he could bring field stretching skills to the Packers. You almost have to double team him to insure you can take those long arms out of play. Because of his length and hands, combined with his speed, he reminds a little bit of an undersized Calvin Johnson. That said, I've only watched him play in a couple of games on TV, and saw some clips of him, so I'm kind of guessing here. One of the things I liked was his hip rotation. Smooth, and changes direction without having to adjust his body. Very fluid. I do wish he'd add some muscle though. I think he goes somewhere in the 205# range even if they say more. He's very slender.

 

[Sanguine camper]

Watson will be back in 2026 because he'll be cheap. That doesn't mean he won't be cut but at least he'll get one more chance. My guess is that he'll be back in 2026, make the team, play some games and then get hurt for the last time.
I feel bad for him. He's really worked hard and made himself a dynamite blocker. He deserves much better but life's not fair.

 

[tynimiller]

Watson will be back in 2026 because he'll be cheap. That doesn't mean he won't be cut but at least he'll get one more chance. My guess is that he'll be back in 2026, make the team, play some games and then get hurt for the last time.
I feel bad for him. He's really worked hard and made himself a dynamite blocker. He deserves much better but life's not fair.

He will be back in 2026 in likelihood only because his contract will toll to that year rather than 2025 due to if he is PUP all year next year.

 

[OldSchool101]

Yeah. Thus puts WR as a top 2 positional need imo. CB, WR. On another angle… We could consider going FA at WR. I don’t like that idea as much because WR are so financially demanding.

 

[tynimiller]

I just don’t see the desperate need I guess like others

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I just don’t see the desperate need I guess like others

I don't see a "desperate" need for a WR for 2025. If there is, they better look for a vet WR. Expecting a rookie to fill an immediate need wouldn't be smart.

Why do I think that they have an immediate draft need for 1-2 WR's? Simple answer. The future.

 

[OldSchool101]

We spread the ball around pretty good at WR, but I still feel like when you get into that Top 50 overall area you can get a good one. Looks like #9 is out for 2025. I’d go lock down another WR. Also we took a year off at drafting the WR position altogether in 2024. I do not recommend taking consecutive years off by NOT drafting at
OL, CB or WR

There’s not a great selection in FA this year imo.

 

[Voyageur]

When you're drafting roughly 24th & 54th in the first two rounds, you need to proceed cautiously with your picks. The "can't miss" talent has pretty much disappeared in round one, and in round two, you're looking at guys who have a lot of talent but not necessarily in the positions of need for your team. So much of our draft is going to depend on where they go with resigning our own free agents, and in those they bring into the fold. If you can get two gets like McKinney and Jacobs in other areas of need, you done struck pay dirt, and the draft can help you do some serious roster building. I'm not certain how that looks at this point, because I can't say just how much the Packers value certain players that they have, who are going to be testing the free agent market.

Like previously stated, I don't see the free agent market at WR this coming off season as being that deep. Not deep enough to spend a lot of money on it. Nobody stands out as being that field stretcher you need. At CB, as I've said before, I'd try to get D.J. Reed. I wouldn't be upset if they got Rasul Douglas back either. He'd make a solid addition but the question is whether or not he'd even want to return to the Packers. A good interior defensive lineman would be B.J. Hill, out of Cincinnati. The guy has a good power move into the backfield and acts as a solid anchor. I think he's about 30 years old. Lots of options out there, but weak at some spots in FA market.

 

[tynimiller]

I don't see a "desperate" need for a WR for 2025. If there is, they better look for a vet WR. Expecting a rookie to fill an immediate need wouldn't be smart.

Why do I think that they have an immediate draft need for 1-2 WR's? Simple answer. The future.

I get this BUT, in the past when Gute has loaded up a draft at WR it is typically when there is a shorter number of guys already on the team that the team knows and likes. Even without Watson this team is still 5 deep with Doubs, Reed, Wicks, Heath and Melton for sure making the roster. This is why I don't envision any more than 2 perhaps actual roster threats added and likelihood is in 2025 its lower tier guys...either two day 3s or maybe a day 3 and a MVS level type signing in FA. Time will tell...I also know Gute isn't one to ignore a prospect that falls either so if we leave Day 2 this year of the draft and we've drafted a wideout - I'm 100% betting it is a guy that fell well beyond what they figured he would and couldn't ignore picking him.