Devin Funchess opt-out amplifies Packers’ curious NFL Draft choices
Devin Funchess’ decision to opt-out of the 2020 season amplifies the Packers’ curious 2020 NFL Draft choices.
As NFL players across the league are reporting or getting set to report for training camp in the coming days, teams are being hit with news of certain players — high-risk or not — deciding to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season.
The league and players have worked out the financial issues for the players who do not want to accept the risk of playing this season, and one player who has decided to opt-out of the 2020 season is Green Bay Packers wide receiver Devin Funchess, the team’s only significant addition at receiver in the entire offseason.
From Devin Funchess on opting out (via Instagram): pic.twitter.com/4Nbcy6lq0w
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) July 28, 2020
Funchess only played in one game last year with the Indianapolis Colts with a clavicle injury, so by the time he takes the field for the Green Bay Packers — presumably in the 2021 offseason — he will have only played one game since 2018.
Even though Funchess is a bigger name at the receiver position, he’s been a clear WR2 or WR3 option throughout his NFL career. The Packers decided to sign Funchess to a modest one-year, $2.5 million contract and after that, they didn’t use a single one of their 2020 NFL Draft picks on the wide receiver position.
Considering this wide receiver class was one of the deepest in recent memory, that decision by the Packers was curious at the time and it’s even more bizarre now.
The Packers’ top five players last season in targets were:
- Davante Adams
- Aaron Jones
- Jimmy Graham
- Marquez Valdez-Scantling
- Geronimo Allison
Adams and Jones are back, as is Valdez Scantling, but Graham is gone, Allison is gone, and as you can see here the Packers’ wide receiver position outside of Davante Adams was lackluster a season ago.
Valdez-Scantling finished the season with 26 receptions on 56 targets.
One player who could be a major factor in 2020 is former undrafted free agent Allen Lazard, who seems to be the wide receiver with the most trust coming from Aaron Rodgers. He could take a significant step forward in 2020 and really, the Packers desperately need him to.
For this team’s wide receiver depth chart to not change at all from a season ago is irresponsible of general manager Brian Gutekunst, not to mention the fact that the team ticked off franchise QB Aaron Rodgers by drafting Jordan Love in the first round this year.
Next. 2021 two-round mock draft update. dark
The Packers’ roster, overall, seems ready to contend for a championship. If their issue at wide receiver persists throughout the 2020 season, they can look back on the failure that was the 2020 offseason to thank for it.