1 obvious Packers trade candidate entering 2025 training camp

It should have become painfully obvious to Watson what the Packers were thinking when they selected a wide receiver (Golden) in the first round of the draft. But the writing on the wall got thicker when they grabbed Williams in the third round.

Another thing not helping Watson is his vast potential. Each year, it seems he has been the guy who would break out. His seven-touchdown rookie season set the bar high. But in each of the past two years, Watson has been held below 30 receptions. He did score five touchdowns in 2023, but managed only two last year.

Watson is coming off an ACL injury, which would make it more difficult for the Packers to trade him. But his workout videos could pique the interest of other teams. Watson looked like he was moving full speed in a video post on X by Zach Jacobson.

Also, head coach Matt LaFleur said he believes Watson is moving along well, according to fox47.com.

“Christian is doing outstanding,” LaFleur said. “I would say he’s ahead of schedule. “But again, I’m not a doctor. I’m not (on the) medical staff. So we’ll see where he’s at.”

WR Christian Watson looking for payday

Watson is in a precarious spot because this is the final year of his rookie contract. He needs to put a healthy year on the board if he wants to get big bucks in the offseason. Watson said he’s working hard.

“I’ve got a couple more months ahead of me,” Watson said. “But I’m attacking it every day. I’m in a really good spot. I was raised to be a fighter and to chase after the things that I want. I’ve gotten a lot in my life so far, but there’s still a lot of things that I want, so I’m going to keep on fighting for it.”

There’s no doubt the Packers value Watson. Earlier in the offseason, LaFleur talked about what he means to the team.

“It doesn’t help when you lose a guy like Christian Watson,” LaFleur said. “And who knows when we’ll get him back. His physicality, his speed, he’s an intelligent player. You could move him from position to position within a game, and not everybody can handle that. That is a big loss for us, but those other guys are going to have to pick up the slack.”

Packers trying to find right speed combination

The Packers have tried to replace Watson’s speed by bringing in Hardman.

“We brought in Mecole, and he’s got a lot of speed,” General Manager Brian Gutekunst said. “Certainly, Jayden fits that bill as well. Luke Musgrave is a guy if we can consistently keep out on the field, provides a speed element that can stretch the defense, so I think we have that ability even without Christian.

“Christian’s a pretty dynamic guy, there’s not many guys like him in our league. So when he’s out there it certainly changes things. Getting him healthy down the stretch will be a really important part of that, but I do think we can handle that as we are.”

The biggest thing is that the Packers have the depth to trade Watson. And the team has needs on the defensive side of the ball. Cutting bait with Alexander means the cornerback room won’t be as strong. So the Packers might explore a deal where they get a starting-level cornerback in exchange for Watson.

This is a Super Bowl hopeful season for the Packers. They have many of the pieces in place to make a run for it. So the right kind of deal in the summer might be enough to push them over the top.