Packers should keep eyes on Jets WR Corey Davis this offseason
By Paul Bretl
With a very young wide receiver room, adding a veteran to the mix should be on the Green Bay Packers offseason to-do list. One name to watch is current New York Jets wide receiver, Corey Davis.
Davis is entering the third year of a three-year contract with the Jets that comes with a cap hit of $10.5 million. According to Zach Rosenblatt, who covers the Jets for The Athletic, people in and around the Jets are operating under the assumption that Davis will be a cap casualty this offseason. This would free up just under $10 million in cap space, something they could use as they are currently over and rank 19th in available cap space, according to Over the Cap.
Since signing with New York, Davis has missed 12 games and had modest production. During that span, he’s been targeted 123 times, catching 66 of those passes (53.7%) although at an impressive 15.6 yards per catch with six touchdowns. In fact, his 16.8 yards per catch in 2022 was the sixth-best rate in football, according to PFF ($$).
If Davis is cut, signing him as a free agent would make sense for a few reasons for the Packers.
One is that this is a very young wide receiver room that could use a veteran presence to help add some stability. Davis also played under Matt LaFleur when he was in Tennessee, as well as Mike LaFleur with the Jets, so the transition to Green Bay’s offense should be relatively seamless. He also shouldn’t break the bank either as a free agent, which is a good thing for the salary-cap-strapped Packers.
If Green Bay were to show interest, this also wouldn’t be the first time, either. Last offseason, with the receiver position in flux, Jason Hirschhorn of The Leap reported that the Packers did explore trading for Davis.
Perhaps with all the rumors swirling about Aaron Rodgers being traded to the Jets, Davis could be a part of that package. However, in that case, Green Bay would inherit his contract, and paying $10.5 million — in cap space the Packers don’t have — for that level of production makes little sense for them.
If acquired, expectations shouldn’t be that Davis is going to step in and be the guy for the Packers at the receiver position. That role will belong to Christian Watson, but in a wide receiver room with four players who were rookies in 2022 and a fifth who was a 2020 UDFA with no experience, having a veteran presence, both on the field and in the locker room, is an important element to have.
Adding Davis to the mix also shouldn’t alter how the Packers approach the draft either. An early-round addition to the position should still very much be in play.
This could all very well end up being a moot point if the Jets end up hanging on to Davis, which maybe they would be more inclined to do if they ended up acquiring Rodgers. However, if they do move on from the veteran receiver, I’d keep an eye on the Packers as a potential landing spot.