The Green Bay Packers are gearing up for their preseason opener against the New York Jets on Saturday night, and it’s an opportunity for some players to make a first impression. While there are many players that are locked into their spots for the 2025 season, there are others on the roster bubble looking to Saturday’s game as an opportunity to earn a job, whether it be in Green Bay or somewhere else.
While most will get to take the field, it can also be a heartbreaking time for the players who don’t. A former Packers receiver was released earlier in training camp but received a reprieve from his new team. But three days after his return, he suffered a season-ending injury that will put his 2025 season on ice.
The #49ers sign Tanner Mordecai, and place Equanimeous St. Brown on the Injured Reserve List.
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 8, 2025
📰: https://t.co/gtV1OVep7C pic.twitter.com/mgTDJOqGe9
Former Packers WR Equanimeous St. Brown Out for Season After Returning to 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers announced on Friday that they are placing former Packers receiver Equanimeous St. Brown on season-ending injured reserve. It’s the latest development in what has been a whirlwind offseason for the 28-year-old, as he had two separate stints with San Francisco sandwiched between a tryout with the Las Vegas Raiders the past couple of weeks.
It’s the latest chapter in a career that has had many twists and turns since the Packers selected St. Brown in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. The brother of Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown, Equanimeous caught 21 passes for 328 scoreless yards during his rookie season with the Packers, but those numbers remain career highs due to a laundry list of injuries.
St. Brown suffered a severe high ankle sprain during a preseason game against the Raiders in 2019 and it caused him to miss the entire regular season. He suffered a knee patella sprain early in the 2020 season and a concussion that limited him to 12 games before another ankle injury and another concussion limited him to 13 games in 2021.
There appeared to be a small reprieve when St. Brown played in a career-high 16 games with the Bears in 2022, but hamstring and pectoral injuries limited him to seven games in 2023. After spending most of last season on the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad, St. Brown has caught 63 passes for 928 yards and two touchdowns over seven seasons.
While he was looking at an opportunity with the 49ers, it ended before it even started, leaving St. Brown with another lost season and an uncertain future.