Former Chiefs receiver Sammy Watkins visits with Packers

The Green Bay Packers are remaking their receiving corps this year after securing the services of former MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers for another year (and beyond). On Thursday, they’re turning to wideout Sammy Watkins for a visit in free agency to see if he might become part of the plan.

Watkins has a history of solid production as a physical receiver that Rodgers could definitely appreciate in the offense, but staying healthy has always been Watkins’ greatest problem—one that has plagued him from one team to the next—and questions around his availability might be more of a headache than the Packers want.

Last season, Watkins played in 13 games for the Baltimore Ravens after he signed a single-season deal to catch passes from Lamar Jackson after finishing up a three-year stint in Kansas City. He set multiple career-lows in a year in which the entire Ravens squad was injured with 27 catches, 394 receiving yards, and 1 touchdown.

Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins could potentially join this year’s receiving corps for the Green Bay Packers.

The Kansas City Chiefs employed Watkins from 2018 to 2020 as a secondary receiver who could command defenses to respect his presence alongside Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce. Unfortunately, Watkins suffered a number of injuries that kept him from being available throughout his tenure with the team, and ultimately the front office chose to move on from worrying about the problem.

Watkins is a former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills who has also played with the L.A. Rams as teams across the NFL have crossed their fingers in hopes he could stay healthy. Rodgers and the Packers could be next for the ’22 season, especially in the wake of having lost Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the Chiefs in free agency and having traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders.