Fresh off a lucrative extension, Jayden Reed looks to rebound from an injury-shortened season and reclaim his role as a cornerstone of the Green Bay Packers' offense.
We're officially 8 days from the start of the 2026 NFL season for the Green Bay Packers. Whether you're ready or not, football season is here.
The Packers kick off their 2026 season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 13, from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Talk about pressure. The Vikings are certainly in a transitional place as a franchise, but getting going against an NFC North foe ratchets up the intensity of this season from the get-go.
It's a big season for the Packers. There's a belief that they're in a Super Bowl window right now, which means every single game is important. That means the intensity will be there in Week 2 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets and it will certainly be there in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons, when the Packers will play at Lambeau Field for the first time in 2026.
There's going to be a lot of proverbial ink spilled on this 2026 season and we here at PackersRoundtable hope that you spend as much time as possible with us talking about the ins and outs and ups and downs of the Packers.
As we prepare for the 2026 season, though, we're going to kick things off with a rankings series looking at the Top 50 Packers heading into the 2025 season.
At No. 8 we have wide receiver Jayden Reed
Ranking the Top 50 Packers Heading Into 2026: No. 8, Jayden Reed
Jan 5, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) during the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.pJayden Reed's first two seasons in the NFL made it seem as if the Packers had plucked out a WR1 in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. In two seasons, he played in 33 games with 23 starts and caught 119 passes for 1,650 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Reed has great speed and can be a killer in the open field. He gets good yards after the catch as a slot receiver but is also sneaky good over the top on the outside.
Reed still has the potential to be one of the better receivers in the NFC when all is said and done, but last season was a struggle due to injury. He played in just seven games due to a broken right collarbone during a game against the Washington Commanders on September 11, 2025. Ironically, he suffered the injury on a beautiful touchdown catch.
He came back by the end of the season and the Packers like him so much that they gave him a three-year, $50.25 million contract extension.
Reed is a big part of this offense, but it's worth noting that he's arguably going to be Jordan Love's fourth-favorite option behind Christian Watson, Tucker Kraft and Matthew Golden.
2025 Synopsis:
That collarbone injury in Week 2 really stole what could have been a great season from Reed. In Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, he caught 3-of-5 targets for 45 yards and a touchdown. In the playoffs against the Chicago Bears, he caught 4-of-7 targets for 43 yards and a touchdown.
In all last season, including the playoffs, Reed caught 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns.
Notable Quotables:
“He is a dog. He’s a war daddy. He goes out there and he’s such a competitor. Got a lot of confidence in him. He continues to make big-time plays.” - Matt LaFleur
Projected Role in 2026:
Reed will be the WR3 for the Packers but he should be one of the better slot receivers in the conference and it should be nothing for him to get back to 500-plus yards and multiple touchdowns this season.
Previous Rankings:
