GREEN BAY \u2014 Christian Watson certainly cares about how Jayden Reed\u2019s season-ending neck injury impacts the Green Bay Packers offense. And he also cares about what it means for Reed\u2019s football career.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But more than anything else, Watson was concerned about how his fellow wide receiver was coping with his upcoming surgery and the knowledge that his season is over after it barely got started.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s super tough, obviously, to have a brother that’s going through something like that,\u201d Watson said Wednesday afternoon as the Packers (1-2) prepped for their road matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3) on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, my first thought for him is just to make sure that he’s OK as a as a man \u2014 outside of football and everything. It’s definitely a big loss for the football team, but we\u2019ve just got to rally around him through his recovery and rally as a football team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reed suffered the neck injury on the second play of the Packers\u2019 Sept. 20 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium and spent the night at a local hospital after being carted off the field. He missed last Thursday night\u2019s loss to the Atlanta Falcons and was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday to make room on the 53-man roster for new offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler.<\/p>\n
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that the injury would be season-ending and that he spoke with Reed on Tuesday, when Reed informed him that he\u2019d need to undergo surgery.<\/p>\n
LaFleur said Reed would be sidelined for \u201ca significant amount of time\u201d but that the injury is not career-ending.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tough on him. He\u2019s a guy who wants to be out there and compete,\u201d LaFleur said of Reed, who suffered a broken collarbone in Week 2 last season and underwent two surgeries \u2014 one on the collarbone, the other on the Jones fracture in his foot \u2014 and missed 10 games before returning to action late in the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnytime you go through a situation like that, it\u2019s a pretty scary deal. I didn\u2019t even realize the magnitude at the time, but certainly when I was out there with him, and just seeing what was going on, it shocks you. It jolts you a little bit because you never want to see anyone in that position, let alone one of your own guys \u2014 a guy you have a lot of love for and brings so much to this organization, this football team, to the locker room. He\u2019s an energy guy. He will certainly be missed.\u201d<\/p>\n
A second-round pick from Michigan State in 2023, Reed led the Packers in receiving in each of his first two seasons before his injuries derailed him last year.<\/p>\n
With 2026 being the final year of his rookie contract, Reed signed a three-year, $50.25 million extension during the offseason that paid him $20.5 million as a guaranteed signing bonus and ties him to the team through the 2029 season.<\/p>\n
Watson said he\u2019s spoken with Reed multiple times since the injury and that his teammate and friend is \u201cdoing as good as he can be\u201d given the circumstances.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously that’s a tough situation for anybody to be going through, regardless of how long you’re out for,\u201d Watson said. \u201cI mean, it’s a serious thing that he’s going through, and honestly, any injury is tough to go through or anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m just trying to keep his spirits up. I mean, he definitely seems like he’s in as good spirits as you can be for the situation that he’s in. So just continue to be there for him in that aspect, and I think it’s in good shape.\u201d<\/p>\n
From a football perspective, the Packers will try to re-create Reed in the aggregate, using returner Skyy Moore on some of the gadget-style plays and Bo Melton and undrafted rookie J. Michael Sturdivant to pick up the pass-catching slack behind Watson and Matthew Golden.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, we all know what J-Reed\u2019s capable of. He did so many great things throughout OTAs, training camp and, obviously, in years prior. Some of the stuff, you can\u2019t just put somebody else in to do that right away,\u201d quarterback Jordan Love said Wednesday. \u201cBut, we\u2019ve got other guys that have played ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Skyy will be a big part of that. He\u2019s a guy that\u2019s played a lot of ball, [and] he\u2019s been making plays. I\u2019ve got a lot of confidence in him and whatever [other] guy that might be \u2014 it might be Bo, it might be J-Mike \u2014stepping up and filling that void that we\u2019re missing with J-Reed.\u201d<\/p>\n
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