Packers offseason blueprint: 5 free agency targets, mock draft

1. WR Paul Richardson

Wide receiver is quietly a huge need for the Packers. The unit as currently constructed is aging and slow. Jordy Nelson‘s prime has passed, and while the return of Aaron Rodgers will make him look like Jerry Rice compared to last season, the team cannot count on Nelson to be among the league’s most dangerous receivers any longer.

Randall Cobb and Davante Adams are talented, but the team sorely lacks speed. The unit as a whole ranks as the slowest in the NFL by a considerable margin and needs to add some speed on the boundary. This is where Richardson could become a weapon for the Packers.

A big contract at the receiver position will be hard to swallow. The team is already dishing out $38 million to Adams, Nelson and Cobb. But the team can fit in another receiver if they opt to either waive or restructure the contract of Nelson or Cobb.

Mike McCarthy has become terribly limited in his play calling due to the complete lack of quickness offensively. Richardson could become both a deep threat and an underneath receiver for Rodgers. The team has also sorely needed a threat on end arounds or out of the backfield, a staple of offensive formations in Green Bay.

Richardson is not the world’s most dynamic receiver, but he is simply more athletic and fast than any receiving threat on the Packers’ roster at the moment. For a team that was victimized by predictable play calling and a lack of dynamism, Richardson could help make the difference for a stagnant offense.

Projected contract: Four years/$27 million