Packers have decision to make on Devin Funchess’ future

After an exciting season for the Green Bay Packers that resulted in a second consecutive NFC title game appearance as well as the league’s highest-scoring offense, it’s easy to forget they were expecting Devin Funchess to play in 2020.

While the Packers surprisingly didn’t draft a receiver last spring, they did sign Funchess in free agency.

Funchess didn’t play in 2020 as he opted out due to the Covid-19 pandemic. His contract rolls into the following season as a result.

For the Packers, they have a decision to make.

Clearly, they had a role in mind for Funchess when they signed him to a one-year deal last offseason. Do they still see Funchess making the same impact, or will they look elsewhere for wide receiver help in the coming months?

According to Over The Cap, Funchess’ cap hit for 2021 is $2.27 million. It’s an affordable number but the Packers need to determine whether Funchess is a big part of their plans moving forward. If not, their best bet could be to move on and draft a wide receiver.

If Green Bay release Funchess, it would save over half of the cap hit and pay just $1 million in dead cap. In an offseason that will require the team to make multiple moves just to get under the salary cap, the $1.27 million saved by releasing Funchess might prove to be important.

However, there are plenty of other moves the Packers can make. If they feel Funchess can make this offense better, his cap hit is a relatively low one.

Perhaps the biggest concern is that Funchess has only played in one regular season game since 2018. That game was Week 1 of the 2019 season with the Colts. He would suffer a season-ending injury and hasn’t played since.

After opting out in 2020, Green Bay will get the opportunity to bring back Funchess next season. It all depends on Matt LaFleur’s plans at the wide receiver position and Funchess’ role moving forward.