With the losses of All-Pro Davante Adams and speedster Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the Green Bay Packers were forced to make some moves at the receiver position this offseason.
They signed free-agent receiver Sammy Watkins to a one-year deal. They also drafted three receivers in April’s NFL Draft: Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure.
Veterans Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard are also back for another year, along with motivated second-year receiver Amari Rodgers.
The Packers have a nice balance of experience and youth, but with $17 million in cap space, the team should be as aggressive as possible in order to get the most out of this final stretch with QB Aaron Rodgers.
A veteran receiver like T.Y. Hilton could be one more steady veteran to help the Green Bay passing attack.
Hilton has had a solid NFL career. The 32-year-old has spent his decade-long career with the Indianapolis Colts. The Florida native had four consecutive Pro Bowl appearances from 2014-2017. It should’ve been five consecutive Pro Bowl trips.
Hilton has had five 1,000-yard seasons in his career. He has had four seasons with 75+ receptions. He has been a key big-play receiver throughout his career (15.4 career yards per reception).
Hilton is also a trusted receiver. He has accumulated 90+ targets in eight of his 10 seasons. The former Florida International star has played 15+ games in seven of his 10 seasons in the league.
The former 2016 receiving yards leader has not yet been offered a free agent deal. If the Packers offered a one-year deal to Hilton, that would make the most sense. His deep-threat ability can help replace that of Valdes-Scantling’s.
Hilton has played on some good teams with a few great quarterbacks before in Andrew Luck and Philip Rivers. He knows how to play for a winning culture too. Green Bay, like Indianapolis, is a winning, first-class organization.
It would be a sneaky good move if Packers GM Brian Gutekunst brought in Hilton to catch passes from Aaron Rodgers.