The newest addition to the Green Bay Packers' receiver room goes by the name of Brenden Rice, a former seventh-round pick claimed off waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders. The first thing you'll hear about him is, understandably, the fact that his father is Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice. Some would say Rice Sr. was the best to ever do it.
That kind of pedigree turns heads by itself. Thus far, Rice's own career has yet to take off. After being drafted 225th overall by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024, he has bounced between practice squads over the past two seasons. Green Bay decided to give him his next shot.
He walks into a wide-open opportunity with the latter half of the Packers' receiver rotation yet to take shape.
Circuitous NFL trajectory has led Brenden Rice to prime chance with Packers
Rice entered the NFL coming off a strong pair of seasons at USC. As a senior, he amassed 791 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on 17.6 yards per catch.
He did appear in three Chargers games as a rookie, logging 13 total snaps between offensive plays and special teams. After being waived in August, Rice joined the New England Patriots' practice squad in November last season. He then bounced to the Seattle Seahawks and Raiders. Las Vegas signed Rice to a futures deal in January before waiving him on May 11.
It's been a roundabout journey en route to the Packers' 91-man roster. The last name can't hurt, though, and Rice's physicality and strong hands are advantageous traits in a big-bodied receiver. In college, they helped make him a contested-catch machine and a red-zone monster.
His 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame is right up the Packers' alley. Rice fits right in the prototype that general manager Brian Gutekunst has favored in the draft. Now-former Packers Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs are both very similar to Rice in size and stature.
The knock on Rice is that he lacks quick feet, something he'll have to work on in drills, but his average vertical speed shouldn't be an issue. Green Bay is hardly obsessed with speed demons in the receiver room. Christian Watson and Matthew Golden can fly. Other than that, Jayden Reed, Wicks, and Doubs posted 40-times between 4.45 and 4.62. Rice notched a 4.50.
While the Packers won't expect him to transform into his dad, he should have a real chance to make waves in training camp. The receiver hierarchy is clear-cut No. 1 through No. 3, but after Watson, Reed, and Golden, it's Savion Williams and a bunch of "guys."
If Green Bay carries six receivers, there will likely be one, at most two spots up for grabs. Competing against a kick returner (Skyy Moore), a part-time cornerback (Bo Melton), practice squaders, and undrafted free agents, Rice should get every chance to show he's got something of Rice Sr.'s genes on the football field.
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