It does not look like Devin Funchess‘ Packers career will end up leading to any regular-season games. For the second straight year, the veteran wide receiver will not play for Green Bay.
The Packers placed Funchess on IR Wednesday. This move will end his season. While an injury settlement would allow Funchess to catch on with another team and play in 2021, Wednesday’s transaction will prevent him from suiting up for the Packers this year.
Funchess has not played since Week 1 of the 2019 season. An injury landed him on the Colts’ IR list that year. He then opted out of the 2020 season. The former Panthers draftee was set vying for a role in a now-crowded Packers receiving corps but suffered an injury during a Packers-Jets joint practice last week. Funchess did play in Green Bay’s preseason opener, showing some promise with a six-catch, 70-yard outing. It will be interesting to see if he lands elsewhere later this year.
The 27-year-old wideout signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal with the Packers in 2020. That deal tolled to 2021 after Funchess’ opt-out. That contract represented the highest-profile receiver move of the Packers’ scrutinized 2020 offseason, which brought Jordan Love to town but no other wideouts of note. A year later, however, young pass catchers Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling have more experience and are set to reprise their supporting-cast roles. The Packers also traded for Randall Cobb and drafted Clemson’s Amari Rodgers in Round 3. Funchess accepted a pay cut earlier this offseason.
A former second-round pick, Funchess broke out during Carolina’s 2017 playoff season. The 6-foot-4 receiver caught 63 passes for 840 yards and eight touchdowns. Beyond that year, however, the Michigan product has not surpassed 550 yards in a season. While the Colts and Packers gave him one-year contracts, Funchess has seen his career stall since leaving the Panthers.
Additionally, the Packers signed defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson and cornerback Stephen Denmark. They waived wide receiver Chris Blair as well.
Went from “odd man out” days before camp opened to “near lock” after less than a week of camp, to this. Big hit to the WR corps…
Big hit? He might of been cut anyway. Could of been useful maybe but would be a 4th or 5th option
I wasn’t being serious.
Still had a better career than Tony Mandarich.
If you look at Mandarich’s career that is not true. Mandarich played in 81 games. Had some decent years just not what he was supposed to. Funchess 41 games.
Nah. Mandarich was a serviceable lineman for the Colts for three season. Funchess? Not so much.
Once they traded for Cobb, this was always gonna be the result for Funchess, IR or waived. Now Malik Taylor may get a shot.
Well, as always, that “we have too man receivers”, narrative is gone like that. Issue resolved. Adams, Lazard, MVS, Cobb, Rodgers are guaranteed.
One last battle for the last spot between EQ, Winfree, Taylor or Begleton. Unless their is a surprise probably between EQ and Taylor. Taylor probably gets it because he plays special teams. Just a guess EQ gets cut and Winfree and Begelton get practice squad offers if no one claims.
The situation is really starting to spiral for the GB front office. Even if the team wins big, it’s going to hard for them to take credit. This is a humbling game, even for guys wearing suits.
You are patently clueless if you make that statement because a street WR like Funchess didn’t make the team. Injury?
I think he’s more pointing to the fact that their signings have, with the exception of Z. Smith and maybe Amos, have been pretty mediocre. Funchess was also supposed to be the reason they didn’t need a receiver last year. Was it a bad signing at the time? No, because none of the Packers receivers are big possession targets (Lazard is the closest) and Funchess plays that style. But it’s hard to accept the “we know what we’re doing” line when their solutions have yet to bear any fruit-again, minus Z. Smith.
This is exactly my point. Nothing wrong with the Funchess signing. Not a huge loss that he’s hurt. However, it makes it hard to say there was no need at the position. For what it’s worth, Z Smith got hurt right after the team refused to consider re-signing Clay Mathews. I guess I’m saying their efforts to thwart Rodgers keep backfiring. Even if they win this year(probably will), it going to look like they won in spite of the front office rather than because of them. JMO.
GM front office built teams that have gone 26-6 and in two league championship games. Ya really spirally out of control, cause a receiver who hasn’t played in two years got hurt and they put him on injured reserve. Good golly.
Green Bay has gone 26-6 because of a player drafted in 2004. Let’s not pretend that the best of this roster was constructed by the current regime, or that their additions have accounted for the majority of its success.
The other top contributors (Adams, Clark, Bakhtiari) we’re mostly there before Gutekunst arrived.
You think maybe if you’re going to report on an injury you might mention somewhere in the article what the injury is??? Just a suggestion.
Suck-itis.
Gee, The Packers just claimed 2 Ex Bears. Kinda makes you see Rodgers point about the Front Office Huh?
Means little to nothing. All teams are taking a look at the last few roster spots maybe even as practice squad guys. No I don’t see it at all.
Rodgers doesn’t know diddly. Most of the guys he thought the Packers should’ve kept had short careers with other teams and then were cut. Look at the team they’ve put out on the field. We have a top 5 offensive line, top 5 secondary, top 5 backfield, one of the best nose tackles in the game, good outside linebackers, best receiver in the game and a tight end group that’s in the top half of the league. The only thing I agreed with Rodgers on is that they should let him help recruit free agents and communicate with players that they aren’t going to re-sign. Let them know why.