Pro Football Focus recently linked free agent receiver Pierre Garcon with the Green Bay Packers, arguing the Packers could be the best team fit for a veteran pass-catcher like Garcon.
While the Packers may eventually target a veteran receiver this summer, there are a number of reasons why Garcon makes little sense for Matt LaFleur’s team.
Here are a few:
– Garcon will turn 33 years old in August and has missed 16 total games the last two seasons in San Francisco. Old and injured is a really tough sell. Garcon had knee surgery in December and finished on IR for the second season in a row.
– PFF actually made the best argument against signing Garcon: His grade at the site has dropped each of the last two years. Even when he was on the field in 2018, Garcon was a replacement-level receiver. He caught 52.2 percent of his targets and averaged only 6.2 yards per target (career worst) last season. He’s in decline.
– At this point of their respective careers, it’s hard to argue Garcon is better than Geronimo Allison.
– The Packers like their young receivers much more than outsiders. They are unproven, sure. But it’s a group also brimming with untapped potential. Would giving snaps to Garcon over Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Equanimeous St. Brown and J’Mon Moore benefit the Packers in the long term? The marginal short-term gain (if there is any) would hardly be worth it.
The reasons for adding Garcon at some point this summer are fairly simple: He’s tough and experienced, with reliable hands, an ability to play in the slot and a history of playing in the LaFleur/Shanahan offense. He wouldn’t be the worst option if the Packers get to training camp and sense a need for more experience at receiver, but the concerns about his age, recent injury history and undeniable decline are real.
