The Green Bay Packers were interested in signing Cooper Kupp, but he returned to Washington to play for the Seahawks. Here’s a look at what’s left among the receivers in NFL free agency.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – For the Green Bay Packers, who struck out on the top available veteran receivers in NFL free agency following Cooper Kupp’s decision to sign with the Seattle Seahawks, there are two competing realities.

The first is general manager Brian Gutekunst’s draft-heavy approach. In 2023, with the team transitioning to the Jordan Love era, Gutekunst did not give his first-year starting quarterback a veteran receiver.

“I think that’s important for those guys to grow together,” he said after drafting three receivers in 2023.

The second is this bold comment from Gutekunst a few days after the playoff loss to the Eagles.

“The life of a player in the National Football League is not very long,” he said. “We’ve got a bunch of good guys in that locker room, we’ve got a bunch of talented guys in that locker room, and I think it’s time that we started competing for championships, right? I think they’re ready.”

Will the Packers be forced to grow together at receiver again, with the returning group fortified by another draft pick or two? Or will Gutekunst find it necessary to add some sort of veteran upgrade, even with Davante Adams, DK Metcalf and now Kupp having found new homes?

It’s possible Kupp was the one veteran he believed was worth pursuing but found the three-year, $45 million price tag too rich, though his interest in Kupp might be a clue that he’d like to do something at receiver before the draft.

Here are 14 veterans (with ages as of Week 1).

Amari Cooper (31), Bills

The good: Topped 1,100 yards four times in five seasons, including 72 catches for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns with the Browns in 2023. So, unless his career totally fell off a cliff in 2024, he can still be a contributor and difference-maker. While he might have lost a step, he knows how to get open. He caught 3-of-8 deep passes for Buffalo.

The bad: Cooper’s drop rate in 2024 was 15.4 percent, worse than every receiver other than Allen Lazard, Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed, according to PFF. The Bills added Cooper in Week 7 in hopes that he’d help get them over the top. In 11 total games, he caught 26 passes for 338 yards. That includes six catches for 41 yards in three playoff games. He had 12 yards or less in six games. His best was six catches for 95 yards against the Rams, but that required 14 targets.

Stefon Diggs (31), Texans

The good: Diggs had six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2018 through 2023. In 2023 with Buffalo, he caught 107 passes for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns. Diggs landed with the Texans last year. If you take his eight-game production over the course of a full season, he would have caught 100 passes for 1,054 yards. He had only two drops (4.1 percent).

The bad: Diggs was losing a step, anyway. What will a torn ACL do? He should be ready for Week 1 but being back on the field is different than being back to vintage form. He’d be No. 1, otherwise. Diggs averaged only 10.6 yards per catch in 2024. In 2023, he caught only 6-of-26 deep passes, according to PFF.

Keenan Allen (33), Bears

In 13 games with the Chargers in 2023, Allen caught 108 passes for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns. His 95.6 receiving yards per game ranked among the league leaders. With the Bears last season, he was the No. 3 receiver behind young standout D.J. Moore and rookie Rome Odunze but still caught 70 passes for 744 yards.

The bad: Like most of the receivers on the list, Father Time has impacted his game. In 2024, he caught just 6-of-22 deep passes. He dropped too many passes (eight; 10.3 percent) and averaged only 3.4 yards after the catch.

Elijah Moore (25), Browns

The good: Moore was the 34th overall pick by the Jets in 2021. In four seasons with the Jets and Browns, he caught 200 passes for 2,162 yards and nine touchdowns. He played in all 34 games the past two seasons with a total of 120 catches for 1,178 yards. Before the 2021 draft, he ran his 40 in 4.35 seconds.

The bad: At 5-foot-9 1/2 and 178 pounds, he’s probably too small for Green Bay’s tastes but we moved him up the list because he’s young and fast with some decent production. Some of this is due to the Browns’ quarterback situation, but he had the worst passer rating when targeted (42.4) and the fourth-lowest yards per route 0.91. Because of his size, he struggles in contested-catch situations. On deep passes, his career catch rate is just 31.1 percent. You’d like your small slot to be tough after the catch; for his career, he’s averaged only 3.2 YAC. His 0.91 yards per route was fourth-worst in the NFL.

Tyler Lockett (32), Seahawks

The good: Lockett had big-time wheels when he entered the NFL in 2015. He’s lost a step or two, but he can still scoot; he caught 5-of-12 deep passes last year even while becoming Seattle’s No. 3 receiver. He’s missed only three games and his career drop rate is just 4.1 percent.

The bad: After averaging 16.1 yards per catch in 2021, Lockett averaged 12.3 in 2022, 11.3 in 2023 and 12.2 in 2024. After four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2019 through 2022, Lockett in 17 games in 2024 caught 49 passes for 600 yards in 2024. His yards per route was a career-worst 1.10. He’s not a YAC threat.

Mecole Hardman (27), Chiefs

The good: He’s young and fast (4.33 in the 40 in 2019). He forced 16 missed tackles in 2021 and has a career average of 8.2 yards after the catch.

The bad: A second-round pick in 2019, Hardman had only one decent year (59 catches for 693 yards in 2021). In 23 games the past two seasons, though, he caught a total of 27 passes for 214 yards. His yards per catch has dipped every single year of his career, from 18.9 as a rookie to 7.5 in 2024. Despite speed in the 40, he wasn’t even targeted on a deep pass in 2024.

Diontae Johnson, Ravens

Johnson was a Pro Bowler in 2021 with 107 catches for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021. While his numbers have been on the decline, he did catch eight passes for 122 yards against the Raiders. From 2019 through 2022, he averaged 15.5 forced missed tackles.

The bad: Johnson wore out his welcome with three teams last season, which is quite a feat. That includes the Ravens and Texans, who reached the playoffs and were hoping Johnson could help. His 51.0 passer rating when targeted was second-worst in the league. At his size (5-10 1/2, 183 pounds), he’s never been good in contested-catch situations.

Brandin Cooks (31), Cowboys

The good: Cooks caught about 55 passes for 675 yards in 2022 (with the Texans) and 2023 (with the Cowboys) and was on his way to similar production in 2024 but missed seven games due to a knee injury that required surgery and got infected. In 10 games, he caught 26 passes with zero drops.

The bad: Cooks ranked among the NFL’s worst in yards per route, YAC per catch and contested-catch success. Once upon a time, Cooks had 4.33 speed. In 2022, he caught 10-of-21 deep passes. In 2024, though, he caught just 1-of-9. So, after three consecutive seasons of averaging at least 15.0 yards per catch, he averaged a career-worst 10.0 in 2024.

JuJu Smith-Schuster (28), Chiefs

The good: A second-round pick in 2017, Smith-Schuster caught 111 passes for 1,426 yards for the Steelers in 2018 and had 78 receptions for 933 yards with the Chiefs in 2022. In 2024, he caught only 22 passes but averaged 9.2 yards after the catch and didn’t have any drops. In eight seasons, his drop rate is 4.9 percent.

The bad: In a combined 25 games the past two seasons with the Patriots and his return to the Chiefs, he caught 47 passes for 491 yards. He was 0-for-3 in contested-catch situations last year and is a combined 1-of-8 on deep passes the last four years.

Devin Duvernay (28), Jaguars

The good: A third-round pick in 2020, Duvernay has modest size (5-10 1/2, 200 pounds) but excellent speed (4.39 in the 40). Green Bay’s Keisean Nixon was the All-Pro returner in 2022 and 2023. Duvernay won the award in 2021, when he averaged an NFL-best 13.8 yards per punt return. For his career, he’s got averages of 12.0 yards on punt returns and 24.9 yards per kickoff return (with two touchdowns). His career drop rate as a receiver is 3.7 percent.

The bad: After catching 90 passes during his first three seasons for the Ravens, he caught four passes for 18 yards for Baltimore in 2023 and 11 passes for 79 yards for Jacksonville in 2024.

Terrace Marshall (25), Raiders

The good: Marshall was a second-round pick in 2021, so he was highly regarded coming out of LSU because of his height (6-2 1/2) and speed (4.40). In his lone semi-productive season, 2022, he caught 28 passes for 490 yards – a 17.5-yard average.

The bad: Marshall was released by the Panthers at the end of training camp in 2024 and spent the second half of the year with the Raiders, where he caught three passes in seven games. Despite his size, he’s only 10-of-26 in contested catches in his career.

D.J. Chark, Chargers (28)

The good: Chark was a second-round pick in 2018, and for good reason: He was 6-foot-2 7/8 with 4.34 speed and a 40-inch vertical. It looked like the Jaguars had a star when he had 73 catches for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019. While he never got close to replicating that production, he averaged 16.7 yards per catch for the Lions in 2022 and 15.0 yards per catch for the Panthers in 2023.

The bad: Chark caught 73 passes in 2019 and a total of 76 the past four seasons. He missed most of 2021 with a broken ankle and the first half of 2024 with an injured hip. In seven games for the Chargers, who badly needed receivers, he caught four passes for 31 yards. For his size, he hasn’t been good enough in contested catches and his career drop rate is 9.2 percent.

Velus Jones (28), Panthers

The good: Jones was a third-round pick in 2022 with decent size (5-11 3/4) and great speed (4.31 in the 40). He’s got an 8.3-yard average on 20 career carries in the NFL; the Packers do like to hand the ball to their receivers. Jones, who had two career kickoff-return touchdowns in college, has a career average of 26.5 yards per kickoff return in the NFL.

The bad: Jones in 29 games with the Bears (27) and Panthers (two) caught only 12 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown. The Bears in 2024 moved him to running back to salvage his career, to no avail. The Panthers signed him late in the season and placed him at receiver.

Michael Gallup (29), Cowboys

Gallup retired before training camp last season but wants back in the game. A third-round pick by Dallas in 2018, in six seasons he caught 266 passes for 3,744 yards and 21 touchdowns. He caught 34 passes for 418 yards in 17 games in 2023. His career drop rate is 10.4 percent.

Nelson Agholor (32), Ravens

In 14 games for the Ravens, Agholor caught 14 passes for 231 yards. That’s meager production, obviously, but at least it’s a robust 16.5-yard average. He’s always been able to stretch the field but he had a few bad years with drops and was only 2-of-11 on contested catches in 2024.