Surprise Move: Packers Sign National Champion WR Just Days Before the Draft

Green Bay Packers Sign Pass Catcher, Former CFP National Champ Before Draft

The Green Bay Packers are expected to add to their stock of pass catcher in the 2025 NFL Draft. The biggest question is if the Packers will take a wide receiver in the first round of the draft or wait until Day 2 to give quarterback Jordan Love help.

General manager Brian Gutekunst doesn’t like the idea of taking a receiver in the first round because they don’t typically make an immediate impact. However, the Packers need to think about WR in the short term with Christian Watson’s injury recovery and in the long term as Watson and Romeo Doubs are in the final year of their rookie contracts.

On Monday, the Packers signed a pass catcher for depth purposes before the start of OTAs.

The Green Bay Packers re-signed a tight end

Detroit Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III (23) and Green Bay Packers tight end John FitzPatrick (86) exchange words in the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Per the league’s transaction wire, the Packers met with linebacker Isaiah Simmons and re-signed tight end John FitzPatrick.

The Atlanta Falcons selected FitzPatrick in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. He played college football for Georgia from 2018 to 2021, winning a national championship with the Bulldogs in 2021.

The six-foot-seven, 250-pound athlete has appeared in 18 NFL games in his career. He’s caught two passes for 14 yards, including one pass for two yards in 2024.

FitzPatrick has been mainly a special teams contributor in the league. He played in 83 special teams snaps for the Falcons and 50 for the Packers in 2024.

The Falcons waived FitzPatrick after training camp in 2024 but brought him back on the practice squad. The Packers signed him off the Falcons practice squad on Oct. 11.