The Green Bay Packers added two significant pieces to their wide receiver room this offseason, with the additions of Matthew Golden and Savion Williams coming on the heels of Josh Jacobs’ comments that the team needed a proven top receiver.

Each of their top four receivers from last year will see their contracts expire in the next two years, and they each have some baggage. Romeo Doubs suffered two concussions and Christian Watson sustained a torn ACL, while Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed struggled with drops.

After the draft concluded, ESPN reported that one of those receivers, Reed, and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, met with general manager Brian Gutekunst to “clarify” his role with the team.

Is there trouble in Titletown? Not according to Reed.

“A lot of people misinterpreted that.” Reed said after Wednesday’s practice at organized team activities. “I hired a new agent, and we talked about it before even the draft, really, that he said he was going to talk to the front office and everybody here to just catch up and make sure everybody’s on the same page.

“As a new client, he told me that’s the way he was going to do it, and he did it. Now, I don’t know how it got out because it was supposed to be confidential. But that’s how it goes sometimes. People get a different perception, they make their own perception, which is OK. That’s how it goes sometimes.”

The perception makes sense. Reed’s pending free agency following 2026 is a pressure point, considering the depth of the Packers’ receiver room.

The other part of ESPN’s report stated that Reed wanted clarity on his role as the team’s “top receiver,” something he made sure to squash when he spoke.

“I just think we’ve got a lot of playmakers in the room and, on any given day, anybody can go off,” Reed said. “All that Wide Receiver 1 stuff, I don’t look at it as that. It’s like we’ve got a lot of different playmakers in the room that can make plays and, at the end of the day, it’s about a team coming together and getting a job done and winning.

“So, all that stuff, I don’t take that stuff too much seriously. I just think we’ve got a lot of young guys in the room that can ball. That’s what we’re going to try to continue to do and try to continue to get better.”

The key part of that statement was the phrase “get better,” considering how the 2024 season ended.

After setting the league on fire to close the 2023 season, expectations were high for the passing game in 2024.

Their last game left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth. Jordan Love was intercepted three times and the offense looked disjointed throughout a 22-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card playoffs.

The poor finish led Gutekunst to go to work on his passing game. He drafted Golden in the first round and Williams in the third round.

With two big additions to the receiver room, concern for your job would make sense. The NFL is a business, after all, and a cutthroat one at that. Brett Favre famously said it was not in his contract to help get the guy they drafted to replace him ready to do so.

Perhaps Reed and the veteran incumbents would be less apt to mentor the young receivers who could be seen as players that will prevent them from cashing in with a big contract in Green Bay.

That has not been the case thus far, and their head coach could not be happier.

“I’ll tell you what, it’s a special group,” coach Matt LaFleur said after practice. “Not only the rooks that we have coming in here. Just being around them now for a couple of weeks, I think it’s a high-character group, which is always important to us. And they approach it the right way.

“But I’ve been really impressed with our veterans taking these guys under their wings and kind of showing them the way and really helping them, coaching them. That’s one of the emphasis of this offseason is just trying to make sure that we’re developing leaders. Especially when you have a younger team, you want to make sure that you have leaders.”

That leadership is something that is going to be important as the Packers’ passing game looks to grow from its dismal finish to the 2024 season.

Reed, once a rookie, has grown into a veteran, and is looking to be one of the mentors to the team’s first-round pick.

Golden is going to have unfair expectations placed upon him. That’s the reality of being the first receiver selected in the first round by the Packers since 2002.

Golden could emerge as one of the team’s top receivers, though he may not play much in the early going due to some of the experienced receivers in front of him.

Either way, Reed is taking a more vocal role in getting Golden acclimated.

“In our exit meeting (with) the coaches … that’s what they talked to me about was just being more of a leader, being more vocal,” Reed said. “That’s what I’m trying to do because I’ve been in their position, as well. It’s not easy to learn plays and it’s a lot of chaos as a rookie.”

LaFleur said Reed has been “outstanding.” A couple weeks ago, receivers coach Ryan Mahaffey shared a story about Reed helping Golden through the chaos.

“Jayden’s been amazing out there,” Mahaffey said. “There was a clip where he’s back there talking and having conversations with Matthew Golden. He’s out there pouring into the rest of the guys on the team. He’s bringing great energy out on the field. He’s a real joy to be around each and every single day. He works hard. He cares about his teammates. He wants to see other people do well. It’s been fun to see Jayden, as he’s continued to grow, being able to expand his leadership skills and pour into others.”

Reed and the offense will be looking to help ease Golden in, but the reality is they have two high draft picks combined with six receivers who have contributed in the NFL at some capacity.

Their top four receivers from a year ago are all going to make the team. Bo Melton was one of the team’s best receivers to finish the 2023 season, and Malik Heath has plenty of value as a blocker.

The reality is there is only one football. Could that lead to issues down the road?

For now, all is well.

“I mean, thank God we got a group that we all love each other, so we all got each other back.” Reed said. “One day, I’ll have a good game and then Wicks will have a good game and then Christian will have a good game then Rome (will) have a good game then Bo (will) have a good game, so that’s just how the game goes, man.

“As long as, at the end of the day, we end out on top and we win, that’s all that matters. I’m not the type to care about targets. I really don’t care about it. I could have two targets. If we win, I don’t care, you know what I’m saying? That’s just how I look at things. I’m a very unselfish person.”

From that standpoint, Reed is trying to follow in the footsteps of a recent Packers legend.

“Whenever anybody falls,” he continued, “I try to be the first person around to pick them up. I try to pick players up when they got their head down. That’s just what kind of player I am. I like to model myself after A(aron) Jones. He reminded me of myself a lot when he was around.”

It is spring. Not one pass play of significance has been called. For now, however, everyone, including Reed is saying and doing all the right things.