Devin Funchess has opted out of the 2020 season

[Pokerbrat2000]

Really looking forward to seeing just what can he do when back....the nuts part is not a soul knows...he could lose out and not make the 53 or I could see him become our #2...it is nuts to think about really.

I fully agree with this assessment and is why I think its dangerous to over rely on the latter coming true. No doubt part of a team having a successful season is growth and getting more than you expected out of the non-starters on the roster. Basically, each season you need guys to step up and improve. I just don't think you should over rely on that when it comes to almost an entire position group. Imagine every season starting it out by saying "Well our starting OL, besides this Pro Bowl LT, is unproven and young, but as long as they step up, it should be a good season." So while its nice to have Funchess, Lazard, MVS, EQ etc as "potentially being able to step up and be as good as a #2", I sure would like to go back to having rosters that included known quantities at our 1-3 WR position and put to rest yet another year of "if they...."

All that said, nobody needs to point me to the fact that our cap situation sucks and finding a legit #2 via Free Agency is probably once again not happening this season.

 

[tynimiller]

I fully agree with this assessment and is why I think its dangerous to over rely on the latter coming true. No doubt part of a team having a successful season is growth and getting more than you expected out of the non-starters on the roster. Basically, each season you need guys to step up and improve. I just don't think you should over rely on that when it comes to almost an entire position group. Imagine every season starting it out by saying "Well our starting OL, besides this Pro Bowl LT, is unproven and young, but as long as they step up, it should be a good season." So while its nice to have Funchess, Lazard, MVS, EQ etc as "potentially being able to step up and be as good as a #2", I sure would like to go back to having rosters that included known quantities at our 1-3 WR position and put to rest yet another year of "if they...."

All that said, nobody needs to point me to the fact that our cap situation sucks and finding a legit #2 via Free Agency is probably once again not happening this season.

I fully don't expect our WR room to enter the season unchanged. I am more sure of us nabbing a WR this year than I was even last year...and it is more so for 2022 than adding to the 2021 room honestly. There is a logical world that sees only Adams under contract with an extension beyond 2021....Gute knows he needs future assets there and he cannot wait till 2022 draft to do it all.

Funchess is a serious coin flip....gamble honestly.....in the end as bad as it sounds I don't like anything we could get in FA for his price to not ride this Funchess gamble out to see what happens.

 

[thequick12]

I have no clue if Funchess is a cut or sees training camp in 2021...but I'm not worried one bit about his being off year affecting just his overall physical health. Dude appears to have been just killing workouts all off season and even got baptized...even if not your thing, many of us know you get your head in a good place of peace/clarity that can play a factor too.

Really looking forward to seeing just what can he do when back....the nuts part is not a soul knows...he could lose out and not make the 53 or I could see him become our #2...it is nuts to think about really.

If Funchess ends up as the Packers number 2 wr in 2021 I don't see the season ending in a superbowl victory.

They really better aquire a weapon that threatens the defense a lot more than devin funchess. If dudes the number 4/5 wr and makes a clutch play here or there cool. But he's like a less athletic allen Lazard. Mvs and Lazard would have to take huge steps back to be passed up by Funchess on the depth chart.

The wr room is adams, Lazard, mvs. And then spots 4/ 5 maybe 6 need to be filled with some new guys. Funchess could be one of them but I'd rather they draft a couple guys or sign one and draft one maybe who knows but definitely don't want Funchess playing a big role. That means someone got injured or really regressed

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I don't like anything we could get in FA for his price to not ride this Funchess gamble out to see what happens.

After I typed my last comment about free agency, I got to thinking. There is a good chance that we are going to see some major bargains on Free Agents and WR might be one of the deepest pools to find them.

One might not come from the list below, but I thing a lot more will be added to that list as teams have to make tough cap decisions in the coming month.

1) Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears
2) Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3) JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
4) Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions
5) Will Fuller, Houston Texans
6) Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit Lions
7) A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
8) T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
9) Sammy Watkins, Kansas City Chiefs
10) Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

 

[tynimiller]

After I typed my last comment about free agency, I got to thinking. There is a good chance that we are going to see some major bargains on Free Agents and WR might be one of the deepest pools to find them.

One might not come from the list below, but I thing a lot more will be added to that list as teams have to make tough cap decisions in the coming month.

1) Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears
2) Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3) JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
4) Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions
5) Will Fuller, Houston Texans
6) Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit Lions
7) A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
8) T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
9) Sammy Watkins, Kansas City Chiefs
10) Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

Not a single one of them will take a contract at or less than Funchess cost. That I honestly will as close to guarantee as one can on a forum.

 

[tynimiller]

If Funchess ends up as the Packers number 2 wr in 2021 I don't see the season ending in a superbowl victory.

They really better aquire a weapon that threatens the defense a lot more than devin funchess. If dudes the number 4/5 wr and makes a clutch play here or there cool. But he's like a less athletic allen Lazard. Mvs and Lazard would have to take huge steps back to be passed up by Funchess on the depth chart.

The wr room is adams, Lazard, mvs. And then spots 4/ 5 maybe 6 need to be filled with some new guys. Funchess could be one of them but I'd rather they draft a couple guys or sign one and draft one maybe who knows but definitely don't want Funchess playing a big role. That means someone got injured or really regressed

I disagree, there is 100% a world which we win the SB with Funchess clearly winning and being our #2...it is the same world in which folks said after not adding any drafted WR last draft that this team would fall way under their 2019 record and performance....and yet we matched it and had an insanely better offense (what the 3rd most efficient in league history or something like that).

Look I'm not at all advocating for Funchess #2 and printing up t-shirts, but honestly if MVS increases his catch % by around 5% or more....Allen stays healthy and Funchess proves himself still a more than capable WR....this group could be deadlier than they were in 2020 in 2021 without any addition.

That said mark my words we will grab a WR in the draft, I predict before the end of Day 2 one will come, and we will nab a Day 3 weapon as well I believe possibly as well.

 

[thequick12]

I disagree, there is 100% a world which we win the SB with Funchess clearly winning and being our #2...it is the same world in which folks said after not adding any drafted WR last draft that this team would fall way under their 2019 record and performance....and yet we matched it and had an insanely better offense (what the 3rd most efficient in league history or something like that).

Look I'm not at all advocating for Funchess #2 and printing up t-shirts, but honestly if MVS increases his catch % by around 5% or more....Allen stays healthy and Funchess proves himself still a more than capable WR....this group could be deadlier than they were in 2020 in 2021 without any addition.

That said mark my words we will grab a WR in the draft, I predict before the end of Day 2 one will come, and we will nab a Day 3 weapon as well I believe possibly as well.

I just don't see where Funchess was every a guy that excites a fan or scares a defensive coordinator...

He's a 4.7 guy. He has great size at 6-4 230 I mean I just don't see it. Could he be a nice role player yeah probably. If he put up his avg season not counting the colts year... 40 for 558 5 td 14 ypc long of 42

I'd take that as the #3 wr in this offense if you have jones grabbing 50 balls and tonyan too. But a number 2 in an aaron rodgers offense should be a 1000 yard guy. He might not get to 1000 but you know what I mean a guy of that level. Funchess just isn't on that level. A lot of the guys on pokerbrats list are but not funchess

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Not a single one of them will take a contract at or less than Funchess cost. That I honestly will as close to guarantee as one can on a forum.

I wasn't trying to imply that any of them would play for "Funchess Money" or less, but I do believe that some of them, as well as other players will have to play in 2021 for less than they seek and less than what a pre-Covid market would have been.

Unless Funchess retires or gets injured, its a no brainer that he will be in camp, the Packers already invested $1M into him. I also think that unless he really sh*ts the bed, he is almost a lock to make the final 53, since it would only cost the Packers $1.2M more to keep him on the roster, as well as a Per Game Active Bonus: $15,625 ($250K max).

 

[tynimiller]

I just don't see where Funchess was every a guy that excites a fan or scares a defensive coordinator...

He's a 4.7 guy. He has great size at 6-4 230 I mean I just don't see it. Could he be a nice role player yeah probably. If he put up his avg season not counting the colts year... 40 for 558 5 td 14 ypc long of 42

I'd take that as the #3 wr in this offense if you have jones grabbing 50 balls and tonyan too. But a number 2 in an aaron rodgers offense should be a 1000 yard guy. He might not get to 1000 but you know what I mean a guy of that level. Funchess just isn't on that level. A lot of the guys on pokerbrats list are but not funchess

I'm not saying he is or would be...I'm merely saying we literally just were the 3rd most efficient offense in the history of the league with Lazard as our #2 in the WR room.

We agree on the majority of the narrative however, Funchess is an enigma with arguably the largest spread between his floor and ceiling of what he could be and none of our plans in FA or the draft should be impacted by his existence.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I'm not saying he is or would be...I'm merely saying we literally just were the 3rd most efficient offense in the history of the league with Lazard as our #2 in the WR room.

That is definitely the narrative by many and I totally get it. Yet, the same people will then talk about just how void of depth the Packers really are at WR. So while being the 3rd most efficient offense in the history of the NFL is awesome, I would attribute most of that to the coaching, the QB and the total offense in general and not so much the WR group. In the same breath I would ask, "how much better would it have been with 1-2 better WR's?" Personally, I think almost unstoppable. Not to get everyone too excited about Funchess, but lets say he did play last season and had a coming out and a career season, the Packers just may have run the table.

Basically, there is always room for improvement and a successful 2020 offense isn't 100% proof of the WR room being just fine as is/was.

 

[thequick12]

I'm not saying he is or would be...I'm merely saying we literally just were the 3rd most efficient offense in the history of the league with Lazard as our #2 in the WR room.

Ok but to me this is the kind of thinking that has led to Rodgers largely being short on weapons for the last 5 seasons.

You're glossing over just how good Rodgers is.

How about this what if...they were that good of an offense with mvs and Lazard at the 2/3 but ultimately not good enough by the one metric that matters.

What if they had found a trade partner in front of the Vikings and had gotten Justin Jefferson. Maybe they don't put up as good of numbers all year who knows. But when it mattered I would of felt a lot better with adams and Jefferson with mvs/Lazard at the 3/4. I just think they need another guy of that caliber again. Tyreke hill travis kelce mike evans chris godwin. The really good teams have 2 legit 1000 yard talent guys.

 

[tynimiller]

Ok but to me this is the kind of thinking that has led to Rodgers largely being short on weapons for the last 5 seasons.

You're glossing over just how good Rodgers is.

How about this what if...they were that good of an offense with mvs and Lazard at the 2/3 but ultimately not good enough by the one metric that matters.

What if they had found a trade partner in front of the Vikings and had gotten Justin Jefferson. Maybe they don't put up as good of numbers all year who knows. But when it mattered I would of felt a lot better with adams and Jefferson with mvs/Lazard at the 3/4. I just think they need another guy of that caliber again. Tyreke hill travis kelce mike evans chris godwin. The really good teams have 2 legit 1000 yard talent guys.

Nothing you just stated do I disagree with...although in an effort of 100% honesty I was not a fan of Justin Jefferson at all, he proved me wrong with him specifically. However, sure of course the what if game has some merit to it...likewise does the what if MVS caught just a few more deep balls...or Aaron Jones doesn't fumble twice in the NFCCG or...I mean the list is quite sufficiently long in that department and rightfully so.

 

[thequick12]

Nothing you just stated do I disagree with...although in an effort of 100% honesty I was not a fan of Justin Jefferson at all, he proved me wrong with him specifically. However, sure of course the what if game has some merit to it...likewise does the what if MVS caught just a few more deep balls...or Aaron Jones doesn't fumble twice in the NFCCG or...I mean the list is quite sufficiently long in that department and rightfully so.

True but jones only lost one of those fumbles and while that was a gut wrenching moment in the game as a fan and I'm sure as a player too...they came back to a point in which they had made that play irrelevant. They had the ball with a chance to take the lead what? 3 times at the end of the game or 2 and 1 to tie maybe idk. Either way I think it was a bigger deal that jones got injured on that play and couldn't return.

It left the Packers with only 1 true difference maker at the skill positions. You gotta have at least 2 of those guys I think, preferably 3. Or the defenses at that point in season are gonna just be too good. I think if jones stays in that game he makes a play that makes the difference on one of those 3 drives

 

[swhitset]

True but jones only lost one of those fumbles and while that was a gut wrenching moment in the game as a fan and I'm sure as a player too...they came back to a point in which they had made that play irrelevant. They had the ball with a chance to take the lead what? 3 times at the end of the game or 2 and 1 to tie maybe idk. Either way I think it was a bigger deal that jones got injured on that play and couldn't return.

It left the Packers with only 1 true difference maker at the skill positions. You gotta have at least 2 of those guys I think, preferably 3. Or the defenses at that point in season are gonna just be too good. I think if jones stays in that game he makes a play that makes the difference on one of those 3 drives

That play was certainly not made irrelevant. He fumbled on the 8 yard line and the Bucs scored as a result.

 

[thequick12]

That play was certainly not made irrelevant. He fumbled on the 8 yard line and the Bucs scored as a result.

Yeah and that was at what point in the game? 1st drive of 3rd quarter I believe.

The Packers came back within a score and failed 3 times in the 4th quarter to convert. Even after Rodgers told z.smith "just get us the ball back" on the sideline. Rodgers and the offense didn't make the plays needed at that point.

No matter what happened earlier in the game if you get 3 chances in the final minutes...you can't blame it on anything but your failure in the end.

Because you had overcome the jones fumble...moved past it and got in position to win. Not once but 3 times and you failed. It's a new game at that point and if you score you win. You didn't score so you lost. To blame that on a fumble a quarter earlier doesn't really correlate. Now not having jones on the field for those drives and your subsequent failure does correlate

It's the old adage about how a cb has to have a short memory...

 

[Mondio]

The Packers couldn't have had a worse end or beginning to the halves. to be down 4 and suddenly be at 2 scores was bad. Then to come out of the gate and give them the ball at the 8 hurts more than just it was a fumble a quarter before. down 18 points against a tremendous defense to start a half of football is significant, and that's probably an understatement.

The packers had the ball 3 times in the 3rd and scored TD's on 2 and basically gave them 1. cutting an 11 pt lead to 3 on that first drive puts tampa on a completely different plane defensively for the entire half instead of knowing they can just protect against the quick strikes and don't stop until you hit the QB. Jones' fumble was not some minor thing they recovered from. It put them in a hole from a myriad of standpoints. It made every play on offense after that more difficult against that defense and played right into their strengths.

 

[thequick12]

Yeah I agree with all of that...

I'm just choosing to look at it how you have to if you're playing in the game.

The king thing was inexcusable on multiple levels, the jones thing was just a really good play by the bucs player.

Yeah my heart sank when it happened knowing tampa was gonna have a huge lead and sure enough one play later they did. But by then I was already thinking, you know what we have aaron fckn rodgers and there's still basically 2 full quarters left...we can still win this realistically. And realistically we still had a chance so good in the end to win that I think If you gave Rodgers those 3 chances 10 times he wins the game 8 times out of 10. That was certainly an anomly that the offense in the end failed like that because for all the talk of the bucs defense and they were great, Rodgers and the offense were certainly not held scoreless or anything.

We can talk about so many plays like the clear holding before the int that lead to that king play or the jones fumble or whatever. But in the end the only plays you can really look back on and say what if are the last one on offense which was the field goal and the kevin King holding/pi because all the rest you had overcome and put yourself in position to make those earlier plays irrelevant by making a play to win the game. And I guess that's how I should of worded it in the beginning


Ps:
I had no clue king was such a bonehead til that game. Looking confused after the scotty miller td was baffling to me, like how can you be confused right now?! And then holding that guy on such a pivotal play and point in the game so obviously on a ball that was clearly a desperation tom brady lob that had no chance of being caught. Because what king did in no way impeded the wr from catching the ball at all smh I just can't believe you wouldn't get those situations

 

[PackAttack12]

Bottom line for me is that, despite some failures offensively, the Packers losing playoff games in which the defense gives up an average of roughly 36 points per game in the Rodgers era is beyond the point of getting old.

That Bucs defense that Rodgers and the offense dropped 26 on is the same defense that held Patrick Mahomes to three field goals and no touchdowns.

Things aren't always going to be perfect in playoff games, especially offensively. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired of not being supported by other eras besides the offense in playoff losses.

There are extremely fine lines in the playoffs. Things like the King/Pettine blown coverage and the Jones fumble (in fairness to the defense) rarely happen, and your team win the game.

 

[gopkrs]

Bottom line for me is that, despite some failures offensively, the Packers losing playoff games in which the defense gives up an average of roughly 36 points per game in the Rodgers era is beyond the point of getting old.

That Bucs defense that Rodgers and the offense dropped 26 on is the same defense that held Patrick Mahomes to three field goals and no touchdowns.

Things aren't always going to be perfect in playoff games, especially offensively. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired of not being supported by other eras besides the offense in playoff losses.

There are extremely fine lines in the playoffs. Things like the King/Pettine blown coverage and the Jones fumble (in fairness to the defense) rarely happen, and your team win the game.

I totally agree. But I would add that that tampa defense deserved that turnover. They were bound to get a big turnover because their linebackers are too fast and they hit hard. And they could play so aggressively because out OTs were not good. So I would like to see us draft an OT in the #1 spot and then go DDD.

 

[Pugger]

https://lombardiave.com/2021/03/09/packers-devin-funchess-pay-cut/

 

[tynimiller]

Yup been discussed a few places today. I called it much to the chagrin of @captainWIMM LOL (Had to man, finally got one).

 

[Pugger]

Yup been discussed a few places today. I called it much to the chagrin of @captainWIMM LOL (Had to man, finally got one).

On another Packers forum I saw a recent photo of him and it looks like he didn't spend 2020 lounging on the sofa.

 

[tynimiller]

On another Packers forum I saw a recent photo of him and it looks like he didn't spend 2020 lounging on the sofa.

Not at all. I've followed and even conversed on lives with him. He was baptized even this past year and been working on his health a ton...lately the dude has been hitting the basketball courts hard.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Yup been discussed a few places today. I called it much to the chagrin of @captainWIMM LOL (Had to man, finally got one).

It's widely reported that Funchess took a $750K pay cut to stay with the Packers but I wonder where that money is coming from. He already received his $1 million signing bonus last offseason and was slated to make $1.2 million in base salary in 2021. While the Packers could lower that to $990K (saving $210K of cap space) it's possible he passed on some incentives which wouldn't result in any cap savings for the Packers at this point.

 

[tynimiller]

It's widely reported that Funchess took a $750K pay cut to stay with the Packers but I wonder where that money is coming from. He already received his $1 million signing bonus last offseason and was slated to make $1.2 million in base salary in 2021. While the Packers could lower that to $990K (saving $210K of cap space) it's possible he passed on some incentives which wouldn't result in any cap savings for the Packers at this point.

I could be completely wrong but most contract sites do not list any cost to him last year? Opting - Out I thought meant nothing went his way but shifted entirely to this year?

Full ignorance claimed as I admit I could have misread.