Veteran wide receiver Devin Funchess remains under contract after opting out of the 2020 season, but the Green Bay Packers were evasive about him returning and playing for the team in 2021.
Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and general manager Brian Gutekunst declined to say whether Funchess would be back this season.
“Let’s find out,” said Hackett on Tuesday. “If he is here, we would be excited to have him here and see what he can do and move on from there.
Funchess signed a one-year contract to join the Packers in the off-season. He opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The contracts reached 2021 for all players who dropped out last season.
Still only 26, Funchess has 164 career catches and 21 touchdowns, but he hasn’t played since Week 1 of the 2019 regular season, and the Packers could save a little over $ 1.2 million by the 2021 limit by releasing him The.
Gutekunst said the Packers are still in the process of deciding on Funchess.
“We had some contact with Devin (about) possibly being part of our team going forward,” said Gutekunst, via Packers.com. “There are many different pieces that affect each other. We are working on it all. “
Packers may want to see what Funchess has to offer during the training camp before making a decision. It is also conceivable that the Packers would want to use the savings from releasing him to sign a veteran free agent this month, possibly at the wide receiver.
The Packers will return all of its major receivers from a year ago and could use at least one draft choice in April to stabilize the position after 2021.