Jayden Reed's Season Ends with Neck Surgery; Packers Reshape Receiving Corps
Packers receiver Jayden Reed will undergo neck surgery and miss the remainder of the 2026 season after suffering a neck injury in Week 2, leaving Green Bay to lean on Christian Watson as the primary target.
Packers receiver Jayden Reed will undergo neck surgery and miss the remainder of the 2026 season, the team announced on 30 September. The loss looms large for a Green Bay squad struggling at 1-2 through three weeks and about to face a Tampa Bay team on 4 October.
The Moment It Happened
Reed suffered the injury on the second play of the Packers' Week 2 matchup against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, per NFL.com. The contact came from Jets linebacker Demario Davis, according to Yahoo Sports. Medics placed Reed on a backboard and carted him from the field, per Yahoo Sports. He spent the night at a New Jersey hospital before returning to Green Bay, Yahoo Sports reports, with movement in all extremities—a critical sign in the early hours of such an injury.
Coach Matt LaFleur struck a cautiously optimistic tone. "I don't think Reed's injury will end his career," LaFleur said, per NFL.com, but he acknowledged it was "a pretty scary deal" to witness on the field.
A Career Built, Then Interrupted
Reed arrived in Green Bay as a 2023 second-round pick from Michigan State and built a solid record: 142 receptions, 1,881 yards, and 15 touchdowns across 42 games, per NFL.com. In 2023, his rookie season, he caught 64 passes for 793 yards and 8 touchdowns, per NFL.com. He added 55 receptions for 857 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2024, per NFL.com, establishing himself as a reliable target.
Last year proved fragile. Reed fractured his collarbone in Week 2 of 2025 and missed 10 games; he later underwent foot surgery as well, per NFL.com. He managed just 19 receptions for 207 yards and 1 touchdown across the full campaign.
His 2026 started promisingly when he signed a three-year, $50.25 million extension in April, per NFL.com. Yet his 2026 season amounts to 4 receptions for 24 yards, per NFL.com, almost all of it from Week 1, because the injury came on the second play of Week 2. Green Bay will now spend most of the first year of that deal without him on the field.
Watson's Moment, and Beyond
Christian Watson now carries the receiving load. Through three games, Watson has caught 17 passes for 284 yards and 4 touchdowns, per ESPN data: 6 catches for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns against Minnesota, 4 for 41 yards and 1 touchdown against the Jets (the game Reed was hurt in), and 7 for 96 yards and 1 touchdown against Atlanta. He has become the clear focal point of the passing attack, and the numbers show it.
Matthew Golden has compiled 15 receptions for 253 yards and 1 touchdown through three weeks, per NFL.com. Skyy Moore moves into the slot as the depth chart reshapes around Reed's absence, with Bo Melton and J. Michael Sturdivant also in the rotation, per NFL.com. It is a committee approach born of necessity.
| Week | Opponent | Watson (Rec/Yds/TD) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | 6/147/2 | L 39-22 |
| 2 | New York Jets | 4/41/1 | W 20-17 OT |
| 3 | Atlanta | 7/96/1 | L 35-14 |
The Road Ahead
The Packers travel to Tampa Bay on 4 October to face the Buccaneers in Week 4, per NFL.com. At 1-2, Green Bay has little margin for error. Reed's absence removes a player the club had just committed $50.25 million to, forcing the offense to lean harder on Watson and test the depth of a receiving corps that has already been tested by injury. The next three months will show whether the Packers can develop another target to take pressure off Watson, or whether the 2026 season spirals further before the receiving corps finds its footing.