National Football League

Will Packers, Patriots suffer from not having a top receiver?

Updated Apr. 7, 2022 12:54 p.m. ET

Change is inevitable.

And in the NFL, change is big aspect of the ever-evolving game.

Several of the NFL's premier skill position players have received massive paydays over the past year, and while quarterback will forever be considered the most important offensive position, perhaps no position has seen a bigger hike in value than wide receiver.

Some of the league's most talented receivers have received substantial pay raises this offseason, including Davante Adams (five years, $140 million, Allen Robinson (three years, $46 million), Tyreek Hill (four years, $120 million) and most recently, Stefon Diggs (four years, $104 million).

There's a reason for the trend.

Wide receivers have become valuable fixtures in pass-heavy offenses, and possessing a game-breaking outside threat is often the difference between sustained success and lack thereof. Cooper Kupp's Super Bowl imprint was immeasurable, while Hill served as a regular igniter of Kansas City's prolific offense. Meanwhile, Ja'Marr Chase's role in Joe Burrow's success cannot be understated.

Having elite playmakers at wide receiver can lead to wins, and in Colin Cowherd's mind, the Packers and Patriots' dearth of big-play weapons will slow both teams this upcoming season.

"In the last three years of the NFL, we've gone from thinking ‘are wide receivers that valuable?’ to 'they're the most valuable thing except for quarterbacks,"' Cowherd asserted Wednesday on "The Herd."

"All the smart front offices know it. Buffalo just extended Stefon Diggs' contract. The Bucs did the same to Chris Godwin. The Rams went and got Allen Robinson and the Bengals drafted Ja'Marr Chase — even though they had two good receivers — over an offensive lineman, and went to the Super Bowl.

"Two franchises though, are very principled, and at times, I would argue, rigid: The Packers and Patriots. One has the best coach, and one, people think has the best quarterback. And in three years since the league has changed, they have a combined two playoff wins. And at the same time, Kansas City has seven. The Rams have five and the Bucs have five, and they're going to keep adding. New England's not going to win a playoff game this year and Green Bay will not win their division, and in my opinion, will not win a playoff game."

Bills, Stefon Diggs agree to extension

Colin Cowherd loves the move by Buffalo but questions the competence of the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots, as they have yet to address their WR need.

Cowherd pointed directly to both teams' absence of a front-office fixture as a chief reason behind their lax approach when it's come to wide receivers.

"Who's the GM of the Patriots? Or is Bill [Belichick] running it? Who's the owner of the Packers? They don't have one. Things change fast," he said. "Wide receivers are really valuable — we've had massive rule and cultural changes. You can't hit anybody, and in high school, 25 of the top 50 players are wide receivers and quarterbacks. They're not paying running backs anymore. Congratulations to the Bills, who have a great, dominant, No. 1 receiver. The Patriots don't, they have a bunch of twos and threes, and the Packers don't have anything. Both have had a really bad, bleak offseason."

Things are changing swiftly in the NFL, and for two of the league's most storied franchises, counteracting the status quo could be a significant blow to their futures.