Packers decision to pick Sammy Watkins over Julio Jones amplified by Jones signing with NFC rival

There was still time. The Green Bay Packers could still add one of the most decorated veteran receivers of the last decade before the season … until the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did it instead, signing Julio Jones after an offseason courtship from Tom Brady himself. Theoretically, the Packers could have done the same, even with the help from some Aaron Rodgers texts. Instead, they chose Sammy Watkins, a younger player who has less proven upside but the same kinds of injury concerns. That choice looms even larger over this season now that Jones landed with a team the Packers will be battling in the NFC and as such, becomes an unavoidable comparison between the two team’s approaches.