GREEN BAY, Wis. — As a kid, Jayden Reed was a Bears fan. Growing up on the West Side of Chicago, his favorite player was Devin Hester. He watched in dismay as the Packers beat the Bears in the NFC Championship Game after the 2010 regular season.
As an adult, he plays wide receiver for the Packers. He has tried coaxing friends into switching sides in the NFL’s longest rivalry. And he just loves living in Green Bay.
“Everybody’s super nice out here,” he told the Sun-Times last week. “I love it just because it’s so low-key. It’s chill. Family and football — that’s all that it’s about here. Easy to save money.”
Not that he needs to. In April, the 26-year-old signed a three-year, $50.25 million contract extension that includes $20 million guaranteed. He’s well worth it. Among wide receivers with at least 100 targets since 2023, Reed is first in the NFL in passer rating when targeted (126.6).
But he’s a Chicago kid behind enemy lines, and he wears his hometown on his sleeve — or right beneath it. Tattooed on his upper left arm are street signs of the intersection where he grew up — Lamon and Cortez —with five cousins sleeping in one bedroom.
Reed said football was his only outlet. In eighth grade, he moved to Crest Hill. He moved to Aurora before his freshman year at Metea Valley. Before his senior year, he transferred to Naperville Central, where he earned All-Area honors from the Sun-Times.
After one year at Western Michigan, Reed transferred to Michigan State, where he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior and went to the Packers in the second round (50th overall) of the 2023 draft.
Reed said it’s still odd when he plays with the Packers at Soldier Field, where he went as a kid.
“That’s probably the most money I spend on games,” Reed said of securing tickets for friends and family. “It’s surreal just being able to go back and play at home. I get a little smack talk from some friends; some support from some friends. Kind of switched some of my friends over.”
He said he never envisioned himself with the Packers as he pursued his NFL dream, but he certainly wasn’t picky on draft day. Allegiances tend to change depending on who signs the paychecks, and the Packers made quite a commitment to Reed this year.
They made an even bigger one to top receiver Christian Watson, giving him a four-year, $92 million extension with $31 million guaranteed. And with more expected from 2025 first-round pick Matthew Golden (23rd overall), the Packers have a trio that will spell trouble for the Bears.
Reed led the Packers in receptions and receiving yards in his first two seasons, but he was limited to seven games last season because of a broken clavicle he suffered in Week 2 while stretching for what would’ve been a 39-yard touchdown had it not been negated by a penalty.
He looked like his usual self in training camp, almost a year removed from surgery. The Packers’ offense looked pretty good, too.
“We’ve been balling out all camp,” Reed said.
He has been a perfect role model for Golden, who appreciates the type of player Reed is.
“He can play anywhere; he can play inside, outside,” Golden said. “Just watching him since I first got here, the way he attacks practice and how he carries himself, it translates to the game. You can see the confidence that he has. I’m glad I get to play alongside him.
“He’s a YAC [yards after catch] monster. As long as he can get the ball in his hands, he’s real special after that, being able to make guys miss and get upfield.”
Reed will return to Chicago with the Packers for a Christmas Day game that could be a big one. If he thinks he has spent a lot of money on family and friends before, wait until he sees that bill.