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Almost 50 passes and 700 receiving yards in 2013 put Jarrett Boykin on the precipice of becoming a truly impactful wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers the following season. Instead, a year and a half later he finds himself a member of the Carolina Panthers, having not received a restricted free agent tender from the Green Bay Packers this offseason and being sent on his way.
In an interview with Aron Yohannes* of Sporting News, Boykin opened up about the circumstances surrounding his reduced role in the Packers' offense in 2014 and his eventual departure from Green Bay. First and foremost, he attributes much of his reduction in playing time to the emergence of rookie wideout Davante Adams:
Green Bay has depth. Davante came in and made tremendous strides and he's going to be a great player this year. He's one of my best friends. They were clicking, they were rolling,
Although Adams' numbers in 2014 (38 catches, 446 yards in the regular season) did not match Boykin's from a year prior, the rookie also did not have as many opportunities to shine. Much of Boykin's 2013 production took place with Randall Cobb out of the lineup, but both Cobb and fellow starter Jordy Nelson played every game this past season.
As far as Boykin himself, he holds no ill will towards the Packers organization for the decision to let him test the open market: "The coaching staff and all of the players knew how hard I worked," Boykin said. "They don't have anything against me and I don't have anything against them."
Best of luck to Boykin in Carolina, and be sure to check out the full interview here.
* Regular APC readers will recognize Aron as a key contributor here at APC. Aron is currently on an internship for Sporting News in Charlotte, covering the Panthers' offseason.