Packers sign TE Daniel Crawford after WR Bailey Gaither’s retirement

For the second time in a matter of a few days, a member of the Green Bay Packers organization retired from football.

And no, neither one of the players is named Aaron Rodgers.

On Tuesday, the Packers placed wide receiver Bailey Gaither on the reserve/retired list, signifying his decision to end his football career. Gaither was one of the Packers’ undrafted free agent signings after the 2021 NFL Draft, having inked a deal with Green Bay after a collegiate career at San Jose State University.

Gaither’s retirement comes shortly after offensive lineman Simon Stepaniak made a similar decision. Stepaniak, a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, suffered a serious knee injury during his senior season at Indiana University that kept him off the field throughout the 2020 season.

To fill the spot — and the jersey number — vacated by Gaither, the Packers have added another versatile player to the tight end group. Green Bay signed Daniel Crawford out of Northern Illinois University, bringing another H-back type into the fold and assigning him jersey number 80. Green Bay is dealing with the absences of Josiah Deguara and Dominique Dafney early in camp, and Crawford will likely fill a similar role to that of those two players.

Crawford was a two-year starter at tight end for the Huskies and went undrafted in 2021. His listed size, 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, matches up almost exactly with Deguara and Dafney (6-foot-2/238 and 6-foot-2/243, respectively). Look for him to receive significant repetitions in training camp while the team awaits the other tight ends’ return from the Physically Unable to Perform list.