The Green Bay Packers have made another savvy waiver wire move, this time adding a familiar football name to their roster. On Wednesday, the team claimed wide receiver Brenden Rice—the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice—off waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders.
At 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, Rice brings impressive size to the Packers' receiving corps. Originally selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round (225th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft, the 23-year-old has already experienced quite the journey around the league. The Packers will be his fifth team, following stints with the Chargers, Raiders, New England Patriots, and Seattle Seahawks—including practice squad time with the last three.
Rice's rookie season saw limited action, appearing in just three games for the Chargers. He logged three offensive snaps and 10 more on special teams, a modest start for a player carrying one of the most famous surnames in football history. The Chargers released him during final roster cuts last August, and after signing with the Raiders' practice squad in December, he was waived this week.
Before turning pro, Rice made his mark at USC, where he caught 37 passes for 644 yards and 11 touchdowns during his final season. That production earned him All-Pac-12 second-team honors. A Colorado transfer, Rice also turned heads during pre-draft workouts, posting a 4.5-second 40-yard dash, a 36.5-inch vertical leap, and a 9-foot-11 broad jump while completing 13 bench press reps. His Relative Athletic Score of 7.17 out of 10.0 suggests solid, if not elite, athletic measurables.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein's scouting report paints an intriguing picture: "The bloodlines don't get much better than Jerry Rice, so Brenden Rice might have a head start on the rest of the field. He's big and plays a physical brand of football when cornerbacks want to fight over space." Zierlein notes some limitations—specifically, Rice may struggle separating on short routes due to a lack of suddenness—but praises his strong hands, ball skills, and ability to win contested catches. He graded Rice as a potential fourth-round talent, suggesting the Packers may have found a value addition with room to grow.