The Green Bay Packers’ 2024 offseason shook up the roster in many ways, moving on from veterans like Aaron Jones and De’Vondre Campbell. After an impressive 2023 season (particularly on offense), the question was how (or if) the Packers would alter their wide receiver depth chart. In an unexpected move, the Packers switched backup QB Alex McGough to wide receiver to avoid being cut, though he ultimately did not retain his spot on the Green Bay Packers’ 90-man roster.

The Green Bay Packers brought in receivers Rory Starkey and Jalen Wayne to replace McGough. One of those names may ring a familiar bell.

Green Bay Packers sign nephew of NFL Hall of Famer

Jalen Wayne came out of South Alabama and bounced around NFL and CFL rosters over the past year before finding a spot with the Green Bay Packers. After three years of mild production, Wayne caught for 418 yards in 2020, 53 passes for 630 yards in 2021 and 58 passes for 817 yards in 2022, setting career highs in catches and yards during his final season.

Wayne shares the same last name as NFL Hall of Famer Reggie Wayne, and that’s no coincidence.

“We got in touch through social media and Instagram,”Jalen Wayne told The Buffalo News. “I let him know we were related. Then he gave me his number. From the time I was two years old until now, he has always helped me.”

Reggie Wayne is in his third season as the Colts’ receivers coach.

“From the moment he first started talking to me, he gave me a bunch of drills to do,” Jalen Wayne said. “I mastered all that stuff, mastered my craft. Then came the mental aspect. He told me things to think about on game day, things not to think about. ‘Think about what the quarterback’s doing, think about your lane and get open.’ If it’s a Cover-3 team, he’ll tell me how to run routes that day. It was a lot. It was basically day-to-day. My senior year, he scouted me.”

Such advice is a lucky charm and can only help Wayne become a weapon on offense. But his skill extends beyond his catching to his pride in the run game.

“I love blocking running backs,” he said at the Combine. “I’m a friendly guy with a running back. And then I’m the guy that goes between the hashes and makes all those tough catches that not a lot of guys want to make anymore.

“I let them know in the interviews that I’m a low-maintenance, high-performance guy. Not someone you have to worry about, but when he gets on the field, he’s going to do his job every time and be the same guy every day.”

Such a mentality could come in handy in the Green Bay Packers’ play in the future.

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