For the past two seasons, Brenden Rice has been trying to become more than just a name. Being iconic WR Jerry Rice’s son, this last name and his father’s legacy weigh heavily on Brenden’s shoulders. But the young wide receiver hasn’t lost hope. This time, Rice seems to have landed his opportunity to make an NFL debut.

The Green Bay Packers are giving Brenden Rice another shot, becoming his fifth team. According to The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov, the Packers have claimed him off waivers after the Las Vegas Raiders moved on from him earlier this week. Brenden Rice will be hoping to finally see some time on the field as a Packer.

The son of the Hall of Famer entered the league as the 225th overall pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2024 season. Since then, he has been changing his uniform colors. He featured on the practice squads of the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots before landing with the Raiders. In January, the team had signed him on a reserves/future contract.

Rice saw limited action during his rookie season, appearing in three games for the Chargers in 2024, and played just three snaps on offense. 10 more came from being on special teams duty. He wasn’t targeted in any of these games.

It is a tough challenge to live up to the Rice name, but the WR made it a point that he wants to exist in his own space. He told TMZ Sports in 2024 that he wanted “to create his own legacy and “his” own name,” regardless of which team drafted him. There was some chatter about him suiting up for the team that made his father an icon, but that avenue did not pan out for the WR. But he will not be the next Rice to wear the legendary No. 80.

“I would love to go ahead and make my own impact,” he’d said.

He might finally get to do so at Green Bay, where some space as cleared up for him to hold on to a roster spot.

What does Brenden Rice bring to the Packers?

The timing could work in Rice’s favor. Romeo Doubs is now with the New England Patriots, and Dontayvion Wicks is with the Philadelphia Eagles. They were key receivers on the Packers’ rotation, and their absence should allow Rice to build something. But it won’t be profound.

WRs Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and potential breakout Matthew Golden currently headline the depth chart. Behind them are Savion Williams and Bo Melton, putting Rice in a position where he might be fighting for the last receiver spot if the Packers choose to go with six receivers on their roster this upcoming season. Melton’s presence complicates things for Rice because the former has experience in punt-returning duties.

The numbers that Rice does have don’t look very promising. Across two preseasons with the Chargers, he was targeted 21 times and finished with four receptions for 43 yards, one drop, and a 39.6 passer rating when targeted. But the potential to do better is still there.

During his senior season, he recorded 45 receptions for 791 yards at USC, catching passes from Caleb Williams. While with the Colorado Buffaloes, Rice earned All-Pac-12 second-team honors in 2023.

Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein claimed that being Jerry Rice’s son alone would give Brenden a “head start on the rest of the field.” Things didn’t exactly turn out that way, but Brenden Rice is still hanging in there. Perhaps Green Bay will be where Brended Rice is able to carve out a space of his own.