Four years of evidence suggests Jeff Janis is far more capable playing special teams than receiver.

The Green Bay Packers’ free agent still wants more opportunities to run routes and catch passes.

“I think I’d like to play a little more receiver,” Janis said, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I think I have more to offer a team being able to play receiver as well. It’s just going to be a numbers game trying to find what’s the best fit.”

It’s unknown if the Packers believe Janis has a legitimate future playing receiver. His playing time, especially last season, indicates they don’t think so. They do know he can run down returners on punts and kicks, however.

According to Silverstein’s data, Janis helped force at least 16 fair catches on punts in 2017. His ability to cover punts so effectively was a primary reason why rookie punter Justin Vogel set the franchise’s new record for net punting yards.

But the same athleticism and speed needed to avoid blockers and fly down the field on punts haven’t translated to playing receiver.

Over four years and 51 career games, Janis has caught only 17 passes in regular season action. His career high is 11, set in 2016. He had only two catches last season.

The Packers hardly played him on offense in 2017. Despite injuries hurting the receiver position late in the year, Janis still only finished with 50 snaps from scrimmage. It was a massive reduction considering he played 233 snaps on offense in 2016.

Undrafted rookie Michael Clark, a former basketball player who spent the first three months of the season on the practice squad, jumped Janis on the depth chart immediately after being promoted in December.

Janis would appear to have the size and speed the Packers need to stretch the field and attack vertically, but he’s never been able to put it all together as a receiver. Even his flashes of big-play production in the preseason haven’t translated, save for one out-of-body experience in Arizona during the postseason following the 2015 season.

Janis’ future remains up in the air. He has value to the Packers, but almost all that value lies within special teams. If he truly wants a chance to play more receiver, he may have to leave Green Bay. The Packers appear rather certain that he can’t play the position.