The Packers are betting big on Matthew Golden reaching his enormous upside in his second NFL season.
That has to be the key takeaway, after Green Bay traded Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles and allowed leading receiver Romeo Doubs to walk, via free agency.
Packers fired up about Matthew Golden’s second NFL season
As Golden begins his second NFL season, after being chosen by the Packers in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the former University of Texas standout is off to an impressive start to the spring.
“When he came back,” Packers passing game coordinator Jason Vrable told reporters. “He said, ‘I watched more tape on myself,’ just like guys around the league in our offense, and he’s like, ‘My biggest jump, I already know, is just the mental part.’ The details and like, how they matter, why they matter, and being able to play fast. Because he’s like, ‘I was watching the tape, I just wasn’t playing as fast as I wanted, and I could see it on tape, just a little bit of hesitation at times.’
“He’s always been able to catch the ball and run through the football, and that’s what great receivers do. His hand-eye coordination, I’d say, is one of the better ones I’ve been around. So he can do that, but now the mental part, he’s starting to become a lot more confident. And I can feel it, you know? But I’ve always said, ‘If you don’t know the playbook, guys, inside and out, and every adjustment and every route conversion and when the quarterback’s going to throw it,’ I think it’s hard to play fast all the time, because there’s always a little bit of doubt. And just doing the reps over and over again and competing the way he does, we’re all fired up about him.”
As Golden looks to take the next step, the Packers are primed to feature him even more significantly, after catching 29 passes for 361 yards, and averaging 12.4 yards per reception.
The Packers are hoping that Golden’s speed becomes a hallmark of the offense, and he could be one of the most vital pieces to Green Bay making a deep playoff charge in 2026.
