The Green Bay Packers closed out training camp Thursday with a growing sense of anticipation around rookie Matthew Golden, who turned heads in one-on-one drills during a joint practice with the Seattle Seahawks and has the organization buzzing about his future.
Golden stood out in multiple one-on-one reps, showing the kind of quickness and ball skills that have teammates and coaches talking. The rookie’s performance comes at a moment when Green Bay is weighing its wide receiver depth amid some contract questions. Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson are entering the final year of their rookie deals, and next year the team could be faced with similar decisions around Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks.
The Packers selected Golden and Savion Williams in April’s draft, with Golden quickly generating positive chatter while Williams has spent much of camp sidelined by injury. While nothing is guaranteed, the early impressions from camp have many around 1265 Lombardi Avenue convinced Golden has a real path to contributing this season.
General manager Brian Gutekunst has been outspoken about Golden’s early trajectory. He noted that the rookie has made plays on most days and emphasized that consistency is what typically determines whether a player becomes a solid NFL contributor. Gutekunst indicated Golden is “scratching the surface” and still has a lot to learn, but the foundation is promising.
Golden has routinely lined up against Green Bay’s top cornerback, Keisean Nixon, in practice. Nixon praised Golden’s hands and overall play, calling him a “hell of a player” and highlighting his strength at the catch point. The early returns have many around the club envisioning Golden potentially emerging as the Packers’ top wideout by the end of the 2025 season, a projection that, while ambitious, is grounded in the early feedback from camp.
That potential does raise questions about how Green Bay will manage its current and future WRs. Watson, who sustained a torn ACL in Week 18 last season, is not going anywhere this year and is expected to return to form. Doubs, too, appears set to stay, with coach Matt LaFleur dismissing online chatter about him being traded and underscoring his reliability and leadership in the room.
Reed and Wicks present a different dynamic. Reed has been used in multiple roles for LaFleur’s offense, and while 2024 saw drops and some inconsistencies, trading him before the season would be surprising. Wicks, who also dealt with drops in 2024 and has missed substantial camp time this summer, would be a more plausible trade candidate if a team showed interest. Yet even a trade would be unlikely given Green Bay’s salary-cap and extension considerations over the next couple of years, limiting how many receivers they can realistically extend.
Beyond the top four, Mecole Hardman and Malik Heath are in the mix. Hardman, a veteran, brings value but may not carry much trade upside, and Heath is a fringe roster option who could still draw attention as a potential seventh-round-caliber addition.
Overall, Green Bay is likely to make several tough roster decisions at wide receiver. If Golden continues to show the same kind of impact he did in camp, the front office could feel comfortable making deeper cuts to accommodate a young, playmaking option who could grow into a significant contributor in a short span.
In summary, Matthew Golden’s strong early impressions have injected fresh optimism into Green Bay’s wide receiver group. The Packers must balance a crowded, high-potential room with the realities of contracts and development, but Golden’s trajectory offers a hopeful storyline for the 2025 season and beyond.