Packers don’t need to join trade frenzy at key position with too much uncertainty about the future
It’s not the moment to pull the trigger.
Go check some Green Bay Packers content on social media and you will find a disproportionate amount of people asking for the team to trade a wide receiver. Dontayvion Wicks and even a highly-impactful piece like Jayden Reed are frequently mentioned — be that in a trade for an edge defender like Josh Sweat, but even for a running back like De’Von Achane.
The rationale is simple: The Packers have enough wide receiver depth, and three players (Wicks, Reed, but also Christian Watson) are entering the final year of their current deals and become free agents next offseason.
However, that’s a flawed perception. Unless there’s a real opportunity to get significant compensation — whether it’s in a player-for-player trade or via draft capital — general manager Brian Gutekunst should keep his offensive weapons around.
The depth is not as deep as you could imagine
The idea of trading Reed or Wicks is that the Packers would still have four high-level receivers — the other one of them, Watson, Matthew Golden, and Savion Williams. But let’s question the premises first. While there are big expectations over the players drafted in 2025, Golden and Williams haven’t shown much in the NFL yet.
Golden has a more realistic shot at being a great receiver, and he had flashes, especially in the playoff game against the Chicago Bears. Williams had only 21 touches for 115 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Hopefully both will become high-level pieces for the offense, but it’s probably too early to make a definitive proclamation. A year from now, the front office will have more information about the situation.
But it’s not only that. Depth seems to be good now, but too many things happen throughout the season and quickly change the outlook. Last year, for example, Watson was recovering from his ACL injury, Reed broke his collarbone, and the Packers ended up giving wide receiver snaps to nine players — Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden, Christian Watson, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, Jayden Reed, Savion Williams, Jakobie Keeney-James, and converted cornerback Bo Melton.
The Packers added a somewhat experienced option in Skyy Moore in free agency, but the roster still has former undrafted players like Keeney-James, Isaiah Neyor, and Will Sheppard. Getting rid of a top option increases the risk of one of these developmental pieces being forced to play meaningful snaps.
Different circumstances
Dontayvion Wicks is a player who could realistically get moved without compromising the roster too much — if the compensation is fair. He regressed in terms of volume stats (581, 415, 332 receiving yards), but also in advanced stats (2.04, 1.42, 1.39 yards per route run). He’s in the last year of his rookie deal and it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Packers keep him beyond 2026. But as aforementioned, the trade compensation would have to justify the risk of losing real depth.
For Jayden Reed, though, it’s an even harder proposition — the offense is much more versatile and explosive when he’s on the field. Since 2023, the EPA/play goes from 0.051 without Reed to 0.103 EPA/play with him on the field. The success rate goes from 44.73% to 45.41%.
The Packers don’t have an obvious replacement for Reed in the slot, and last year they were forced to move Matthew Golden inside, where he’s much less efficient and impactful, when Reed was hurt.
Moreover, it’s not an absolute conclusion that the Packers will allow Reed to walk in free agency. Depending on his performance in 2026, his market outlook, and the roster situation a year from now, the Packers might very well decide to extend him.
The Packers have an offense built to use multiple wide receivers, so it doesn’t make sense to get rid of them just because you have too many pieces in March. In December, the situation may be much different — and it’s a decision Green Bay doesn’t need to make now.