The Green Bay Packers will likely spend the next few months figuring out how best to deal with their logjam at wide receiver, and the possibility of a trade is still not off the table as they progress further into this spring’s slate of OTAs.
The Packers have a wealth of talent in their receiver room after adding first-round pick Matthew Golden and third-rounder Savion Williams to the mix this offseason. They will also return all of last season’s notable contributors, including Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks — all of whom are recent draft picks.
As of early June, the situation is fluid with Watson — who tore his ACL in January — still progressing through his recovery and likely to begin the season on the injury list.
If Watson moves through his recovery faster than expected or the Packers decide their younger pass-catchers are ready for immediate action, though, they could look to trade away Doubs, who is the only one among them besides Watson entering a contract year.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport also predicts the Pittsburgh Steelers could become “plausible” trade suitors for Doubs if they sign ex-Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“Per SI’s Albert Breer, Rodgers was ‘fond’ of Doubs during their time together in Green Bay, and while Doubs’ numbers as a rookie weren’t especially impressive, it’s no secret that Rodgers likes receivers he has familiarity with,” Davenport wrote before assessing the fantasy football implications. “Doubs wouldn’t be a fantasy superstar in Pittsburgh. But his value would be higher than it is if he remains in Green Bay.
Romeo Doubs Trade Remains Popular, But is it ‘Plausible?’
Doubs has been one of the most popularly suggested trade candidates for the Packers since the 2025 NFL draft ended with the team walking away with two new wideouts.
While Doubs has been productive for the Packers over the past three seasons, the 2022 fourth-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2025 and projects as unlikely to re-sign with the Packers given how many draft picks the team has sunk into the position recently: a second and fifth in 2023 and a first and fourth in 2025.
Analysts have also hearkened back to 2024’s conduct issue with Doubs, who skipped two practices in Week 5 and received a one-game suspension from the team as a result. At the time, Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber reported Doubs had skipped the practices because he was “upset with his opportunities in the passing game” through four games.
Even still, trading Doubs might not be a “plausible” solution for the Packers.
For starters, the conduct issue with Doubs seems resolved. Doubs denied that his usage or desire for a bigger role on offense played any part in his absences after returning, and he continued to play a significant role for the Packers for the remainder of the season.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst also emphasized this offseason the urgency to compete for a championship in 2025, which becomes more difficult to do if they trade one of their most experienced receivers before seeing what the rookies can do.
Packers Could Wait Until Trade Deadline for WR Deal
The fervor about the Packers possibly trading one of their wide receivers could endure throughout training camp this summer, but the real window of opportunity — or at least of practicality — will likely not open until the 2025 NFL trade deadline draws nearer.
The Packers will more likely than not start the regular season without Watson available. While head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters last week that the 2022 second-rounder is “ahead of schedule” in his recovery, the team should want to take it slow with a player who has dealt with numerous injuries over his career, hence the expectations of Watson starting the year on the PUP list — which would rule him out for the first four games.
If Watson does start the season on the PUP list, the Packers will have even more reason to hang onto Doubs until he returns. Doubs caught 147 passes for 1,700 yards and 15 touchdowns over his first three seasons and has time on task with quarterback Jordan Love, which makes him valuable to the cause while the rookies acclimate to the NFL.
Now, Doubs could vaporize all traces of trade talks with a breakout start to the 2025 season and put himself in contention to sign an extension with the Packers in 2026. The Packers will have the salary-cap space to bring him back next season, if they want him.
Even if Doubs does not blow the door off the hinges to begin the year, though, the team would still be wise to wait on trade conversations centered around him until midway through the regular season, when it will have a clearer picture of its receiver hierarchy.
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