Let me start by wishing any mothers scanning the words of CHTV today a Happy Mother's Day. A special thanks to my wife, the mother of our three children, who always does an amazing job of holding down the fort when my brain drifts off into Packerland. And of course, my mother, who helped nurture my young Packers fandom and made sure I never missed wearing Packers gear at school on a green and gold Friday, or a victory Monday. I wouldn't be here if not for you both.
After the NFL Draft, you hit a lull in NFL news for the next two months until Training Camp begins. Sure, you have rookie camp and OTAs, but unless your team makes a move or something, you don't have a lot to talk about. Recently, Steelers, Cowboys, and Saints fans have had some news to chat about as Pittsburgh traded WR George Pickens to Dallas for draft picks, and it was announced that Saints QB Derek Carr will be calling it a career due to injury. No athlete should have to cut their career short for health reasons, no matter where they are in their career. Hopefully, Derek Carr can find peace in whatever he decides to pursue moving forward. The Pickens trade to Dallas, though, was not a surprise to many, and it seems like Pittsburgh isn't willing to have two highly paid and vocal wide receivers. This trade has, however, sent a ripple effect around the league with many thinking the Steelers are not done.
Romeo Doubs
It was not at all a surprise to see a wide receiver drafted high by the Packers in this year's draft. With Christian Watson expected to be out most of the 2025 season with his and Romeo Doubs' rookie contracts expiring at the end of the campaign, the team would have been wise to invest in an early receiver pick. Surprisingly, though, they drafted two. One in the first round, and one in the third round. Had they drafted WR Matthew Golden in the first round and then not touched the position until day 3, it would've been less noteworthy. You would see Matthew Golden as the Christian Watson quasi-replacement for the first half of this season, and then a day 3 pick as kind of an "outside looking in" receiver looking to maybe take snaps and a roster spot away from Bo Melton or Malik Heath. But instead, that second rookie receiver is a day 2 pick. This means he's making the roster. That means he's going to be given his fair share of chances to be not just WR5 or WR6, but even WR3 or WR4.
Heading into training camp, though, it begs the question: the Packers already have a good weapon in Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks seems like if he can get over the case of drops he had occasionally in 2024, he could be a big threat himself. If you have Golden running at the third receiver, and Savion Williams, that 3rd round pick sitting around to make a number four, where does that leave Romeo Doubs? He will contribute this season as he is still a reliable target for Jordan Love, but with the team likely to put a lot of stock in the new picks and with Doubs approaching a contract season, where it's anyone's guess if he's resigned, why not trade him?
After football, my sports allegiance lies with hockey. In the NHL, if a team has a player that they are most likely parting ways with at the end of the season, they are very likely to look to trade them at the trade deadline before their contract expires. That ensures the team doesn't just lose that decent player for nothing. We see this every once in a while in the NFL, however, the NFL has a perk called "compensatory picks," where if a team loses a player to free agency, they can be compensated with a late-day 2 or day 3 draft pick. Some teams may prefer to have the player play out their contract and grab that compensatory pick, but then some are willing to ship them off immediately to get a return immediately.
A lot has been said lately about the Packers looking to trade Romeo Doubs. While this makes sense on paper, it implies that the Packers have already made the decision that Doubs will not beat out the younger players on the roster and is not worth a second contract. Which is likely untrue as his chemistry with Jordan Love is very clear, and that will be needed in the first half of this season.
If Doubs is healthy, his reliability in the passing game is too valuable to just cast aside. Regardless of how high a receiver is drafted, most of them need to gain some experience before they really take off. Doubs will cover those opportunities early in the season while the young players get acclimated. The middle of the season, though, will determine Doubs' future. If he's been productive and has been one of the Packers' top receivers, I can't see them trading him away as they won't want to ruin that team mojo heading into a playoff push. But if he's been average at best, the Packers may put the feelers out to see what they can get for him at the trade deadline.
It's been said that the Steelers will be signing Aaron Rodgers, and that Aaron Rodgers liked Romeo Doubs, so the Steelers might come knocking to trade for him. But, it's going to take an offer the Packers can't refuse to move Romeo Doubs at the beginning of the season.