GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (WBAY) - A little over a month after being drafted in the first round by the Packers, wide receiver Matthew Golden is settling in to his new home as offseason team activities ramp up this week.
“I’m starting to realize that Green Bay’s not too big,” Golden said at this week’s Green Bay Charity Softball Game at Fox Cities Stadium. “A lot of people are gonna recognize me. It’s a blessing to be able to be around people that care about you and can see you. For me it’s just being able to show my face and show that I love being here. I’m ready to put my best foot forward and go out there and play ball.”
Golden was one of many Packers to participate in Friday’s softball game, and the rookie wide receiver came away with at least one hit.
“This is something new for me,” Golden said. “This is my first time hitting a ball, man. I didn’t think I was gonna hit one today but I did so that’s good enough. I met my expectations, so next time I’m gonna definitely try to hit a home run.”
Friday’s event marked the first time Love has spoken with the local media regarding the Packers selection of Golden, breaking a 23-year streak where the team did not select a wide receiver in the first round.
“He’s a great dude,” Love said. “I’m excited to see his potential on the football field. Just the start we’ve had, routes on air, things like that, he looks like a stud. He looks like a very polished receiver. I’m excited to see just how far he can take it.”
The quarterback room hit their fair share of home runs beginning with the home run derby. Jordan Love, the host of the event, started it off with 3 home runs. Malik Willis took over the top spot momentarily after belting 5 home runs. Ultimately, new signee Taylor Elgersma came away with the trophy with 6 home runs.
In the game, rookie safety Johnathan Baldwin’s 2-run home run gave the defensive team a late lead, but the quarterbacks responded. A 2-run homer from Willis gave the offense the lead, then a solo homer from Elgersma put it out of reach.
“There was no shot,” Love said. “No wonder all the quarterbacks showed out. We’re the best athletes on the team. No surprise, no biggie.”
Willis played baseball in high school and even practiced at times alongside the team at Liberty when he was in college.
“It was definitely fun,” Willis said. “I miss baseball a bunch. If they gave out full scholarships I might be playing baseball right now. It was awesome to get out here and play with the guys and just have a little fun.”
In the pre-game media availability, Love met with reporters alongside longtime host of the event, Packers Hall of Famer Donald Driver. The pair responded to the NFL announcing earlier this week that players will be allowed to participate in flag football at the 2028 Olympics.
“Anytime you get an opportunity to go compete for your country and play flag football, something that’s just getting started, hasn’t been done, I think it will be cool,” Love said. “We’ll see what NFL players actually end up doing it. We’ll see what the schedule ends up looking like and if it interferes or anything.”
“So you know what he’s saying?” Driver interjected. “We just found our starting quarterback for the USA team. You see what I’m saying? Throwing it out there now.”
“We’ll see man,” Love said. “Never say never.”
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