Heading into the 2025 season, the most exciting offensive piece the Green Bay Packers added was rookie receiver Matthew Golden. The Texas alum was an incredibly talented pass catcher that fans hoped would finally give Jordan Love a definitive primary target. Instead, Golden has been a consistent offensive afterthought, reduced to being used in jet sweeps and rare deep shots. This clearly isn't Golden's game, and for such a smart offensive team, it is a shocking decision.
One that must change as the Packers head into the postseason if they want to have a chance of making a surprise run. The rookie has previously noted that head coach Matt LaFleur is big on details, and one that should catch his attention is the targets of Bo Melton. The former corner has just as many targets as Golden since Week 10. This should be mortifying for an organization that understands Melton is a depth piece while the rookie was a first-round investment.
Fans can only hope that this serves as a wake-up call and gives LaFleur a chance to focus on Golden heading into the playoffs. The Packers have two interesting options to explore based on the end of the season. Green Bay is locked into the NFC's 7th seed no matter the results in Week 18, giving the franchise a chance to get healthy and rest key starters while preparing for a road wildcard round matchup.
Packers Must Utilize Rookie Receiver Matthew Golden in Season's Final Games
This sets up a chance for LaFleur to either feature Golden in Week 18, getting a great idea of his potential, or to game-plan a surprise role in the wildcard round. No matter how it happens, it is obvious that the Packers need a surprise contributor to emerge, and Golden is the best shot of this, fueling a surprise January run.
What the Packers must realize is that Golden has arguably the best hands in his class and is a great weapon to use over the middle or in short-yardage situations. Green Bay has attempted to use Golden as a deep shot option or to help establish the run game. The rookie's true potential is being a featured target that helps take pressure off Christian Watson and provides Love a much-needed premier playoff option.
The Packers have seen the potential contributions of the rookie with Golden producing a trio of catches and 55 receiving yards two weeks ago against the tough defense of the Denver Broncos. The talent is there, and Green Bay's coaching staff is clearly too talented not to realize that Golden could be the secret weapon to give the Packers a needed push.