The Green Bay Packers went from having way too many wide receivers to potentially having too few. Romeo Doubs was due to get paid, so it made sense to let him walk in free agency. However, there was no reason to move on from Dontayvion Wicks.
The Packers traded Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles, reuniting him with former quarterback coach Sean Mannion, who is now their new offensive coordinator. In return, they got a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick, plus $2.6 million in salary cap savings.
While landing draft capital for a player who's not in your plans is usually a good move, Wicks would've probably given this team much more on the field than as a trade chip. This move might come back to haunt the Packers.
The Packers will regret trading Dontayvion Wicks
The Packers gave Christian Watson and Jayden Reed contract extensions this offseason. That makes sense, but Watson has been hurt as often as he's been healthy, and Reed also missed some time last season.
They must hope that Matthew Golden takes a big leap in year two after a disappointing rookie season. And with Savion Williams also showing flashes of solid play here and there, Matt LaFleur might feel comfortable with the current wide receiver room.
That's valid, but Wicks' big-play expertise will be put to great use in Green Bay. He's solid in hitch routes, but he's also shown an impressive ability to create separation, and he'll make the most of the Eagles' elite running game to find gaps in the secondary with his speed.
While he won't replicate A.J. Brown's production, the mere fact that he was one of the guys they acquired to potentially pick up the slack speaks volumes about their potential plans for him. Eagles GM Howie Roseman rarely misses.
Even if that's not the case, the Packers are banking all of their hopes on projections. They hope Matthew Golden can improve and live up to his first-round pick status. They hope Christian Watson can stay healthy. They hope that Tucker Kraft will pick things up where he left them.
Those are way too many hypotheticals, and Wicks was a reality. He wasn't given a fair chance to showcase his skills, but he delivered every time he was out there, forcing missed tackles, racking up yards after the catch, and keeping the chains in motion.
As usually happens, the Packers haven't been the most active team in the offseason, so there aren't many moves to evaluate here. That said, of all the things they did -- and didn't -- moving on from Wicks for scraps and penny savings is most definitely the biggest head-scratcher here.
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