After months of speculation, the Green Bay Packers’ split with Romeo Doubs became official on Tuesday. According to SI’s Albert Breer, Doubs has agreed to a four-year, $68 million contract that could be worth up to $80 million in incentives with the New England Patriots, finalizing a parting of ways that felt inevitable when Doubs grabbed three touchdowns in a nationally televised game against the Dallas Cowboys last October.
Doubs’s departure stings as a player that was a fan favorite and a popular character in the locker room. But it may not be all that bad. With the Packers refusing to give Doubs a big-money contract, it opens up several avenues to improve the team in the long haul and may help them come out as winners in a difficult situation.
Packers Win in Multiple Ways After Romeo Doubs Head to Patriots
The biggest winner after Doubs’s contract may be Christian Watson. After signing a one-year, $11 million contract extension last year, Watson could be looking for a long-term deal this spring. Although the Packers weren’t willing to give Doubs the bag as he hit free agency, Watson could have better luck as a player that was drafted two rounds ahead of Doubs in the 2022 draft and could have had better production if it weren’t for several injuries.
Watson was also the more productive receiver of the two last year despite missing the first half of the season with a torn ACL, leaving the door for an even bigger year – and a bigger payday than Spotrac’s $15.6 million market value projection – if he hits the market after the 2026 season.
Christian Watson | Romeo Doubs | |
|---|---|---|
Games | 10 | 16 |
Receptions Per Game | 3.5 | 3.4 |
Yards Per Game | 61.1 | 45.2 |
Receiving Touchdowns | 6 | 6 |
Yards Per Target | 11.1 | 8.5 |
Yards Per Route Run | 2.28 | 1.86 |
By letting Doubs walk, the Packers have the opportunity to pay Watson, even in a wide receiver market that has skyrocketed. Still, that’s not the only way the Packers come out ahead.
Matthew Golden was buried on the Packers’ depth chart last season after being taken in the first round of the draft, but the path is clear for him to get more opportunities this year. A three-receiver set could include Watson, Golden and Jayden Reed and Golden could be ready for that challenge after working on the mental side of his game and recovering from a shoulder injury that lingered throughout his rookie season.
While Savion Williams and Dontayvion Wicks could also get run in the aftermath of Doubs’s departure, the Packers will also win big on their draft board as they will likely get a compensatory pick. Packer Report’s Eli Berkovits speculated Green Bay could receive “a fourth round comp pick” in 2027 for Doubs leaving town and there could be more on the way with Malik Willis heading to the Miami Dolphins and Quay Walker leaving for the Las Vegas Raiders in the opening days of the NFL’s legal tampering window.
For what it’s worth, Doubs was a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft and the Packers have had solid luck in the past selecting players in that range including Tucker Kraft (third round, 2023), Evan Williams (fourth round, 2024) and Barryn Sorrell (fourth round, 2025).
With the benefits involved, it takes some of the sadness as Doubs leaves for New England. But it could also give Green Bay the chance to improve their depth and potentially find his replacement.