Earlier this offseason, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst referenced a sense of urgency at 1265 Lombardi Avenue. At the time, he said his team needed to start perennially competing for Super Bowl titles as opposed to just making the NFL Playoffs every year.
When he said this, many took it to mean that he and the Packers would be big players in free agency. And while Green Bay signed Aaron Banks and Nate Hobbs, they did not land any of the big fish that fans envisioned, especially at the wide receiver position.
All it took was the 2025 NFL Draft, which was held in Green Bay, for everyone to clearly see what he meant by his statement.
The Green Bay Packers Put Their Wide Receivers on Notice
The 2025 NFL Draft being held in Green Bay can very well be considered the crowning achievement of Mark Murphy’s tenure as the team’s CEO and President. This is no small statement considering he helped the franchise transition from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, and then from Rodgers to Jordan Love, built up the Title Town District, and presided over a Super Bowl victory.
But getting the NFL to agree to send their second-most viewed event to the league’s smallest market is a feat that few might have expected. This made it all the more rewarding when Murphy announced that the Packers’ first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft was Matthew Golden, a wide receiver from Texas. It was the first time Green Bay had taken a wide receiver in the first round since 2002.
And the Packers were not done there. They selected TCU’s Savion Williams in the third round, to the surprise of many.
At that point: Gutekunst’s statement, or at least the audience it was intended for, became clear. It was directed at his own players, and specifically at the wide receiver position.
With the additions of their picks, Green Bay’s wide receiver room was packed full of players capable of making the 53-man roster: Golden, Williams, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton, and Malik Heath. One must also not forget Christian Watson, who will return sometime during the season from a torn ACL. Earlier in the offseason, the Packers also signed Mecole Hardman.
By selecting two wide receivers, Green Bay put their own pass catchers on notice. After the unit, as a whole, struggled with dropped passes in 2024, no one’s job is guaranteed.
The Green Bay Packers Retracted a Contract Offer to Julian Fleming
And the Packers were not done adding wide receivers in the draft itself. After it ended, the agreed to sign undrafted free agent wide receiver Julian Fleming out of Penn State. He was, of course, listed on their roster of players that participated in Green Bay’s rookie mini camp.
However, he actually was not there. The team retracted their contract offer shortly after he arrived in Green Bay.
The reason? He failed his physical:
Apparently, the team had concerns regarding his recent hip and back injuries. As Marc Malkoskie notes above, his NFL dream is not over. He is attempting to attend the rookie mini camps of the Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens, and/or San Francisco 49ers.
But he will not be a Packer.
