Romeo Doubs

Multiple mid-December reports suggested the Packers were unlikely to keep pending free agent wide receiver Romeo Doubs. That may end up being the case, but a breakup isn’t a given, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The two sides are at least expected to engage in dialogue before free agency starts on March 11, Fowler adds.

For his part, Doubs appears willing to continue his career in Green Bay, which chose him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. The 25-year-old told Kay Adams in late January he “would love to be a Green Bay Packer,” but he also acknowledged it’s a business.

If they’re unable to retain Doubs, the Packers would still have Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Matthew Golden and Savion Williams leading their receiver depth chart. Golden and Williams didn’t do much as rookies, but in selecting the former in the first round and the latter in the third, the Packers invested heavily in the pair at last year’s draft.

While Golden and Williams are under control for a few years, Watson, Reed and tight end Tucker Kraft are all slated to reach free agency after next season. An extension for Kraft is already on general manager Brian Gutekunst‘s radar, and there could be added motivation to lock up Watson and/or Reed if Doubs exits Wisconsin in March.

This year’s free agent crop will be light on high-end receivers, especially with the Cowboys all but guaranteed to place the franchise tag on George Pickens. The Colts could also tag deep threat Alec Pierce. If those two don’t get to the market, it would be a positive development for Doubs and the rest of an unsigned class that could also include Jauan Jennings, Rashid Shaheed and Wan’Dale Robinson, among others.

Nobody would confuse Doubs with a star wideout, but after a solid showing on his rookie contract, he should secure a nice raise on a multiyear deal. A starter in 50 of 59 career appearances, the 6-foot-2, 204-pounder has averaged approximately 15 games, 51 catches, 80 targets, 606 yards and five touchdowns per season. Doubs started in 15 of 16 games in 2025 and caught 55 of 85 targets for a career-high 724 yards and six scores.

While Romeo Doubs once appeared to be the odd man out in the Packers receivers room, the veteran could soon be the recipient of an extension. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the organization has “interest in potentially extending” the wide receiver. The reporter adds that the two sides have had “cursory talks” about the impending free agent’s future in Green Bay.

[RELATED: Packers Sign Christian Watson To Extension]

It was only a year ago that Doubs was hit with a one-game suspension by the Packers for missing practices due to personal reasons. We later heard that Green Bay’s front office discussed trade scenarios involving Doubs during the offseason. Fowler notes that the organization has since “shown no interest in trading him,” and Packers brass would actually prefer to hand the former fourth-round pick a second contract.

Of course, that may be easier said than done. As Fowler notes, Doubs could be emerging as the top WR in this upcoming offseason’s free agency class. The 25-year-old will be joined by the likes of Mike Evans, Jakobi Meyers, and Jauan Jennings, but Doubs’ age means he could be in line for more term and more money. Fowler points to Khalil Shakir‘s four-year, $53MM deal with the Bills as the type of contract that’s seeming increasingly unlikely to be signed by Doubs, an indication that the Packers wideout could be eyeing a contract worth at least $15MM annually.

While the Packers may be interested in securing Doubs on a team-friendly contract, they may not feel the urgency to overspend on the impending free agent. After inking Christian Watson to a recent extension, the team has the rest of their depth under contract through at least the 2026 season. Watson, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks will all be free agents in 2027, but the team used recent draft picks on first-round WR Matthew Golden and third-round WR Savion Williams.

As the Packers navigate a number of injuries to their receivers corps at the moment, Doubs has stepped up for the organization. The wideout is tied with Josh Jacobs for the team lead in rushing/receiving touchdowns (four), and he’s been the team’s second-most reliable pass catcher behind tight end Tucker Kraft. The Nevada product’s best NFL season came in 2023, when he hauled in 59 catches for 674 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Packers’ wide receiver surplus — created by the team using first- and third-round selections at the position in April — generated intrigue during the offseason. Jayden Reed‘s agent discussed where the team’s top returning wideout stood in the grand scheme, and Christian Watson‘s status was murky due to the ACL tear he suffered in Week 18 of last season.

Fast-forward to mid-September, and the Packers are 2-0 without much production from first-round pick Matthew Golden. The former Houston and Texas pass catcher has two catches for 16 yards through two games. Third-rounder Savion Williams is also working as a backup. Reed’s collarbone injury (and subsequent foot surgery) brought a complication, and the team indeed had Watson in its long-term plans — as the recent one-year, $11MM extension showed.

This setup leaves only Romeo Doubs as a contract-year player in this mix. The arrivals of Golden and Williams to go with the Watson extension point Doubs out of Wisconsin by 2026, and The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman notes the Packers are believed to have discussed Doubs with teams this offseason.

Given the Packers’ injury issues at receiver right now, Doubs stands as a more important piece than he otherwise would be. Reed is out indefinitely, with a two-surgery rehab effort likely prolonging his recovery timetable, while Watson is on the reserve/PUP list. Watson may be readying to return when first eligible, but it is also quite possible the Packers give the recently paid receiver a ramp-up period after designating him for return. Indeed, Schneidman adds that Doubs is unlikely to be moved now.

I posited Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks as potential trade chips this offseason, but with the other two returning WRs down, both players are fairly important to the team’s early-season plan. Tucker Kraft looking increasingly poised for a top-market tight end extension also represents an important Packers pass-game storyline, as the third-year player may be the team’s top target while Doubs, Wicks and Golden mix in during the Reed and Watson absences.

A fourth-round pick out of Nevada in 2022, Doubs has played well in spurts for a Packers team that has rolled with an egalitarian setup at receiver post-Davante Adams. Doubs eclipsed 600 yards in each of the past two seasons, scoring eight touchdowns in 2023 and adding four last year. Last season did bring a one-game team-imposed suspension after Doubs expressed frustration about his role. But he reemerged as a solid auxiliary Jordan Love target in the weeks that followed. The Steelers’ George Pickens trade loosely tied them to Doubs, due to his rookie-year overlap with Aaron Rodgers, but nothing came of it.

With Reed, Wicks, Golden, Williams and now Watson signed beyond this season, Doubs would appear to be auditioning for other teams this year. Among first-time UFAs at receiver, the 6-foot-2 weapon would join Pickens, Jauan Jennings, Rashid Shaheed, Wan’Dale Robinson, Alec Pierce and Jalen Tolbert as notable options. Though, veterans like Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and Jakobi Meyers are also noncontracted for 2026. The Packers and Doubs would benefit from another productive season, even if this partnership appears unlikely to continue beyond this year.

Last week, Romeo Doubs was absent from practice and subsequently suspended for one game by the Packers. The third-year wideout has returned to the team, though, and no further issues in his case are expected.

“The one thing I’ll say about it is, I mean, it’s a pretty isolated incident,” head coach Matt LaFleur said (via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). “Like this has not happened with him before. I don’t expect it to happen moving forward.”

Shortly before the Packers announced their decision to suspend Doubs for conduct detrimental to the team, multiple reports stated Doubs was unhappy with his role in Green Bay’s offense this season. The 24-year-old currently ranks third on the Packers with 20 targets, and his 169 yards place him second on the team. His share of the passing attack has taken a step back compared to last season, but Doubs has remained a full-time starter in 2024. When speaking publicly for the first time since his suspension, he denied his workload drove last week’s absence.

“I had to make sure that I got the family together again,” Doubs said as a reference to the Packers’ receiver corps (h/t The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman). “I’d say there was some things going on off the field, so as far as just the organization and just the staff, players, there’s nothing going on within that area, so I just wanna make myself clear there.”

Doubs added he “had some things going on mentally” last week, while stating he is better now and expressing regret about how he handled the situation. The former fourth-rounder recently had a productive meeting with the team, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, positioning all parties involved to move forward. Questions were raised about a potential Doubs trade in the wake of last week’s events, but no such move is expected to receive consideration on Green Bay’s end.

Beginning again in Week 6, the Nevada product will likely handle a key role in the passing game. Doubs posted a 59-674-8 statline last season, and repeating that production could set himself up for an extension as early as this spring. For the time being, though, he and the Packers will look to put the suspension in the past and avoid any similar situations arising.