Best-Case Scenario for Packers in 2025

The Green Bay Packers, one of the youngest teams to reach the playoffs in NFL history each of the last two seasons, sort of treaded water last season. They went from 9-8 and a playoff win in 2023 to 11-6 but one-and-done in 2024.

The Packers, clearly, are a good team. There is talent up and down the roster. There are questions, yes, but no real weaknesses. The quarterback has had elite-level stretches. There are big-time players at running back and tight end on offense and safety and linebacker on defense. The coach has won a lot of games.

So, how do the Packers take the next step of not being just a playoff contender but a Super Bowl contender?

There are a lot of factors, obviously, with health being No. 1 on any team’s list. Focusing on just one, it’s the ability of the rookie receivers to be Week 1 contributors and playoff X-factors.

The big additions in free agency were one-for-one replacements, with Aaron Banks replacing Josh Myers as one of five starters on the offensive line and Nate Hobbs replacing Jaire Alexander at cornerback.

Where there is room to grow is with the Jordan Love-led passing game. General manager Brian Gutekunst knows it, which was why he supplemented the receiver corps with Matthew Golden in the first round and Savion Williams in the third round. It’s the fresh faces that have the ability to take the passing game to the next level. Indeed, it’s the fresh faces that must take the passing game to the next level.

There’s pressure on every first-round pick, but there’s more on Golden than most. The Packers hadn’t drafted a receiver in the first round for more than two decades. That alone signals that the Packers believe Golden is different.

“He looks like a stud, looks like a very polished receiver,” Love said at his charity softball game.

Added receiver Romeo Doubs during OTAs: “The kid’s a stud. Doesn’t really say much. He just comes in and works. He has been real consistent. …The kid’s playing fast right now, so I’m excited to see him.”

Everyone knows about Golden’s speed. His 4.29 time in the 40 might be the most recognizable three-digit number in the 920 area code. During five practices that were open to reporters this spring, Golden routinely got open and he didn’t drop a single pass.

Other than being a little on the short side at 5-foot-11, he’s got all the skills necessary to be a true No. 1 receiver. He doesn’t have to be a No. 1 receiver to start this rookie season, though. He does need to be an instant-impact player with the ability to become a go-to receiver by the end of the season.

Williams is perhaps the most intriguing player in the draft class. During his final season at TCU, he caught 60 passes while also being their No. 1 rushing threat. Green Bay’s top returning receiver, Jayden Reed, has excelled with screens and the occasional handoff. He was such a threat that, whenever he motioned into or out of the backfield, you could feel the 11 sets of eyes on the other side of the ball following his every movement.

While Reed was a playmaker in those gadget-style roles, the pounding seemed to take a toll. He was a nonfactor for too many games during the second half of last season. At 222 pounds, Williams should be able to withstand the physicality, which could truly unleash Reed.

Reed is so much more than a role player. Last year, 72 receivers were targeted at least 10 times on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield, according to Pro Football Focus. By catching 12 of 15 of those deep targets, Reed was No. 1 with a catch rate of 80.0 percent. Only two other receivers were better than 60.0 percent. Reed averaged 31.9 yards per deep target. Vikings star Justin Jefferson was a distant second with 22.4 yards per target.

With Golden stretching the field vertically and Williams stretching it horizontally, there could be a lot of room to navigate for Reed, Doubs and fellow receiver Dontayvion Wicks and tight end Tucker Kraft. If tight end Luke Musgrave can bounce back from a dismal season, if MarShawn Lloyd can live up to the type and Christian Watson can return at some point, the passing game could have too much firepower for any defense to stop. And Love, who has looked great in moments, could have the type of MVP-caliber season necessary to lead the team to the Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl should be the goal every season for the 13-time world champions. If the rookie receivers excel and help Love live up to the hype, that goal could become reality.