Fact or Fiction: Matthew Golden Will Take Year 2 Jump for Packers

The Green Bay Packers did the unthinkable in last year’s draft. After a streak in excess of two decades, they used a first-round pick on a receiver, Matthew Golden.

The roar of the crowd after Mark Murphy’s announcement, which only got louder after Golden walked onto the draft stage outside Lambeau Field, was practically the highlight of Golden’s rookie season. For multiple reasons, he had a quiet first season.

That has to change in 2026.

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And it will because the Year 2 jump, which has been beaten over everybody's heads for so many years that it’s treated as gospel.

But is it?

The Packers Need Matthew Golden

In free agency, the Packers didn’t put up much of a fight as Romeo Doubs joined the AFC-champion Patriots. The four-year, $68 million contract could be worth $80 million if he hits statistical thresholds he never got close to reaching with the Packers.

At this point last year, Doubs and Christian Watson were entering their final seasons under contract. To bolster the ranks, general manager Brian Gutekunst drafted Golden in the first round and Savion Williams in the third round.

While Watson signed a one-year contract extension last year, Golden will be expected to step right into the starting lineup in Doubs’ spot.

Golden was the 23rd pick of the draft and the fourth of 29 receivers off the board. From that group, he finished ninth with 29 receptions, eighth with 361 yards and seventh with 25.8 yards per game. Of the 20 rookie receivers targeted more than 15 times, Golden ranked sixth with 8.2 yards per target.

The two receivers drafted before Golden, Carolina’s Tetairoa McMillan at No. 8 and Tampa Bay’s Emeka Egbuka at No 19, finished with 1,014 yards and 938 yards, respectively. The two receivers drafted after Golden, Houston’s Jayden Higgins at No. 41 and Chicago’s Luther Burden at No. 47, finished with 525 yards and 652 yards, respectively.

Injuries slowed Golden’s progress. He was sidelined for a stretch due to shoulder and wrist injuries, and the return from injuries of Watson and Jayden Reed ate further into his opportunities.

Added together, Golden in his eight games beginning with Game 7 at Pittsburgh through Game 18 at Minnesota caught 11 passes for 112 yards.

Before that last game against the Vikings, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said: “I think Golden’s got a really bright future. He’s very talented, and his time will come. But I think right now, just with the room the way it is, he’s not going to be in that premier role when the playoffs come around. So, but again, if you told me he was the No. 1 receiver on a play, I’d be very excited about it, too.”

Golden had a miserable game against the Vikings but gave the Packers plenty of reason to be excited in the playoff loss to Chicago, when he caught four passes for 84 yards and his first professional touchdown. Even while playing in only one playoff game, he had the second-most receiving yards and the only touchdown by a rookie receiver in the postseason.

“I thought Matthew did a great job,” Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine. “With all the opportunities we gave him, I thought he did an excellent job. I would have loved to have seen him get more opportunities through the year.

“It didn’t work out that way but, when he did, he performed, and he performed at a high level. I’m really excited to see where he goes in Year 2. Obviously, he was a third-year player coming out of college – one year at Texas, two years at Houston – so I think his ceiling is very, very high. We’re very, very excited about what he’s going to do for our football team moving forward.”

Matthew Golden’s Year 2 Jump

As mentioned earlier, the Year 2 jump has been repeated so many times – especially by draft-and-develop franchises like the Packers – that it’s treated as accepted fact that every second-year player will improve.

And he should. After his final season at Texas wrapped up, Golden went immediately into getting ready for the Scouting Combine. Training for football drills was replaced by training for Combine testing.

After ending his rookie season on a solid note, he got to exhale for a bit before turning his attention to Year 2. When he hits the field for the first day of OTAs in May, he will know the offense forward and backward. He’ll be able to play without thinking, which will allow his natural skill to jump to the forefront.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden (0) makes a reception for a first down against the Chicago Bears. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Those things should happen. Doesn’t mean they will, though.

In 2024, 11 receivers were drafted in the first two rounds. Here’s how they performed as rookies vs. their second seasons.

Marvin Harrison, Cardinals: 62 catches as rookie; 41 catches in Year 2. Verdict: Worse.

Malik Nabers, Giants: 109 catches as rookie; 18 catches in Year 2. Verdict: Worse.

Rome Odunze, Bears: 54 catches as rookie; 44 catches in Year 2. Verdict: Worse.

Brian Thomas, Jaguars: 87 catches as rookie; 48 catches in Year 2. Verdict: Worse.

Xavier Worthy, Chiefs; 59 catches as rookie; 42 catches in Year 2. Verdict: Worse.

Ricky Pearsall, 49ers: 31 catches as rookie; 36 catches in Year 2. Verdict: Better.

Xavier Legette, Panthers: 49 catches as rookie; 35 catches in Year 2. Verdict: Worse.

Keon Coleman, Bills: 29 catches as rookie; 38 catches in Year 2. Verdict: Better.

Ladd McConkey, Chargers: 82 catches as rookie; 66 catches in Year 2. Verdict: Worse.

Ja’Lynn Polk, Patriots: 12 catches as rookie; 0 catches in Year 2. Verdict: Worse.

Adonai Mitchell, Colts: 23 catches as rookie; 33 catches in Year 2. Verdict: Better.

Year 2 Jump: Fact or Fiction?

Obviously, those players didn’t necessarily get worse during their second seasons. Injuries were a common factor. Of the 11 receivers listed above, nine played 15-plus games as rookies in 2024 compared to three in 2025.

Still, the fact remains that Golden’s ascension from rookie backup to premier playmaker isn’t guaranteed.

The playoff game at Chicago was a positive sign, and something he had been “waiting on all year.”

As he showed after the game, “I’m a dawg. I’m a dawg. My confidence, that’s just one thing that will always stay with me. Never get too high or too low, but whenever my opportunities come, I know I’m going to make the most of it.”

The Packers will need Golden to make the most of it – for that Year 2 jump to be more fact than fiction – if they’re going to make a run at a championship in 2026.

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