As the draft approaches, the NFL market has a clear deadline for moves to happen. Teams that are willing to trade veterans usually will want compensation as soon as possible, and everyone wants to make their picks knowing how the roster is constructed.
Philosophically, the Green Bay Packers doesn't like to acquire veteran players. As general manager Brian Gutekunst said after the season, it's hard for a player to justify the veteran contract plus the draft capital invested to acquire him.
But what about selling players? Well, PFF's Bradley Locker made a list of every team’s best trade asset ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, and the Packers' option is wide receiver Romeo Doubs. There's a good reason for it.
"The Packers headed into the offseason with a bit of a logjam at wide receiver: Green Bay fields four solid young options in Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks, but none is consistently stellar. Green Bay's search for a clear-cut WR1 hasn't yielded any answers yet, either.
Watson may have the most upside of the bunch, but a torn ACL suffered late in the year would reduce his trade value. At the same time, Doubs has been effective in the past two years, ranking second on the team with a 75.0 PFF receiving grade and leading the way with 83 first downs picked up. The bottom line is that Green Bay probably will not re-sign both Watson and Doubs next offseason, and the latter could net more capital right now."
The last point is the most important for the Packers. Romeo Doubs is entering the final year of his deal. And even though he's been solid and reliable throughout his three seasons with the team, his ceiling is fairly limited.
And good not great pass catchers are making a lot (seriously, a lot!) of money in free agency. If there's a team willing to give Doubs a huge contract, it's basically impossible for the Packers to keep him around beyond 2025.
The franchise tag for 2026 is projected to be $28 million, and even a transition tag ($24.698 million) is unrealistic. If the Packers don't plan to keep Doubs around for the long-term, trading him now and recouping some draft capital could be a smart approach.
Why it's ultimately hard to pull the trigger
The chances of moving on from Romeo Doubs would be way more appealing if Christian Watson hadn't gotten hurt. Now, the Packers' receiving core is already thin.
They have Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, and Bo Melton from last year. The roster also had Julian Hicks and Cornelius Johnson, who spent last season on the practice squad, and Tulu Griffin, added after the season was over, and Mecole Hardman, the only free agent addition but who's expected to play more special teams than offense.
Christian Watson is expected to miss significant time in the regular season. So any Doubs' trade would have to include a parallel plan to address the position—either via another trade to acquire a veteran or by drafting a rookie with a high pick.
It's not an easy solution. But with a complicated cap situation for 2026, the team might not be that active in free agency, which means losing Doubs would probably generate a compensatory pick in 2027. Ultimately, letting Doubs play out his rookie deal might be the most sensible solution, unless someone is willing to give up real draft compensation to acquire him.
