The Green Bay Packers are entering an interesting offseason. They nearly have a Super Bowl-caliber roster, save for a few positions that could use an upgrade, such as cornerback, defensive line, and offensive line. Green Bay also has a brand-new defensive coaching staff that may or may not be installing a new scheme, and they are entering a draft without a first-round pick for the first time since 2017 thanks to the Micah Parsons trade.

The Packers are also heading into an interesting offseason where some key players on the roster could be extension candidates. They obviously must extend certain players, like Tucker Kraft. He’s a core building block on this team and someone the Packers won’t let get anywhere near the open market.

But what about Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks, two guys who play the same position and whose contracts are expiring after 2026? Should the Packers explore contract extensions with either, or let 2026 play out and then decide?

It’s important to note who the Packers have locked up at wide receiver beyond 2026. Last year’s first-round pick, Matthew Golden, and third-round pick Savion Williams are their only two wide receivers under contract.

Christian Watson was slated to be a free agent this offseason, but the Packers locked him up for one more year. In all likelihood, they will revisit that contract at some point, ensuring he joins Golden and Williams in 2027. Nobody else on the roster brings the same skill set to the field that Watson does, and I just can’t see Gutekunst letting him leave in his prime at age 27 if he stays healthy.

The Packers could also use a draft pick on a wide receiver. However, all signs point to those three being the core group next season. Their current depth suggests that the Packers should explore an extension, but they might be better off waiting it out.

I thought 2025 would be a big year for Jayden Reed. I never thought re-signing Romeo Doubs was a possibility, and Reed was the offense’s prime YAC target, until Tucker Kraft took that title from him.

Unfortunately, Reed went down with an injury in Week 2 and only saw action in eight games, including the playoffs. After being sidelined for most of the season, he finished with 19 receptions for 207 yards, one touchdown, and added 28 rushing yards on three carries. It’s interesting to think what his numbers would have looked like had he been healthy all season.

However, Matthew Golden and Savion Williams make the Reed conversation interesting. Golden and Reed are at their best when playing in the slot. They can’t both be in the slot at the same time, making one of them redundant. In 2024, Reed’s last full season, he played 75% of his snaps out of the slot. With Reed injured, LaFleur used Williams in a gadget-type role, running most of the jet sweeps with him.

Reed likely saw the writing on the wall last season after the Packers drafted Golden and Williams. After the draft last May, reports surfaced that Reed and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, met with the Packers to “clarify the wide receiver’s status.”

When asked about it, Reed said the meeting was misinterpreted because he had just hired Rosenhaus, but I’m calling his bluff on that. If the Packers choose not to extend Reed, it will be interesting to see what the offense looks like with an entire year of Reed, Golden, and Williams on the roster. If Golden and Williams start to eat away at Reed’s snaps, then Reed will likely play elsewhere in 2027.

Unlike Reed, Golden, and Williams, there is no other player on the roster with a skill set like Dontayvion Wicks. He’s the best route runner on the team and possesses a separation ability that people have compared to All-Pro Davante Adams. He ranked No. 1 among all NFL receivers in 2024 in creating separation, with an 82.14% success rate. That’s a highly valuable skill for a wide receiver who lacks top-end speed.

He has shown flashes of extremely high-level play, such as his performance on Thanksgiving Day against the Detroit Lions, when he almost single-handedly won the game with six receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns. However, Wicks’ most pressing issues are injuries and drops. Can the Packers trust him enough to sink major money into him?

Wicks missed a handful of games in his rookie season and missed two games this past season, including their Wild Card loss to the Chicago Bears. There was also major concern about dropped passes coming into 2025. He seemed to get a handle on it for the most part. Still, you know that will be a reason for pause.

I suspect the Packers will not extend either Reed or Wicks this offseason and take a wait-and-see approach. Both have some clear flaws, so it doesn’t make much sense to proactively extend them, making 2026 will be a big year for them.

With Romeo Doubs all but gone, his team-leading 85 targets will be dispersed throughout the rest of the depth chart. If either Reed or Wicks steps up in a major way, they will earn a contract extension after the season. Both will likely have plenty of suitors, and of course, the money might be the determining factor. If either were offered WR1 money, it’s a non-starter. The Packers have too many other options at the position and too much money tied up elsewhere. Still, the chances are good that one of them gets an extension, but it probably won’t happen anytime soon.