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The Green Bay Packers had a horrific preseason opener as a team, but it was to no fault of rookie receiver Matthew Golden.
On paper, Golden did not do much more than his teammates in the Packers' 30-10 loss to the New York Jets. The rookie caught just one pass for seven yards. However, Golden was responsible for Jordan Love's lone completion on the night, a well-timed slant against Brandon Stephens, while also drawing a pass interference penalty on All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner.
The only way to "stop" Matthew Golden pic.twitter.com/uJnTLrFZbo
— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) August 10, 2025
Both of Golden's notable plays came on third down to keep the Packers' drives alive. He played two series before watching the rest of the game from the sidelines with the rest of the starters.
The preseason never reveals the full truth, but Golden certainly looked like the Packers' top receiver. Green Bay has not had a true No. 1 wideout since Davante Adams left in 2022. They have worked with a mediocre and injury-prone talent group that has remained frustratingly inconsistent since then.
The Jets' defense is notoriously stingy, but the Packers' offense did almost nothing all night. Green Bay tallied just 188 yards of total offense, including only 64 passing yards as a team.
Matthew Golden continues to look like Packers' top receiver
The Packers took Golden in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft with the hopes of him becoming their No. 1 option moving forward. The team has praised him as such throughout the offseason, and his preseason debut only further solidified that notion.
Golden, who became the first receiver Green Bay used a first-round pick on since 2002, is not listed as a starter on the team's unofficial depth chart. Instead, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed were given that honor. However, if the Packers' first preseason game was any indication, the rookie will certainly be on the field for their first regular season snap.
While Golden's placement on the unofficial depth chart may be discouraging to some fans, rookies are often listed lower on the initial release. Broncos fans were ready to start a social media civil war when running back RJ Harvey was listed last on the depth chart until realizing that the team placed all of its rookies at the bottom of the inaugural list.
