The Philadelphia Eagles acquired wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks from the Green Bay Packers on Friday, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. The Packers received a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick in return.
The move for Wicks, 24, comes amid ongoing speculation that the Eagles will trade A.J. Brown after June 1. Wicks will sign a one-year contract extension with the Eagles, according to a league source.
The deal reunites Wicks with Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, who was the quarterbacks coach in Green Bay. Wicks played three seasons for the Packers, starting 18 games. He had 30 catches for 332 yards and two touchdowns last season in Green Bay. His best season came in 2023, when he finished with 39 catches for 581 yards and four touchdowns.
What the trade means for the Eagles
The trade, combined with the contract extension, is evidence that the Eagles have big plans for Wicks and further signals the potential of a Brown trade after June 1.
Wicks’ background with Mannion and assistant coach Ryan Mahaffey, who was his position coach in Green Bay, gives the Eagles a sense of Wicks’ fit and skill set in Philadelphia. If Brown is traded, Wicks would be the frontrunner to be the No. 2 receiver opposite DeVonta Smith, giving Wicks more opportunity than he found in a logjam in Green Bay. The Eagles also added Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore this offseason, but neither player came with the investment that they made in Wicks. The Eagles return Darius Cooper, Johnny Wilson, Britain Covey, Quez Watkins and Danny Gray — none surefire starters.
This trade does not change the possibility that the Eagles could add a receiver early in the draft, although if Wicks can become a No. 2 receiver in the event of a Brown trade, it lessens the need for a rookie to be a top contributor. This also brings the Eagles’ draft capital in 2026 down to eight picks: a first-round pick, a second-round pick, two third-round picks, two fourth-round picks, a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick.
Wicks is not an established starter in the NFL, so there’s risk in counting on him to excel in an elevated role. But he’s teased with potential and has the frame (6-foot-1, 206 pounds), skill set and age to fit the offense with Smith. The background with the coaching staff helps. It would be unfair to expect him to replace Brown — or even approach Smith’s production as the 1A option — but it’s reasonable to think he can carve a role. In the event Brown remains with the Eagles in 2026, Wicks would profile as the No. 3 receiver and would be down the list of touches behind Brown, Smith, tight end Dallas Goedert and running back Saquon Barkley. — Zach Berman, Eagles beat writer
What the trade means for the Packers
A couple of things come to mind when weighing this trade for the Packers. One, their once-deep wide receiver room has now lost both Wicks and Romeo Doubs, who signed a lucrative deal with the New England Patriots in free agency. Remaining atop the room are Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and 2025 first-round pick Matthew Golden, along with 2025 third-round pick Savion Williams. They also have tight end Tucker Kraft returning from a torn ACL as a prominent pass catcher, and he should be ready for Week 1.
Watson and Reed are entering contract years, but there’s a chance both have already earned extensions from the team that drafted them. The Packers also signed receiver and returner Skyy Moore in free agency, but Wicks’ departure might mean general manager Brian Gutekunst eyes a receiver in the draft in the event both Watson and Reed aren’t back next season (Watson figures to take priority over Reed).
The biggest benefactor from this trade might be Golden, who caught only 29 passes for 361 yards with his only touchdown coming in the wild-card round against the Bears. Doubs led the Packers in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches over the last four seasons, and Wicks, a game-ball recipient on Thanksgiving in a dramatic win in Detroit, was more of a secondary option whose departure will free up opportunities for the talented 22-year-old whom coaches hyped even as he didn’t factor prominently in the offense.
Wicks battled injuries last season and never sniffed his Thanksgiving success the rest of the season. He was also entering a contract year and seemingly stood little chance of getting extended. Instead of getting a late 2028 compensatory pick after letting him walk in free agency or perhaps nothing at all next offseason, the Packers recoup a fifth-round pick for the draft happening in two weeks and a sixth-round pick for next year.
The Packers don’t have a first-round pick this year or next because they sent both to the Cowboys in the Micah Parsons trade last August. Still, they now have eight draft picks in 2026 (four in Rounds 2-5). They are projected by Over the Cap’s Nick Korte to receive compensatory picks next year in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth rounds to go along with this new sixth-round pick from the Eagles after losing quarterback Malik Willis, linebacker Quay Walker, defensive end Kingsley Enagbare and Doubs in free agency this year.
According to OTC, the Packers also free up approximately $3.7 million in salary-cap space with this trade, and they now have plenty of room to sign additional veterans and/or extend their own players like Watson, Kraft and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt. — Matt Schneidman, Packers beat writer
