On an otherwise unsuspecting Friday two weeks removed from the 2026 NFL Draft, Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman decided to get the NFL world talking by trading a pair of picks, a fifth-rounder in 2026 and a sixth-rounder in 2027, for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks.
A fifth round pick out of Virginia who was set to enter the final year of his rookie contract, Wicks was also handed a one-year contract extension worth $12.5 million, guaranteeing that he will have at least two seasons in Philadelphia even if Sean Mannion, his former coach in Green Bay, may end up being one-and-done if he turns the Eagles into a Super Bowl contender once more.
On paper, there’s a lot to like about Wicks as a player both now and into the future. A soon-to-be fourth-year wide receiver who doesn’t turn 25 until the summer, Wicks caught 108 of the 180 balls thrown his way in Green Bay, amassing 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns for his troubles. While he isn’t particularly fast, running a 4.62 40 time in 2023, he’s a good route runner and consistently found ways to contribute in a very deep Packers receiving room, even if 2025 was the low-water mark of his career due to injury and the improved level of competition around him. Wicks hasn’t fumbled the ball since his rookie season, which was an issue early on, only dropped two passes in 2025, and excelled at the sort of timing routes the Eagles love to run on the outside, even if his 2.2 YAC per reception is concerning for a team that rarely turned nothing into something after the catch.
Will Wicks ever become a number one option for the Birds? Probably not, but how about their WR2? $12.5 million is an awful lot for any team to pay their WR3, especially considering how little the Eagles targeted that position when Jahan Dotson was in the role, leading some to believe that the move has more to do with AJ Brown’s future than a perceived lack of high-upside options at the position in the 2026 NFL Draft. Factor in the additions of Hollywood Brown and Elijah Mitchell, and the Eagles now have more wide receivers than they have targets in their run-heavy offense, which means the AJ Brown conversation might just burst right back into the national conversation heading into Pittsburgh.
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It remains incredibly unlikely the Eagles will trade AJ Brown in April
While opinions vary on whether the Eagles should trade away a 1,000-yard receiver like Brown at this stage of his career regardless of how he feels about his weekly target load, one thing can’t be argued: doing so would be incredibly pricey before June 1.
Taking to social media to break down the trade, ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter noted that while the addition of Wicks does put the Brown’s future into question, trading him for 2026 NFL Draft picks would create an incredible cap burden for Roseman to navigate.
“AJ Brown’s future in Philadelphia remains a topic of conversation, and in the meantime, the Eagles add another WR in Dontayvion Wicks from Green Bay,” Schefter wrote. “The belief remains that, if an AJ Brown trade were to happen, it would likely occur after June 1, when the cap burden would be more manageable for the Eagles.”
Now, as Schefter noted, the Eagles would really have to get creative to move on from Brown now in the name of 2026 NFL Draft compensation. If the Eagles trade Brown with a pre-June 1 designation, they would add $43.5 million in dead money to their books, including over $20 million to their current cap liabilities, according to Over The Cap. If, by contrast, Brown is traded with a post-June 1 designation, the Eagles would be able to split that hit over two years, adding just $16.4 million in dead money while actually saving $7 million towards this year’s cap.
Could some team make it worth the Eagles’ while to trade him before or during the draft? Potentially so, if, say, multiple first-round picks are in play, as the Eagles do have $34.8 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap, but moving Brown before camp, at the trade deadline, or even next spring simply makes more sense, which is likely why Roseman went out of his way to make sure Wicks is under contract in 2027, too.
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Dontayvion Wicks adds optionality for the Eagles before the NFL Draft
When the Eagles signed Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore back-to-back in free agency, few expected that to take the team out of early wide receiver consideration heading into the 2026 NFL Draft.
Sure, having AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith flanked by Hollywood, Moore, and Super Bowl contributor Johnny Wilson might just be the best supporting cast Jalen Hurts has had since signing his nine-figure extension, but only two of those players, Smith and Wilson, were expected to still be signed in 2027, leading to long-term question marks about the position.
But now? Well, Wicks pretty much ends the chances of a player like Jordyn Tyson – if he falls – Omar Cooper Jr., or KC Concepcion at pick No. 23, unless Howie Roseman really wants to shake things up in a major way.
While Wicks isn’t the biggest wide receiver in football, he has proven he can beat press as an X-receiver, allowing Smith and Brown – should he remain on the team – an opportunity to move around formations to search for the best matchup. He isn’t, however, a shifty YAC specialist who can use elusiveness to pick up yards after the catch from the slot or a deep speedster who can stretch the field, elements the Eagles’ passing game has been missing for years now, leading one to believe that position could still be in play on Day 2 of the NFL Draft, where the Eagles still have three selections.
Of the three wide receivers the Eagles have brought in for top-30 visits so far, only one, Chris Bell, really has a skill set comparable to Wilks’ athletic profile. Standing 6-foot-2, 222 pounds, Bell might have been a first-round pick in this year’s class if he was healthy, but a November ACL tear ended both his season and his pre-draft process, leading some to think he could fall into the mid-second round. He can beat press and score in the red zone, but Bell is far from a sure thing, as sometimes, wide receivers don’t come back the same way from an ACL tear, at least in their first season back.
And as for the other two? Well Omar Cooper Jr., their first reported visit, is a shifty slot specialist who can make big catches and run afterward. Cooper can block and played a big role in Fernando Mendoza’s ascension in 2025, but he may now be off the board before pick No. 23 after a strong pre-draft process. De’Zhaun Stribling is also 6-foot-2, but he wins more with pure speed, running a 4.36 after a successful season at Ole Miss following spots at Washington State and Oklahoma State. Playing for one of the true success stories of the 2025 NCAA season, Stribling was at his best as an off-ball flanker, where be beat his man with speed and route running without having to face much press at the line.
Maybe the Eagles were willing to trade for Wicks and extend him because he is simply better than any options available in the fifth round this year, or maybe Roseman has his eyes on rejuvenating the offense in a major way long-term, and his addition is merely one piece in the long-term puzzle.
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