Dontayvion Wicks has done this before, in a way. Not the trade. Not the new playbook. But walking into a receiver room and having to prove he belongs.
Three seasons in Green Bay ended this offseason when the Packers sent Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles in April, part of an offseason that reshaped both receiver rooms. Philadelphia gave up a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-rounder to get him, then signed Wicks to a one-year extension worth $12.5 million that keeps him under contract through 2027, according to NFL.com.
The landing spot isn’t as foreign as it might look on paper. Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion coached quarterbacks in Green Bay last season. Run game coordinator and tight ends coach Ryan Mahaffey was Wicks’ receivers coach with the Packers. Wicks knew both men well before he ever put on midnight green.
“Me and Sean built a relationship just like coach Mahaffey,” Wicks said, via the Eagles website. “Relationships play a big part in things, so I felt like that was a big part of the reason why, you know, the trust for me to be here and for them to bank on me.”
That trust came with real money attached. Wicks called the extension validation of a kind he hadn’t always felt in Green Bay.
“I just want to say I’m blessed to be able to be in this position,” Wicks said. “It just showed me the value and love that Philly has for me, and I want to come out and show what I’m worth.”
A Career Year Buried Behind a Crowded Depth Chart
Wicks needs the reset. His 2025 season was his quietest as a pro — 30 catches, 332 yards, two touchdowns, all career lows. Green Bay’s receiver room had gotten crowded even with Jayden Reed and tight end Tucker Kraft banged up for stretches of the year; Wicks found himself behind Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson in the pecking order.
The math in Green Bay wasn’t getting any friendlier. Watson, Reed and Kraft were all ticketed to return healthy, 2025 first-round pick Matthew Golden was in line for an expanded role, and third-round rookie Savion Williams added even more competition for targets. A trade gave Wicks a cleaner runway.
Early returns suggest it’s working. Wicks was the clear No. 2 receiver behind DeVonta Smith throughout OTAs this offseason, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia, while first-round rookie Makai Lemon dealt with a hamstring injury that limited him for most of the offseason program.
Learning a New Offense — And Helping Others Learn It Too
Familiarity with the coaching staff hasn’t made the transition instant. Wicks described a receiver room where everyone, himself included, is still absorbing a new system together.
“We’re all still learning the offense and the new ways of doing things here around Philly,” he said. “I get some questions going into what I know, but we are all still learning. We are all getting better. It’s not hard. It’s just details.”
The Eagles overhauled the position around him. A.J. Brown, the team’s most explosive receiver over the past several seasons, was traded to the New England Patriots. First-round rookie Makai Lemon, veteran Marquise Brown, ex-Packer Samori Toure, Elijah Moore and returning depth piece Johnny Wilson round out a room in flux. Smith is the one constant — coming off his third career 1,000-yard season and remaining Jalen Hurts’ primary target.
Wicks and Smith share more than a quarterback now. Both grew up in Louisiana, and Wicks says the connection went back before the trade ever happened.
“Smitty, he from Louisiana. I’m from Louisiana. Growing up, I knew about Smitty,” said Wicks, a Plaquemine, Louisiana, native. “And me and Smitty talked before I got here. Being here with him, it’s a great guy to look up to. His route running is very smooth, real smooth in his routes. And I feel that same way about myself.”
What Wicks Brings to Philadelphia’s Passing Game
The scouting report hasn’t changed much since Wicks entered the league as a fifth-round pick out of Virginia in 2023: a big-bodied route runner who wins at the top of routes and can line up inside or outside. That versatility is part of why Eagles general manager Howie Roseman pursued him, and it’s the same skill set that made him a factor for Green Bay before targets dried up last season.
What’s different now is opportunity. With Lemon working back from injury and Brown gone, Philadelphia’s receiver room has real openings behind Smith — the kind of vacancy that didn’t exist for Wicks in Green Bay. He says he’s not trying to force anything, just be ready when his number gets called.
“I want to be the best I can be, fill in the void. Whatever the team asks me to do, step up and play that role,” Wicks said. “I just think of it as capitalizing on my opportunity that’s given to me. We never know what happens throughout the season. Just taking it day by day and keep on working to be the best.”
Wicks’ Career Numbers by Season
| Season | Team | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 (rookie) | Green Bay | 39 | 581 | 4 |
| 2024 | Green Bay | 39 | 415 | 5 |
| 2025 | Green Bay | 30 | 332 | 2 |
Across three seasons in Green Bay, Wicks caught 108 passes for 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns. Now he’s chasing a bigger role — and bigger numbers — in a new uniform that, in a few small ways, doesn’t feel all that new.
