Matthew Golden

Matthew Golden (born August 1, 2003) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars and Texas Longhorns and was selected by the Packers in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Early life Golden was born in Houston, Texas and attended Klein Cain High School, where he caught 167 receptions for 3,242 yards and 32 touchdowns, while also rushing for 112 yards and four touchdowns. A four star prospect, he initially committed to play college football at Texas Christian University, but later flipped his commitment to the University of Houston.

College career Houston Ahead of his freshman season in 2022, Golden earned a starting spot. In week 12 of the 2022 season, he brought in eight passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns in a win over East Carolina. Golden finished the season with 38 receptions for 584 yards and seven touchdowns. He was listed on the Walter Camp Award watchlist for the 2023 season. In week 3 of the 2023 season, Golden hauled in four passes for 56 yards, while also returning three kicks for 132 yards and a touchdown, in a loss versus TCU, earning Big 12 Conference special teams player of the week honors. In week 7, he returned a kick 99 yards for a touchdown in a win over West Virginia.

On December 7, 2023, Golden announced that he would be entering the transfer portal.

Texas

On December 16, 2023, Golden announced that he would be transferring to Texas. In the 2024 regular season, he led the team with 49 receptions for 787 yards and eight touchdowns. Texas lost to Georgia in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship game and advanced to the College football Playoffs, beating Clemson and Arizona State. On January 13, 2025, Golden declared for the 2025 NFL draft.

Professional career

Golden was selected in the first round with the 23rd overall in the 2025 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers. He was the first wide receiver selected in the first round by the Packers since Javon Walker in 2002. Golden signed his four-year rookie contract on May 19, 2025 worth $17.58 million fully guaranteed.

Golden made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, catching 2 passes for 16 yards in the 27–13 win. In the Week 3 loss to the Cleveland Browns, Golden had his first 50+ yard game, catching 4 passes for 52 yards and rushing 9 yards. On January 10, in a Wild Card playoff game against the Chicago Bears, Golden had 4 receptions for 84 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown, the first of his NFL career, in a 31–27 loss.

Career statistics NFL Regular season + Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2025 GB 14 5 29 361 12.4 46 0 10 49 4.9 9 0 0 0 Career 14 5 29 361 12.4 45 0 10 49 4.9 9 0 0 0Source: pro-football-reference.com

Postseason + Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2025 GB 1 0 4 84 21.0 36 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Career 1 0 4 84 21.0 36 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Source: pro-football-reference.com

College + Year Team Games Receiving Kick returns GP GS Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD 2022 Houston 11 8 38 584 15.4 7 5 116 23.2 0 2023 Houston 9 9 38 404 10.6 6 9 321 35.7 2 2024 Texas 16 16 58 987 17.0 9 14 285 20.4 0 Career 36 33 134 1,975 14.7 22 28 722 25.8 2 Source: sports-reference.com