Matthew Golden has to be a bit frustrated. It would only be natural. 

The Green Bay Packers selected Golden with the 23rd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with hopes that he'd one day become a superstar. Green Bay hadn't selected a first-round wide receiver in over 20 years, so the expectations have been high for Golden from jump street.

Everything you see from Golden would suggest that he has what it takes to be the Packers' WR1 in the future. He's extremely fast, runs crisp routes, and has elite hands. 

The issue so far this season for Golden is that he's had a hard time getting consistently involved in the offense. He's caught 21-of-26 targets with no obvious drops, but he's not just 253 total yards, and he hasn't found the end zone yet.

That's not for lack of being open, either. He and quarterback Jordan Love just haven't really seemed to be on the same page. It's also worth noting that there are plenty of weapons deserving of targets on Green Bay's offense. That list includes, but is not limited to, Tucker Kraft, Romeo Doubs, Josh Jacobs and now, a healthy Christian Watson.

Still, there's no reason to give up on Golden. He's literally only seven games into his NFL career. You also get the sense when listening to Love talk that he wants to get the rookie more involved in the offense moving forward.

 "I think it's just early. We haven't found ways to get him the ball as much. Some of that is on me trying to find ways to get him the ball, some of it is just on the plays," Love recently told Kay Adams on Up & Adams (h/t Lombardi Ave). "We've got so many different receivers and weapons out there where it is hard to always get guys the ball. I always tell guys, some guys will have a great game one day, and some guys might have a great game another day."  

Green Bay's star quarterback also gave some advice to the young wide receiver. The targets may not be there consistently just yet, but he has to remain consistent himself on and off the field. The rest will take care of itself.

"You've just got to stay in that right mindset, coming in, working every day, and finding ways to get better yourself," Love said. "As a receiver, as a tight end, as a running back, you never know when your number is going to get called, so you've got to be ready to make plays when it does. But MG, we're going to keep finding ways to get him the ball, but he's going to have a great career, no doubt about it."

Golden caught 58 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns at Texas in 2024. He has what it takes to be a lead receiver in this league. 

Now he just needs to develop the patience, but that's easier said than done.