Reed, Wicks Spent 3 Months Together Focusing on Football, Brotherhood

Green Bay Packers receivers Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks rented a home in Florida for three months to train for the upcoming NFL season.

Dontayvion Wicks celebrates his Week 18 touchdown. / Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers receivers Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks can shake opposing defensive backs, but they couldn’t shake each other.

They met at the 2023 Senior Bowl. A month later, they connected again at the Scouting Combine. They also crossed paths on predraft visits.

In the 2023 NFL Draft, the Packers selected Reed in the second round and Wicks in the fifth round.  

“It all makes sense that we’re here together,” Reed said at Packers OTAs on Wednesday.

As the offense got humming down the stretch, thanks in large part to their increasing comfort and production, Reed and Wicks discussed training together during the offseason. So, after combining for 103 receptions and 12 receiving touchdowns, Reed and Wicks rented a four-bedroom house near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and trained together for about three months before returning to Green Bay for team workouts.

“Just the idea of us seeing the potential that we have and just knowing how much better we can be,” Reed said. “That’s what we talked about and that’s the goal that we set for each other. Holding each other to that standard. Getting up, going to work out. Just, ‘All right, brother.’ Just being the best we can be, really.”

They focused on improving their speed and route-running during their daily workouts.

“It went good,” Wicks said. “It’s always good being around your teammates and your brothers and working out together. That was fun. It was big time to learn from him … Just going through the things that we did this last year that we can change and get better at it.”

Even as a rookie, Wicks established himself as one of the better route-runners in the NFL. He tried to impart some of his skill to Reed, who got open with regularity throughout his rookie season. 

Reed, meanwhile, emerged as a playmaker with the ball in his hands. So, he helped Wicks with his run-after-catch skill, even though Wicks led the team’s receivers in yards after the catch per catch and missed tackles.

“We talk about how he’s really good with his in-steps, his releases, and stuff like that. I kind of wanted to get better at that,” Reed said. “And he just wanted to get better at running out of routes, being fast and stuff like that. We just coached each other up on those tips. Kind of dug in each other’s toolbox and helped each other out.”

Their time together was about more than what they could do on the field. It was about improving their bond off the field.

Jayden Reed does the Lambeau Leap after a touchdown. / Mark Hoffman / USA TODAY NETWORK

“Just getting to know him as a brother, No. 1, even more,” Reed said. “Just getting to know somebody is important before even stepping on the field. Just coaching each other up and holding each other accountable to things we can do better. We coach each other. We don’t have a problem telling each other, which is what I love about the relationship with Wicks. We’re always going to coach each other up, try to get the best out of us. That’s our relationship.”

Based on their breakout rookie seasons, Reed and Wicks look like pillars of this new-generation Packers offense.

Reed led the team with 64 receptions, 793 yards and 10 total touchdowns. Reed joined the likes of Sterling Sharpe, James Lofton, Billy Howton and Don Hutson as the only rookies to lead the team in receiving yards. He also smashed Sharpe’s franchise rookie record for receptions.

Among NFL rookies with at least 24 catches, Wicks was second with 14.9 yards per catch and fourth with 18 explosive catches (a reception of 16-plus yards). During his final two regular-season games and the wild-card win at Dallas, he scored four touchdowns.

“It boosts confidence a lot,” Wicks said. “You’ve got to be confident to go out and play good. Building it from last year, it’s way better because now I can go out and have that chip that I’ve always had. Playing faster, that’s when I’m at my best.”

According to Pro Football Focus, among the 20 rookie receivers who were targeted at least 20 times last season, Reed was second in passer rating while targeted (123.1) and Wicks was third (117.6) behind the Chiefs’ Rashee Rice (124.9). Reed was fourth in yards per route (2.05) and Wicks was fifth (2.04).

With Green Bay’s hot finish to the season, expectations are high entering 2024. Reed and Wicks are ready to do their part.

“I don’t think they ever changed. Our goal was to get to a Super Bowl last year, and the same thing is here this year,” Reed said. “Nothing’s changed, you know? Locker room may change a little bit, but we still got the same high standards here in this locker room and in this building. So, the standards never change.

“We’re not in this to just win eight games and call it a season or win nine games and just get to the playoffs. We’re here to take it all, so that’s our goal.”

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