With the New England Patriots already having informed wide receiver Stefon Diggs of his release earlier this month, the door stood wide open for a replacement to be brought in. That replacement was found on Tuesday in the form of Green Bay Packers wideout Romeo Doubs.
Doubs, 25, signed a reported four-year, $68.5 million deal to take his talent to New England. There, he will become a key piece of the puzzle and potential new safety blanket for quarterback Drake Maye.
What else is there to know about
Doubs, though. Let’s take a closer look at the free agency pickup.
Hard facts
Name: Romeo Doubs
Position: Wide receiver
Jersey number: —
Opening day age: 26 (4/13/2000)
Measurements: 6’1 7/8”, 204 lbs, 32 1/4” arm length, 10” hand size, 13 bench press reps, N/A Relative Athletic Score
Scouting report
Strengths: Doubs lacks some of the athletic traits the NFL’s top-flight wide receivers possess, but he has developed into a dependable receiving target nonetheless. From the release through the stem of the route to the catch point he has become a lot more refined, while showing a good feel for leverage and defensive coverage — a mix of skills that has made him particularly effective working in the red zone. Additionally, he has been getting better as a hands catcher and in the blocking department. He is as consistent a wide receiver as you will find and therefore somebody deserving of the “go-to guy” label.
Weaknesses: As noted above, Doubs is not the most imposing athlete both in terms of build and explosiveness. He has good length but lacks size overall, which in turn puts pressure on his technique to beat press-man coverage or win contested catches. He makes up for it with natural hands and good concentration, but he is not a 50/50 jump ball specialist you would trust in such situations on a regular basis. He also will not challenge teams deep on the regular; in part because he lacks high-end long speed his game is more horizontal than vertical in nature.
Experience
NFL: Green Bay Packers (2022-25), New England Patriots (2026-) | College: Nevada (2018-21)
Productive in a multi-faceted role during his high school career at Jefferson in Los Angeles, Doubs was a fairly highly-regarded college recruit who ended up getting almost a dozen scholarship offers as a three-star prospect. He eventually opted for the University of Nevada, where he was a productive wide receiver from the get-go and in his 44 games caught 225 passes for 3,322 yards and 26 touchdowns.
A first-team All-Mountain West selection as both a junior and senior, Doubs entered the NFL in 2022 and was selected 132nd overall in the fourth round by the Packers. Once at the pro level, he picked up right where he left off.
Doubs caught 42 passes his rookie year, good enough for fourth on the team and second among its wide receivers. Since then, he only strengthened his position in the Packers offense, and is leaving Green Bay with a combined 63 regular season and playoff appearances on his résumé as well as 222 total receptions for 2,795 yards and 23 touchdowns.
2025 review
Stats: 17 games (16 starts) | 832 offensive snaps (74.2%), 38 special teams snaps (8.5%) | 94 targets, 63 catches (67.0%), 848 receiving yards (13.5/catch), 7 TDs, 4 drops | 15 punt returns, 94 yards (6.3/return)
Season recap: Doubs’ 2024 season ended in disappointment when he had to leave his team’s playoff loss to Philadelphia with a concussion. He managed to bounce back strongly, however, and in the final year under his rookie contract played arguably the best football of his career.
Fully establishing himself as quarterback Jordan Love’s favorite receiver and a core piece of the Packers offense, Doubs finished the regular season ranked first on the team in targets (83), receptions (55) and receiving yards (724), and was tied for the lead in touchdowns (6). His production fluctuated a bit through the year, but he shined repeatedly.
Whether it was catching three touchdowns against the Cowboys, hauling in seven receptions for 91 yards versus the Panthers, or averaging 20.7 yards on three receptions versus Baltimore, Doubs combined a high volume of snaps and opportunities with big-play potential. Never became that more apparent than the postseason.
Even though Green Bay ended up coming short again, Doubs was on fire in the playoffs. He caught eight passes on 11 targets for 124 yards and a touchdown.
His efforts ultimately were for naught, but the fourth-year receiver showed a national audience — and the rest of the NFL, frankly — what he is capable of. Less than two months later, he is now cashing in because of, in part, his performance that day and throughout the 2025 campaign overall.
Patriots preview
What will be his role? Doubs projects as a starting receiver for the Patriots capable of making an impact on all three downs and from all over the formation. A potential volume target in the mold of recently-released Stefon Diggs, he does not fit the classic WR1 profile from an athleticism, production and usage perspective. But while that means he won’t consistently challenge teams deep or win contested catches down the sideline to New England, he is capable of generating separation and working the underneath areas of the field against both man and zone.
What is his growth potential? Even though his statistical production may not suggest so, Doubs improved as a receiver every season since entering the NFL. In every facet of the game, he is a better player now than he was earlier in his career. The hope for the Patriots is that the arrow will continue pointing up in a new offense led by an MVP runner-up quarterback.
Does he have positional versatility? Doubs will not be confined to one particular role in the Patriots’ offense. While primarily a perimeter weapon capable of playing the X, he also can line up at the Z or even in the slot when the team goes to condensed looks. Naturally, catching the football is his main task but New England would not have brought him in if he couldn’t also help out as a blocker in the run game. He additionally offers some special teams experience: besides the aforementioned 15 punt returns in 2025, he also ran back a pair of kickoffs as a rookie.
What is his injury history? In four seasons in the NFL, Doubs has played a full slate of games twice (2023, 2025). He missed time as a rookie due to a high ankle sprain, and was twice diagnosed with concussions in 2024. He has been wearing the protective Guardian Cap ever since.
What does it mean for New England’s salary cap? While the full details of Doubs’ contract with the Patriots are not yet available, he likely will have a significant impact on their salary cap in 2026. How significant? It might not reach Stefon Diggs category, who was due $26.5 million before getting informed of his release earlier this month, but it would also not be surprising if he ended up joining the eight remaining players with a cap number of more than $10 million this year.
What does it mean for New England’s draft outlook? Bringing Doubs into the fold does not prevent the Patriots from going wide receiver early in this year’s draft; if a player like K.C. Concepcion, Denzel Boston or Omar Young Jr. is available at No. 31, the team might think about pulling the trigger. However, the need to bring in one of those players possibly as early as Day 1 is no longer as glaring: Doubs provides some long-term stability.
How safe is his roster spot? Barring accident or incident, Doubs is a lock to be on the Patriots’ 53-man roster come September. Newsflash, massive deals like the one he will officially sign on the other side of the new league year tend to come with quite a bit of job security.
Grade: B+
