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Packers Matthew Golden Uses His $9.4 Million Signing Bonus to Gift His Grandma a “Full Circle Moment”

After finally breaking out as a junior at Texas, newly minted Green Bay Packer Matthew Golden is giving back to the people who helped him become the athlete he is today. He’s the first wide receiver the Packers have drafted in the first round since 2002, and with that honor came a life-changing signing bonus.

Golden’s four-year, $17.5 million rookie contract is fully guaranteed and includes a $9.42 million signing bonus. The standout receiver has suggested he intends to use that money for good.

Definitely get my grandma a house,” he said when asked what he’d buy first. “We lost our property a couple years ago and it would be a blessing to be able to get that back for my family.

At times, Golden was raised without a stable home, a severe hindrance in his childhood. Nevertheless, he made it to the NFL — and at 22, he’s determined never to go back.

It was hard just growing up, the times I was without a home, being a young kid, not really understanding why we were in that situation, but I feel like God put us through that for a reason. I always look back at that. That’s what keeps me going as a man. Right then and there, that’s what everything started from.

Unfortunately, the family’s former home was found in a dilapidated state, and the repair costs were too high to justify. Golden partnered with a RE/MAX real-estate team to find a more suitable home for his grandmother.

When he finally walked her up to the front door of her new house, Golden described the scene as a “full circle moment.” It was a long-term promise kept — and the tear-filled hug from his grandmother made it all worth it.

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Father of Packers Rookie DT shocks everyone by declaring he will quit his job and live off his son — his words leave the room silent
Green Bay, WI — October 7, 2025. In the Lambeau Field press room, a man with work-hardened hands looked straight into the lens, his voice low but resolute:“Why should I keep working when I can live off my son? I just want to say one thing: ‘Thank you, son — from now on your father will live off you.’” He paused for half a beat and smiled. “I’m saying it half-jokingly. I’ve worked night shifts my whole life, some months counting every dollar to pay the power bill. Today, when my son sent 100% of his first month’s salary to our family, it felt like we finally rounded a long, hard bend. ‘Live off my son’ is my way of saying pride, and of setting down old burdens.”Beside him, the rookie nodded gently. Per a plan discussed with his advisors, starting next month 50% of his salary will go home on a regular schedule — the rest will be split among long-term savings, a small fund for his old school, and careful investments. “Careers can be short or long, but gratitude to our parents can’t wait,” he said, just loud enough for the room to hear. Outside, the “Titletown” signage shimmered in the morning haze. For a young defensive tackle fighting his way into the Packers’ rotation, everything moved fast: signing as a UDFA after the Draft, grinding through camp, and then making the 53-man roster right before the season — milestones most players only dare to dream about. (It also extends the franchise’s streak to 21 straight seasons with at least one UDFA on the Week 1 roster.) That’s why this story goes well beyond a bank transfer. It’s a message about discipline, gratitude, and grit. A team spokesperson put it simply: “We respect any decision that puts family first — as long as the player matches it with professionalism every day.” On the low risers of the press room, a few reporters nodded: it’s rare to see a rookie choose to “speak with his wallet” in his very first month. And then, at the heart of this story — like the moment a name finally gets inked onto the lineup — that rookie is Nazir Stackhouse: DT #93 of the Green Bay Packers, undrafted in 2025, who quite literally stitched his name onto a first-team jersey. Back at the podium, the father — still wearing a faded ball cap — spoke again, slower this time, clearer:“I’m not bragging. I’ve patched roads, hauled loads; some days my hands cracked and bled. We ate lean so our son could chase football. Today I say ‘live off my son’ because, for the first time, I feel I can breathe. Thank you, son, for not giving up.”Then he turned to his boy, a hint of mischief in his voice: “As for me… tomorrow I’ll still work half a day. The other half, I’ll be home grilling for the neighbors.” A quick hug closed the presser. Shutters clicked. The rookie smiled and tugged up the strap of his practice backpack: “On the field, this is only the beginning,” he said. In Green Bay — where the Lombardi name is heritage — a rookie’s anchor doesn’t always start in a thick playbook; sometimes it begins with an envelope sent home and a single sentence that makes a crowded room go quiet.