Unexpected market shift could give Packers a chance to address defensive need with bold move to acquire superstar player
Several mocks have projected the Green Bay Packers taking Derrick Harmon, Kenneth Grant, or Walter Nolan in the first round of the draft. And getting a defensive tackle is not an absurd idea for the Packers. Kenny Clark showed signs of regression last year after signing an extension and might be a cut candidate a […]
Several mocks have projected the Green Bay Packers taking Derrick Harmon, Kenneth Grant, or Walter Nolan in the first round of the draft. And getting a defensive tackle is not an absurd idea for the Packers. Kenny Clark showed signs of regression last year after signing an extension and might be a cut candidate a year from now, while Devonte Wyatt is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
But what if, instead of taking a developmental player, the Packers went the safe route by acquiring a bona fide superstar? Easier said than done, for sure, but a real market opportunity might emerge ahead of next week's draft.
Our colleague Sam Phalen, who covers the Tennessee Titans for A to Z Sports, mentioned the possibility of the team trading away All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to accumulate draft capital. The value, according to Phalen, could be something around a second-round pick.
Philosophically, general manager Brian Gutekunst doesn't love the idea of trading high draft capital for veteran players, but he knows there are exceptions to this rule. In 2018, he tried to acquire Khalil Mack. Simmons fits that exception profile.
"When you trade a high pick for a veteran player, you're trading a young, really good contract for a player who's proven, but probably expensive, so you're giving up a pick and salary cap space. You gotta weigh that," Gutekunst said after last season. "If it's the right player, if you can feel he can be a dynamic player that can change your football team, you gotta consider that, because there's not many of those guys out there. But you also have to understand what you're giving up."
Elite option
Jeffery Simmons is, to steal Gutekunst's wording, a dynamic player that can change your football team. He is still fairly young at 27, and has had at least five sacks from the interior defensive line in each of the past four seasons. He made the Pro Bowl three times, and was a Second-Team All-Pro twice (during Aaron Donald's era).
Last season, Simmons generated 45 pressures, including five sacks. Moreover, he brings something the Packers lack: the ability to do everything at a high level. Simmons can be effective both against the run and to rush the passer.
Giving up pick 54 would be significant, but Simmons could truly be a transformative player. And if Gutekunst wants to recoup draft capital, he could trade back from pick 23 in a draft where the talent disparity between the 20s and 30s isn't that high.
Financially, it's also a doable move. Simmons is slated to make $18 million in 2025, and the Packers have $27 million in effective cap space even after signing the rookie class. The defensive tackle is signed through 2027 with reasonable salaries—$20.673 million in 2026, $23.5 million in 2027.
Any big trade like this one is ultimately hard to pull off. But it's an opportunity the Packers could certainly consider to give a boost to the defensive front.
