Gutekunst's track record indicates which path is more likely for the Packers ahead of the trade deadline
The Green Bay Packers are historically not a team willing to acquire players via trade during the season. So while there are always rumors and sometimes a desire to make a move, this is simply not what the track record indicates the team will do on Tuesday ahead of the NFL trade deadline. Ted Thompson […]
The Green Bay Packers are historically not a team willing to acquire players via trade during the season. So while there are always rumors and sometimes a desire to make a move, this is simply not what the track record indicates the team will do on Tuesday ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
Ted Thompson was historically trade-averse. Brian Gutekunst is certainly more active as a general manager, but not for in-season trades. Since he took over in 2018, the Packers have never acquired a player via trade during the regular season. He's willing to claim players off waivers, to sign players off other teams' practice squads, but trades are a different story.
The Packers have had multiple talks with other teams. The most notable two are reported offers to acquire Will Fuller from the Houston Texans in 2020 — the Packers reportedly offered a fourth, but the Texans wanted a second — and to get Chase Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers — Green Bay offered a second, but the Steelers preferred to take a similar offer from the Chicago Bears correctly thinking that the pick would be higher.
Seller
In three instances, the Packers sold players during the season. For this exercise, wide receiver Trevor Davis being traded to the Oakland Raiders in 2019 doesn't matter much because it happened in September, well ahead of the deadline. It was just a market opportunity for a player the Packers probably didn't want anymore.
The other two cases, three total trades, happened right before the trade deadline. But in both cases, the Packers were reorganizing the roster and had negative records.
In 2018, Gutekunst moved safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to Washington for a 4th-round pick and running back Ty Montgomery to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2020 7th-round pick. Montgomery had just botched a punt return, so the team wanted to move on. Regarding the safety, it was a great offer for a player that would hit free agency. The Packers used that fourth-round pick to move up in the first round to select Darnell Savage in 2019.
Last year, the Packers traded cornerback Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills for a swap of 3rd- and 5th-round picks. Green Bay used the higher pick to take linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper. The problem is that the Packers ended up being better than anyone imagined, and Douglas could've been a big part of a playoff team — and what the team is in 2024. So it's fair to guess that Gutekunst regrets this move, especially because the compensation wasn't that high.
The Packers can certainly come from nowhere and acquire a player via in-season trade for the first time since Gutekunst was promoted to GM — cornerback and edge rusher are needs. They can sell players like Preston Smith and Andre Dillard if the right opportunity presents itself.
But based on the track record and where this team sits now at 6-3, the most likely scenario is standing pat.
The Packers need one type of move ahead of the trade deadline, and it wouldn’t be a desperate decision
Cornerback is a huge need for the roster, and not only for 2024
