Sometimes, the Green Bay Packers got lucky avoiding bad deals. But it's not only luck. The team has been involved in several conversations over the years, and in some cases, the Packers walked away from the negotiations that were getting out of hand.

Closer to the trade deadline in each of the last few years, the Packers have been linked to players like Will Fuller, Chase Claypool, Darren Waller. But neither of these deals materialized. In an interview to the "Packer Transplants", a podcast of Cheesehead TV, general manager Brian Gutekunst talked about his process to avoid overpaying a player.

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"You certainly have to have a walk-away point," Gutekunst explained. "We are all competitive in this business. When you get into those environments when you're trying to acquire a player, you gotta keep a level head. As you go into something like that, you need to have a walk-away point ahead of time, that serves you well. Certainly, I learned that from Ted Thompson and Ron Wolf."

But beyond the thought process to be smart in negotiations, Gutekunst admitted that some agents use the Packers to extract more value to their clients.

"A lot of times, too, with the Packers, because our guys keep things in house pretty well, so the agent community certainly uses us being involved in a lot of things that we may or may not be," Gutekunst shared. "But I do think in whatever you're looking into acquire a player or in contract negotiations, you gotta put a lot of time of preparation into where your walk-away point is, and then try to stay disciplined to that. Otherwise, I think in the heat of the competition and the moment you can make mistakes."

Since Brian Gutekunst became the general manager in 2018, he has been more effective selling players than buying them close to the trade deadline. In his first season, he moved away from both safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and running back Ty Montgomery, adding fourth- and seventh-round picks. Last year, he traded away Rasul Douglas, swapping third- and fifth-round picks with the Buffalo Bills.

Throughout his tenure, Gutekunst also traded away big-time players like Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams. In terms of acquiring pieces, the executive has done it, but it's more frequent when it happens before the season.

Some of the names are wide receiver Randall Cobb, cornerback Isaac Yiadom (player swap for Josh Jackson), punter Corey Bojorquez, linebackers BJ Goodson and Antonio Morrison (player swap for Lenzy Pipkins), and quarterback Deshone Kizer (player swap, with picks included, for Damarious Randall).

Wide receiver market

The Packers have considered multiple wide receiver trades closer to the deadline, but the asking price is usually scary. In 2020, the Packers negotiated with the Houston Texans for Will Fuller.

Reportedly, Green Bay offered a fourth-round pick, but the Texans wanted a second. After that, Fuller ended up suspended for six games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, and played only two more games for the Miami Dolphins in his career.

In 2022, the Packers reportedly offered a second-rounder for Chase Claypool, but the Pittsburgh Steelers accepted a similar offer from the Chicago Bears, correctly presuming that the Bears' pick would be higher.

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