Packers fans are no strangers to being the runner up when it comes to big trades in the Gutekunst era. When he said “We want to be in every conversation” Packers fans got excited thinking this was he beginning of a new era of bold moves that the previous regime didn’t have the guts to make. Now, it has almost become a joke every time the Packers come up in conversations with a player looking to be moved.
Its frustrating, I get it. Fans want to see their team make splashy moves, because it feels like the team is as serious about winning a Super Bowl as fans believe themselves to be. But for every AJ Brown success story, there’s a half dozen more moves that don’t pan out.
I bring this up because this offseason has had a lot of Packers fans salivating at the thought of trading for Trey Hendrickson, or TJ Watt (did you know Green Bay could have drafted him?). Could either of those things happen? Maybe. Could either of them be the move that pushes Green Bay across the finish line? Also maybe. But before you let yourself get heartbroken again when one of them is inevitably traded to a team like the Rams, lets look back at some other names Green Bay has been attached to in the past.
“The Packers need a WR”
This has been the refrain for a long time. I’m not even saying the general sentiment is wrong, but here are the names that Green Bay was attached to: Will Fuller V, Chase Claypool, Odell Beckham Jr, DK Metcalf.
One at a time now – Will Fuller. Of the 4 names above this was the one I was most convinced was going to happen. There had been smoke around it for weeks and he had the kind of skill set that Green Bay could have benefited from. Ultimately nothing happened and Fuller finished out his time with Houston before playing a single season in Miami. He is now out of the league.
Chase Claypool was reportedly almost a Packer, before the Bears came in and gave up a 2nd round pick (at the very top of the round). Claypool’s most famous moment as a Bear was being called out for a lazy performance against the Packers. He ultimately finished his career as a Bear averaging 19 yards a game and then just like Fuller spent a brief amount of time with the Dolphins. He is currently teamless and may stay that way.
Beckham Jr was waived by the Browns before signing with the Rams. He did catch a touchdown for them in the Super Bowl, but ultimately caught fewer than 30 passes for them before another ACL injury derailed his career.
Metcalf is the most recent, and while there is certainly a chance he pays off for the Steelers, I’m fine not paying 30m and a second rounder to player that’s been good, but never great.
There’s also one last example that cuts the other way. Green Bay sent Davante Adams to the Raiders for a 1st and a 2nd round draft pick. Adams put up numbers with them but the Raiders accomplished nothing and eventually traded him to the Jets.
The Moves That Others Make
The wide receiver examples go to show that Green Bay is right to be cautious about making big trades. But if you need more examples of why it may be better to not make the move that seems big – look at the quarterback trades of the last few years.
Denver sent five draft picks and three players to Seattle for Russell Wilson. They went under .500 and eventually cut Wilson despite a crippling amount of dead money on their cap. Worst trade ever? Not so fast said Cleveland, who gave up three first round picks to acquire bad quarterback and all around terrible person Deshaun Watson. We all know how that has gone.
None of this is to say that a trade can’t work out. The Rams won a Super Bowl after trading for Matthew Stafford. The Eagles after getting AJ Brown. But it takes only a cursory search to realize that the successes are the exception, not the rule. Remember that when Hendrickson and Watt are playing for teams not named the Packers in 2025.
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