Should the Green Bay Packers Should Acquire a Veteran WR at the Trade Deadline?
By GilMartin
The NFL trade deadline is less than two weeks away and rumors are circulating that the Green Bay Packers may be interested in acquiring a veteran wide receiver. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Packers are among the teams “monitoring” the wide receiver market as the October 31st deadline approaches.
The receivers who are rumored to be available include Denver’s Jerry Jeudy, Raiders wideout Hunter Renfrow, and Terrance Marshall of Carolina.
But does it make sense for Brian Gutekunst to add a veteran receiver at the trade deadline? It does only if it meets some very important conditions.
The most important reason to add a veteran receiver is that the current receiving corps is making so many mistakes in route running and execution that the Packers cannot fairly evaluate Jordan Love at quarterback.
Obviously, if your targets aren’t in the right place and they aren’t playing consistently, it’s harder to know exactly how good your quarterback is.
The Packers currently start a rookie tight end in Luke Musgrave who is backed up by rookie Tucker Kraft. They feature two second year wideouts in Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs and a rookie slot receiver in Jayden Reed. The backups are rookies Dontayvion Wicks and Malik Heath and second-year man Samori Toure.
When Aaron Rodgers took over as the starter in 2008, his top four wide receivers were Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, and James Jones. The starting tight end was also a veteran in Donald Lee. The Packers were able to quickly determine how good or bad their quarterback was.
Any veteran the team acquires should be familiar with the Green Bay offense or a team that runs a similar system from the Shanahan coaching tree. If the team acquires a player who needs a lot of time to learn the offense and get comfortable it would defeat a major purpose of the trade.
Another condition that must be satisfied for a deal to make sense is the price has to be right. That condition is two-fold. First, the Packers, who are in rebuilding mode, should not sacrifice significant draft capital in any trade.
The team currently has an extra second-round pick, but giving up a day one or day two pick for a veteran would not make sense based on where this team is right now.
The Packers are not in win-now mode, they are in a retooling, development mode. Any trade would need to assist the team in that goal of having a young offense that grows together.
That means the player acquired would have to be one of two things. The first choice is an older veteran who will not hinder the development of young receivers like Wicks, Doubs, Reed, Toure and Watson but could help mentor them even if it’s learning by example.
The alternative is a young veteran in his mid-20s who would drastically improve the offense now and be able to contribute to the team over the next several seasons. Of course, the price of that type of young veteran would tend to be higher.
The other issue is the salary cap. The Packers need to fit the new player under the cap this year and in the future. Presently, the Packers have $8.9 million in available cap space. They will want to preserve some of that money to sign free agents when injuries arise. So, the new player cannot be a star player earning too much money unless the Packers trade away a veteran who would free up enough cap money to compensate for the new player.
Another factor Gutekunst will have to consider is how the team does in their next two games. If they lose them both, then competing for the playoffs this year is no longer a consideration. If they win them both, that may change the team’s thought process a bit. How the young receivers play will also be a factor in Gutekunst’s decision.
So, should the Packers add a veteran wide receiver at the trade deadline? Yes, but only if the deal makes sense given where the team is and what they are trying to accomplish in the short and long term.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
You can follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers
__________________________
Comments (41)
BAMABADGER
October 21, 2023 at 11:09 am
Let this team sink or swim.
DragonSilk
October 22, 2023 at 11:12 am
If they could find the right guy then maybe it could help. It would have to be a high character guy not looking for a lot of playing time that could teach the younger guys almost like a player/coach. A guy that's been successful in the league looking for one more year on a roster. I just don't know if that guy is out there.
TarynsEyes
October 21, 2023 at 11:22 am
This team isn't sinking like the Titanic, but adding one, maybe, bailing bucket isn't saving this ship either.
DoubleD
October 21, 2023 at 11:26 am
I agree 100% with your article. To me you have two options.
Courtland Sutton on the more expensive end. Age fits well with the team and his contract isn't outrageous for how good he is.
Hunter Renfrow on the lower end. His age and experience fits well. Won't break the bank but you're not getting a talent upgrade, just pure reliability.
My choice is Sutton.
bjkdad44
October 21, 2023 at 05:58 pm
Why the two down votes??
Guam
October 22, 2023 at 09:26 am
Like the author, DoubleD is missing the point. Getting a new WR is like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic - fun idea but doesn't solve the fundamental problem. Fix the O-line and everything gets better.
dobber
October 22, 2023 at 10:20 am
Remember that signing bonuses and other bonuses/guarantees already paid stay with the originating team. The acquiring team is only on the hook for cash value and bonuses not already activated or accrued. So there's some wiggle room on a vet.
That said, a move for a vet WR at this stage would be management admitting that they already see a couple of these younger guys aren't going to make a leap, and they don't have the juice to make the offense go. Who would that be? Pieces that have been made available are available for a reason.
13TimeChamps
October 21, 2023 at 12:13 pm
I hate to repeat what most have been saying on here for weeks, but the OLine is where we need help. Doesn't make much sense getting a shiny new toy at WR when Love doesn't have time to throw to him.
jannesbjornson
October 21, 2023 at 12:26 pm
Make the deal for Bolles, Gutey and save his job...
mnbadger
October 22, 2023 at 09:29 am
wait for the draft for a tackle and next off-season for a starting caliber guard in FA'cy.
GPG!
jannesbjornson
October 22, 2023 at 10:10 am
The focus should always be on the Now and Winning. They had the past TWO drafts to secure OTs with high picks. With a greenhorn coming up to bat, He chose defensive guys. Now the O line is chaos.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 22, 2023 at 06:15 pm
We need help on the interior O line. Playing both JRJ and Tom hurt is stupid, we have depth for that.
MainePackFan
October 21, 2023 at 07:37 pm
In my opinion, there have been plenty of times that Love has time to throw. He needs to take the throw the defense gives him. If you are asking this O-Line to hold up for 4 seconds then you are correct, they suck : )
Packerpasty
October 22, 2023 at 10:08 am
I also think he has had time to throw...the WR's arent always running the wrong routes either....thats the new thing..."the young receivers are running the wrong routes"....sometimes maybe but not always...hit the guy in stride so he doesn't have to reach back for the ball...take what the D gives you...have the brilliant HQ adjust in game decisions....
Guam
October 22, 2023 at 09:20 am
Many thumbs up if I could 13TC. Yes it is hard to evaluate a QB when his receivers are running wrong routes and dropping balls, but it is even harder to evaluate the same QB when there is no running game and a short time window to throw. Fix the O-line first! The young receivers will look much better when there is a complimentary rushing attack and time for routes to develop.
Normally Gil Martin writes really good articles, but this one is a bit of a head scratcher.
splitpea1
October 21, 2023 at 12:33 pm
We're probably better off sifting through what we already have. There will be competition for the two Broncos receivers and the price will probably be too high. Renfrow has a bad contract. And is Marshall really going to make a big difference?
On the flip side, if the Packers don't exhibit any signs of hope during the next two games we should be listening to any reasonable offers for a few of our veterans. If that's the case, we're going to need all the draft capital we can get.
MooPack
October 21, 2023 at 01:01 pm
Come on guys. Don’t lower yourself to other websites that are constantly promoting this trade or that. This isn’t a team that is going to the Super Bowl or even the playoffs unless they pull a Costanza and do the opposite.
Packers0808
October 21, 2023 at 01:13 pm
Man by all the columns of who the Packers need and should get rid of, we would have a whole team by the end of the season or before. Go with what we have barring injuries and let them develop. have a losing season, ummm, had that last year with a headcase at QB.
LeotisHarris
October 21, 2023 at 03:53 pm
"Man by all the columns of who the Packers need and should get rid of, we would have a whole team by the end of the season or before."
English is a beautiful language.
Packers0808
October 21, 2023 at 07:42 pm
Only when you are uneducated and can't understand plain simple language. Oh well, never too late to go back and get your GED!
LLCHESTY
October 22, 2023 at 08:24 am
You might want to go back a reread what you wrote there. Mostly gibberish.
Packers0808
October 22, 2023 at 10:23 am
Yup you too, still time for GED.
LLCHESTY
October 22, 2023 at 08:23 am
Almost like Stockholder added a 2nd account.
The article title is also a bit of a puzzler. Not all shoulds are created equal!
Bitternotsour
October 22, 2023 at 09:35 am
Editors Note: Stockholder has several accounts.
Packers0808
October 22, 2023 at 10:37 am
You do realize IF you ever read anything else beside this post, many columns are written over and over again who the Packers should trade for or trade away. Guess you can't see beyond your nose what others write beyond this column in other sports sources. Why is that so difficult IF you are educated?
TxFred
October 21, 2023 at 02:17 pm
Why ?
The coaching staff will not coach & develop this young talented & very coachable group they have now. Why the hell bring in some scratch 'n dent junk off the scrap heap? Expect the coaches to bring that up to speed.
The answer is MLF needs to scrap his entire group of position coaches and hire TEACHERS to develop this team. MLF is so locked into his etcho sketch play making pad he no idea how to coach & develop a coachable team with some potential All Pro material starving for NFL grade coaching.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 22, 2023 at 06:24 pm
I'm not sure which path makes more sense, replacing the entire coaching staff, or keeping a couple. If anybody's kept, I'm not sure MLF should be at the top of the list.
jhtobias
October 21, 2023 at 02:45 pm
Why? You still have the same coaching staff would be a waste
Qoojo
October 21, 2023 at 03:02 pm
The article does not stress the point enough that the WRs/TEs are making a lot of mistakes in the routes, which results in bunching up or simply not running a route correctly. A bunch of rookie and inexperienced mistakes.
I do think that the packers need someone that help teach, and that Love can rely on to run the correct route every time.
LeotisHarris
October 21, 2023 at 03:47 pm
Should take a should out of the headline, Gil. An extra, unneeded should will make you should all over yourself in the most unpleasant of ways.
Like GHWB said, "read my lips, no new wideouts." Or was it "nude Texans". I forget. Either way, no.
packerbackerjim
October 21, 2023 at 03:58 pm
GB could have Jerry Rice and with this OL it would still be bad. Just less so.
barutanseijin
October 21, 2023 at 05:03 pm
A vet receiver would be pointless without better oline play.
I regret falling for this clickbait.
vin0770
October 21, 2023 at 07:50 pm
Just wondering…this veteran receiver you’re talking about…how’s his hamstrings?
Asking for a friend 😏
CanPackFan
October 21, 2023 at 08:18 pm
A WR is the least of our problems. Like a fart in the wind right now. How about one competent coach to keep Rich B company?
PhantomII
October 21, 2023 at 10:34 pm
No, but I'm all for a couple starting OL....One of which is a Center both of which are road grader types. Until we fix the OL for good...Nothing good is going to happen. Starting Nijman would be a good start. We have had several dropped balls, etc. The OL inability to move DL is a constant problem as well as looking like none should be on the field against a good pass rusher like Crosby. Gute has been gutting the OL for a while now and backfilling with younger players while putting the veteran OL salaries elsewhere. We had been getting away with it all the way until it bit us in the playoffs and our OL was not good enough to push past good defenses. Now we cannot seem to block well enough to slow down lesser teams defenses. We need to throw money/ first round and both 2nd rounders at a LT/ C/ RG for starters. I thought we'd be a lot better and BAK would play more...BUT NO. Make it happen Gute.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 22, 2023 at 06:29 pm
We still have Nijman, Mt Caleb, and #63 Walker at OT. Zach Tom should be on the interior. Everybody was saying our S room is a disaster, is that no longer an area of need?
PAPackerbacker
October 22, 2023 at 07:31 am
Try coaching the talent the Packers have on the team now. Sure the team is young and inexperienced but there is a lot of talented players that need to be coached. Game management and adjustments need to be made to maximize the talent on the Packers team. One game the defense does well but the offense struggles. Next game the offense does well but the defense struggles. Consistency and execution and back to the basics will be better served by proper techniques and efficient coaching. I'm not seeing it happen on either side of the ball.
Oppy
October 22, 2023 at 09:47 am
No.
WD
October 22, 2023 at 10:39 am
This is a very persuasive list of reasons why the Pack should NOT trade for another has-been receiver. Realistically, it is naive to think the Packers will make the playoffs this year. Instead, give our young receivers as much playing time as possible. Reassess at the end of the year. Then use a strong draft and maybe a little free agency help to make a serious run at the playoffs. The word this year has consistently been patience.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 22, 2023 at 06:31 pm
TOO MUCH patience with provably bad coaches!!
bullsa21
October 22, 2023 at 05:26 pm
Can we trade for a real coaching staff. No imagination on offense same old defense too much talent on defense to be this bad. Time for a complete change!