Hypothetical Trades Packers Must Consider in 2023 NFL Offseason
The Green Bay Packers had one of the most interesting offseasons in 2022. And unless there's a drastic turnaround over the final four weeks of the season, they are going to be fascinating again in 2023.
This past offseason was defined by a trade that didn't happen and one that did. There was speculation early on that quarterback Aaron Rodgers could be traded. Then the Packers actually did trade Davante Adams.
Trades will again be part of the conversation for Green Bay next year.
As general manager Brian Gutekunst starts formulating a plan to get the Packers back in contention, they shouldn't rule out going the route of making a trade. Whether it's one involving their quarterback, backup quarterback or another veteran, it could be a crucial move toward getting the team back on the right track.
Here are three they should consider.
Trade Away QB Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay Packers Receive: Jets 2023 first-round pick, 2023 third-round pick, 2024 second-round pick
New York Jets Receive: QB Aaron Rodgers
The trade market for veteran quarterbacks is going to be hard to gauge given what we saw in 2022, when Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson were all involved in trades that commanded wide-ranging costs for the team acquiring them.
None have necessarily worked out the way those teams hoped.
The Wilson trade, in particular, could be a cautionary tale for teams that believe they are just a QB away. Still, if the Packers are ready to move on from Aaron Rodgers and the 39-year-old wants to play another season, it wouldn't hurt for them to call the Jets and see if they are interested in repeating history.
That's ultimately where Green Bay traded away Brett Favre when the relationship with the star quarterback ran its course.
The Jets are in a position where they have many of the pieces together to be a contender. Head coach Robert Saleh is proving he can lead the team, the defense has been good, and they are 7-6 and on their way to a first winning season since 2015.
However, the Jets also benched Zach Wilson and won't have a high enough draft pick to get one of the elite prospects in the class. Trading for a veteran might be seen as their only way forward.
In this scenario, they give up somewhere between what the Broncos gave up for Wilson and what the Colts gave up for Ryan. It gives the Packers a substantial amount of cap space and draft picks to work with as they move beyond the Rodgers era.
Trade Away QB Jordan Love
Green Bay Packers Receive: Colts 2023 third-round pick (via Commanders)
Indianapolis Colts Receive: QB Jordan Love
It's hard to envision a world in which Jordan Love is cool coming back to the Packers if the team rolls with Aaron Rodgers under center next season.
The 24-year-old is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract (assuming the Packers won't be picking up his fifth-year option).
He's played in just nine games and attempted 80 passes stuck behind a future Hall of Famer.
So, if the Packers aren't trading Rodgers and the veteran isn't retiring, they would do well to help out their 2020 first-round pick and send him somewhere he can play.
The Indianapolis Colts could be a suitor. They've been on a merry-go-round of stopgap veteran quarterbacks since Andrew Luck's retirement, from Philip Rivers to Carson Wentz to Matt Ryan. There was some success with Rivers, but they are finding it is not a sustainable model for finding a signal-caller.
Love would be a happy medium between finding another veteran stopgap and going the rookie route. The Utah State product has been in the NFL for three seasons now and has had the opportunity to learn behind Rodgers.
The Colts might be willing to deal a valuable pick to find out if he can be the long-term solution they've been looking for.
Trade for TE Albert Okwuegbunam
Green Bay Packers Receive: TE Albert Okwuegbunam
Denver Broncos Receive: 2023 fifth-round pick
The Denver Broncos offense is full of players who didn't live up to expectations this season. Tight end Albert Okwuegbunam is among the biggest.
WIth the Broncos including Noah Fant in the trade to acquire Russell Wilson, there was an assumption that it was going to be Okwuegbunam's time to shine at Mile High.
The 24-year-old entered the league in 2020 with an elite athletic profile and a lot of potential as a receiving tight end. In 2021, he showcased some of that potential while catching 33 of his 40 targets for 330 yards and two touchdowns while Denver was playing Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback.
The expected 2022 breakout has fallen flat, though. With Wilson at the helm, the Missouri product has seen just 11 targets all year and has been bypassed by rookie Greg Dulcich.
Meanwhile, Green Bay is missing the threat of a dynamic receiving tight end. Robert Tonyan has not lived up to the form he showed in 2020 when he had 11 touchdowns and averaged 11.3 yards per reception.
The Packers miss having an actual threat at tight end that teams had to account for. Okwuegbunam could be that guy and would come cheap given his struggles in the new Broncos offense.