Packers Trade Candidates

[tynimiller]

The only couple things I can think of (because on paper he was absolutely overpayed) was that he was a player who they think still has growth. It’s weird because to me PFF rated him ascending and has 2024 as an average Pass Blocker, but above average Run Blocker. Then in the same breath they labeled him the 67th best FA available in 2025. I think they look at a player who started rough, but he’s still ascending and as we know we do a great job of developing OL.

Although should be noted that while Banks has an history of allowing below average QB pressure rates, he’s also only allowed 3 Sacks across nearly 1,700 Pass block snaps, which is incredible. I guess what I’m trying to say is he’s a hard one to figure out. Yet the obvious thing is the 49ers have consistently been a Top Running team from an efficiency perspective during his tenure. 1 year they led the league in attempts, 1 year they were 4th in per carry (Top 9 last 3 seasons) but always focus and consistency. I don’t think Banks sacrifices much in Pass Protection on the flip side. I believe we studied him hard (possibly a former draft crush) and we think he’s an ideal fit for where we are headed.

Oh I liked the signing just not the contract or structure of it.

 

[Voyageur]

As others have stated. I think that the Packers brain trust sees a much higher side of Banks than what he's shown so far in the NFL. I think they view him as a potential Pro Bowl caliber player. Since they've been pretty good at projecting how players do from free agency, I'm going to err in their favor and say the signing is probably decent.

 

[gopkrs]

My thought was that they saw a better run blocker than Jenkins but still capable to protect. I hope that's the case. And also upgrade center at least this year. If Jenkins doesn't stay and Monk hasn't risen up; I hope they try again in the draft. They were oh so close the last time they took a center.

 

[Thirteen Below]

They were oh so close the last time they took a center.

When was that?

 

[Heyjoe4]

No doubt about it, the name of the game is "overpaying" in the NFL. There seems to always be someone out there who thinks that some guy is worth more than he actually is. I laugh when I hear how the FA market is so restrictive because the owners don't want to offer fair value.

The thing that I find amazing is the difference between a veteran player who only gets league minimum for his years of service and the guy who walks away with millions. Sometimes their skill levels aren't all that much different. It's just a matter of perception in the eyes of people calling the shots on a team.

Yeah.i'm generalizing, but I think most if not all FAs get overpaid. The year before last the Packers S group was in shambles. I think McKinney got a contract worth $17 mil AAV. At the time, there was some grumbling about overpaying. McKinney is that rare player who is not probably more valuable than his contract.

The NFL keeps raking in money, the cap keeps going up, and so does the comp for players. That said, I have no complaints about Gluten's track record with FAs.

 

[Heyjoe4]

My thought was that they saw a better run blocker than Jenkins but still capable to protect. I hope that's the case. And also upgrade center at least this year. If Jenkins doesn't stay and Monk hasn't risen up; I hope they try again in the draft. They were oh so close the last time they took a center.

Yeah, two words - Creed Humphrey. Can't win em all...... The Packers have been traditionally strong at C. Even Meyers was an above average C, well, I think.

 

[Thirteen Below]

Yeah, two words - Creed Humphrey. Can't win em all...... The Packers have been traditionally strong at C. Even Meyers was an above average C, well, I think.

What are you two talking about? What does Creed Humphrey have to do with Green Bay?

Edit: oh, geez, never mind. I remember. Totally spaced that out.

 

[OldSchool101]

Other great teams manage to find impact players in the first round far more often than Gute has. Eagles are obviously the best example of this but the Chiefs have had more early round success as have the Ravens and the Bucs. Gute is a good GM but his early round picks, irrespective of when those selections come, have been underwhelming.

I think it’s safe to say that any team can draft better in RD1 so it’s hard not to agree with that. Yet except for the best team its also a bit of a rhetorical statement. Who doesn’t wish their team Drafts better.. in ANY round?


I don’t thing Gutey is that bad using Day1 selections across full spectrum.

Was Alexander not a good selection?
I remember many in here ridiculed The Rashan Gary selection, it turns out they were wrong.


Was Jordan Love a bad selection? QB is by far the most important weighted position for a GM to be graded on. That position alone can outweigh several good Day 1 selections imo.
How many GM’s have drafted better QB’s without benefit of a Top 20 selection?? I can count 1. He retired 7 seasons ago. Ozzie Newsome (Lamar Jackson). That’s a heck of a selection late Day1.

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Visit ESPN to view NFL Total QBR for the current and previous seasons

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So far, right off the bat, Brian Gutenkunst scores high in RD1 for selecting QB using #24 overall. That’s cheap collateral for a good starting QB. That pick is weighted 2X or 3X a regular Day 1 imo.

About the only “miss” Gute had was with Stokes at #29 overall. Ok he’s not perfect, but let’s be real it’s not like this was an #7 overall selection here.
Savage was actually drafted in RD1,but Gute used a 3rd Rounder to acquire him, so it’s hard to ding him there.

Wyatt looks pretty good
Quay looks pretty good.

Jury is out on Morgan and Van Ness but those are relatively newer selections and should clear up our grading after this year or next. I don’t pretend to follow every GM. If you told me someone did the research and graded Brian as the #5 best GM in RD1 of current GM’s? I’d say that’s very believable.

 

[OldSchool101]

Oh I liked the signing just not the contract or structure of it.

I like the Banks signing also. Yet the $$ is questionable considering his production thus far. That is the reason for the production overview so far if that makes sense.

 

[Heyjoe4]

What are you two talking about? What does Creed Humphrey have to do with Green Bay?

Edit: oh, geez, never mind. I remember. Totally spaced that out.

I'm pretty sure the Packers took Meyers ahead of Humphrey in 2021, that year may not be correct. Humphrey went to, I think, the Chiefs and has had a great career - well certainly better than Meyers.

This **** happens. The Packers also infamously drafted CB Kevin King while TJ Watt was available. In fairness, I don't think anyone thought Watt was going to be a top Edge rusher in the NFL, and GB was desperate for CB help. And we all watched Watt when he was at Madison. I don't remember anyone complaining at the time of the draft.

On the other hand, and just one example, Bakhtiari was an eventual All Pro taken in rd 4. That's just the way it rolls. It reinforces Ty's point that finding an elite/impact player even early in the draft is very, very hard.

 

[Heyjoe4]

I like the Banks signing also. Yet the $$ is questionable considering his production thus far. That is the reason for the production overview so far if that makes sense.

FAs just cost more than they're worth - well, most of the time, and it's not excessive. Supply is limited and demand usually involves a few bidders.

 

[Voyageur]

I think the belief in most front offices is that an experienced free agent who is game ready is worth more than a rookie draft pick who needs to spend time learning the game and is therefore fairly useless in most cases for at least part of a year and often longer.

If you look at a 4-year rookie contract that pays someone $2 mill a year and won't be of value until often year 3, you only get two years where the real return is felt, so it's essentially costing $4 mill a year for his productive years on the contract. Then there's the obvious situation where the guy is given a contract and never makes it to the field as a regular. You take those two concerns, for a new player, and compare it to the value of a game ready player in free agency and you see that giving that FA $4 mill a year in a contract is a fair trade off, in fact a better deal in a way, because he fills both roles in one. He becomes the starter, and he reduces the need for a backup on the bench who is instantly game ready all in respect to protecting that rookie who just isn't ready to offer the team what they need.

We say they are overpaying, they feel they are protecting the future by giving others a chance to grow into the part and keep the cost of replacements on the bench down. It's a gamble of course because the experienced free agent can be a flop too, but most teams don't put too much out there in advance for their services if they aren't positive, they will need them.

A prime example of the latter is Hardman. If he doesn't make the team this year, the Packers are only out about $130K. He was brought in to insure they had enough bodies to move forward and protect the fact they have two rookies taking the field or at least gracing the sidelines most of the time as they go through their learning curve.

When you think about it, Banks might be an excellent decision on the part of the brain trust. He's game ready, and from what I'm gathering, still getting better at the position. Those are positives in my book.

 

[OldSchool101]

I think the belief in most front offices is that an experienced free agent who is game ready is worth more than a rookie draft pick who needs to spend time learning the game and is therefore fairly useless in most cases for at least part of a year and often longer.

If you look at a 4-year rookie contract that pays someone $2 mill a year and won't be of value until often year 3, you only get two years where the real return is felt, so it's essentially costing $4 mill a year for his productive years on the contract. Then there's the obvious situation where the guy is given a contract and never makes it to the field as a regular. You take those two concerns, for a new player, and compare it to the value of a game ready player in free agency and you see that giving that FA $4 mill a year in a contract is a fair trade off, in fact a better deal in a way, because he fills both roles in one. He becomes the starter, and he reduces the need for a backup on the bench who is instantly game ready all in respect to protecting that rookie who just isn't ready to offer the team what they need.

We say they are overpaying, they feel they are protecting the future by giving others a chance to grow into the part and keep the cost of replacements on the bench down. It's a gamble of course because the experienced free agent can be a flop too, but most teams don't put too much out there in advance for their services if they aren't positive, they will need them.

A prime example of the latter is Hardman. If he doesn't make the team this year, the Packers are only out about $130K. He was brought in to insure they had enough bodies to move forward and protect the fact they have two rookies taking the field or at least gracing the sidelines most of the time as they go through their learning curve.

When you think about it, Banks might be an excellent decision on the part of the brain trust. He's game ready, and from what I'm gathering, still getting better at the position. Those are positives in my book.

Yes. Plus if I could piggyback, imo the Brass felt like he was an ideal fit as a PFF grade 70 Run Blocker and rising. It sounds like the Gap/Zone scheme is similar in SF also, do he’s already familiar with the playbook schematics. That just reinforces your point that he’ll be more game ready. Banks is a big, physical body that moves well and has above average instincts. He’s basically 1.5 years guaranteed so if he just crashes? You swallow his sunk and move on to the next debatable contract.

 

[OldSchool101]

As far as the trade topic directly. On that aspect of roster building if I were guessing? Brian would grade somewhere in that Top 5-10 GM’s on his trade moves. He was HOT out of the gate. Preston, Snith, Turner, Amos? That grades an A- on a C scale.

Even with Rasul. You get a couple of years of good Starter play and trade him for a Pick swap that was essentially a Top 110 selection. That Capital was in form of a 3rd rounder. It’s basically saying Marshawn Lloyd cost us a 5th? If I recall?

I think people forget that part when we complain about a draft pick. How did we acquire Savage? We traded a 3rd Rounder away to get him. So in reality was he good for a 1st rounder? No. But if we’re grading Brian we need to go deeper than skin level on his he acquired that selection. Was Savage good for collateral parted with? Absolutely Yes for a 3rd Rounder

so far early returns look good on Hobbs also. Banks looks like a high floor FA. I think if Brian could go out and perfect a trade of a WR for a starting CB? Even if he kicks in a later day 3 selection. That would be impressive.

 

[gopkrs]

I'm pretty sure the Packers took Meyers ahead of Humphrey in 2021, that year may not be correct. Humphrey went to, I think, the Chiefs and has had a great career - well certainly better than Meyers.

This **** happens. The Packers also infamously drafted CB Kevin King while TJ Watt was available. In fairness, I don't think anyone thought Watt was going to be a top Edge rusher in the NFL, and GB was desperate for CB help. And we all watched Watt when he was at Madison. I don't remember anyone complaining at the time of the draft.

On the other hand, and just one example, Bakhtiari was an eventual All Pro taken in rd 4. That's just the way it rolls. It reinforces Ty's point that finding an elite/impact player even early in the draft is very, very hard.

I believe Humphrey was taken the next pick. Sure, that happens. But when you are looking for a center and make that kind of mistake; it's not good. They had to be considering which one to take and just chose wrong. Begs the question, which one would KC have taken first? I'm thinking Humphrey. Not going to dwell on it but it was a pretty big mistake imho. And if Jenkins does not do really well at center (although I think he will); and they don't keep him for whatever reason. I hope they draft a center early again. The cream of the centers crop seem to stick around until the 2nd round. jmho

 

[Sunshinepacker]

I think it’s safe to say that any team can draft better in RD1 so it’s hard not to agree with that. Yet except for the best team its also a bit of a rhetorical statement. Who doesn’t wish their team Drafts better.. in ANY round?


I don’t thing Gutey is that bad using Day1 selections across full spectrum.

Was Alexander not a good selection?
I remember many in here ridiculed The Rashan Gary selection, it turns out they were wrong.


Was Jordan Love a bad selection? QB is by far the most important weighted position for a GM to be graded on. That position alone can outweigh several good Day 1 selections imo.
How many GM’s have drafted better QB’s without benefit of a Top 20 selection?? I can count 1. He retired 7 seasons ago. Ozzie Newsome (Lamar Jackson). That’s a heck of a selection late Day1.

2025 NFL Season Leaders Total QBR | ESPN

Visit ESPN to view NFL Total QBR for the current and previous seasons

www.espn.com

So far, right off the bat, Brian Gutenkunst scores high in RD1 for selecting QB using #24 overall. That’s cheap collateral for a good starting QB. That pick is weighted 2X or 3X a regular Day 1 imo.

About the only “miss” Gute had was with Stokes at #29 overall. Ok he’s not perfect, but let’s be real it’s not like this was an #7 overall selection here.
Savage was actually drafted in RD1,but Gute used a 3rd Rounder to acquire him, so it’s hard to ding him there.

Wyatt looks pretty good
Quay looks pretty good.

Jury is out on Morgan and Van Ness but those are relatively newer selections and should clear up our grading after this year or next. I don’t pretend to follow every GM. If you told me someone did the research and graded Brian as the #5 best GM in RD1 of current GM’s? I’d say that’s very believable.

Jordan Love might be a very good QB (I don't think he'll be top-5 but he's shown that he can certainly be a top-10 QB) but the ONLY other very good player that Gute has drafted in the first round was Jaire. That's it. Not counting last year's draft (Morgan) that's 8 first round picks and ONE of them was truly elite, another (Love) will probably be very good and the rest range from bad to above-average. He absolutely missed on Quay, Walker has not been a first round worthy player, Gary looked like he might be great but he fell back in a big way last season.You also ignore his second and third round performance. Those early round picks are where teams find the difference makers that turn the team from good to GREAT. Super Bowl winners are built on having elite players and the early rounds are predominately where those players are found.

Looking at Pro Football References Weighted Career Approximate Value ("WCAV"), not a perfect stat but good for this exercise, we can see how much value a player has provided a team over their career. If you then assign each draft slot the median WCAV for that draft slot going back to 1990, you can calculate whether a player drafted in their slot has performed relative to other players drafted in the exact same spot. Doing this for the 2019 -2023 draft classes (only looking at rounds 1-3) shows that Gute has been the sixth WORST at drafting valuable players with the selections that he has used.

So I did the research and the results are NOT what you seemed to believe. I'm sure someone somewhere will take issue with using facts to analyze Gute's early round draft performance but going off "vibes" to objectively evaluate the GM is a great way to not win a Super Bowl. As I said, he's top-10 in free agency but his draft performance is really holding this team back.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

On the other hand, and just one example, Bakhtiari was an eventual All Pro taken in rd 4. That's just the way it rolls. It reinforces Ty's point that finding an elite/impact player even early in the draft is very, very hard.

Completely agree. That's why teams that are good at finding those elite/impact players early tend to be the teams competing for/winning Super Bowls. Gute has been very good at finding good players late in the draft but having a team full of "good" players is enough to make the playoffs and win a game or two but that team is going to fall short against a team that has true difference makers.

 

[gopkrs]

Jordan Love might be a very good QB (I don't think he'll be top-5 but he's shown that he can certainly be a top-10 QB) but the ONLY other very good player that Gute has drafted in the first round was Jaire. That's it. Not counting last year's draft (Morgan) that's 8 first round picks and ONE of them was truly elite, another (Love) will probably be very good and the rest range from bad to above-average. He absolutely missed on Quay, Walker has not been a first round worthy player, Gary looked like he might be great but he fell back in a big way last season.You also ignore his second and third round performance. Those early round picks are where teams find the difference makers that turn the team from good to GREAT. Super Bowl winners are built on having elite players and the early rounds are predominately where those players are found.

Looking at Pro Football References Weighted Career Approximate Value ("WCAV"), not a perfect stat but good for this exercise, we can see how much value a player has provided a team over their career. If you then assign each draft slot the median WCAV for that draft slot going back to 1990, you can calculate whether a player drafted in their slot has performed relative to other players drafted in the exact same spot. Doing this for the 2019 -2023 draft classes (only looking at rounds 1-3) shows that Gute has been the sixth WORST at drafting valuable players with the selections that he has used.

So I did the research and the results are NOT what you seemed to believe. I'm sure someone somewhere will take issue with using facts to analyze Gute's early round draft performance but going off "vibes" to objectively evaluate the GM is a great way to not win a Super Bowl. As I said, he's top-10 in free agency but his draft performance is really holding this team back.

Well I basically agree about draft performance not being what it should be. But I have to wonder if it's about sticking with the same lead scouts. I don't know. It's just where I would look first. I sort of wonder if they have been around forever. I mean Gute has to be taking advice.

 

[Thirteen Below]

As everyone probably knows, Micah Parsons is demanding a trade out of Dallas. I'm skeptical Jerrah will let him go, but if he does, Green Bay is one of the 5 or 6 teams that would make the most sense. Unfortunately, so are the Lions and the Bears.

A lot of people feel that Green Bay has the ammo to get him (Doubs or Reed, 1st and 2nd picks in 26 or 1st in 26 and 27, and possibly one of our edge rushers), but paying him is another question. He may be looking to become the highest paid non-QB in the league, and Gutekunst has a lot of contracts to negotiate the next few years and some very painful salary cap decisions. On that basis, I'm not really feeling it.

At the same time... I keep hearing the words "Reggie White" over and over in my mind... adding Parsons immediately gives us an elite player at all 3 levels of the defense, assuming Cooper develops the way I think we all expect. Parsons, Cooper, and McKinney probably make us a top 5, maybe top 3 or 4 defense.

But still, even at that, I'm not sure I'd do it. What do the rest of you think?

 

[Pkrjones]

As everyone probably knows, Micah Parsons is demanding a trade out of

At the same time... I keep hearing the words "Reggie White" over and over in my mind... adding Parsons immediately gives us an elite player at all 3 levels of the defense, assuming Cooper develops the way I think we all expect. Parsons, Cooper, and McKinney probably make us a top 5, maybe top 3 or 4 defense.

What do the rest of you think?

WAAAYYYYY too much for 1 player, PLEASE NO!!!

Multiple high round picks (2 #1's or combination of #1 & #2's) PLUS $41+mil/yr ... sounds like perfect formula for cap hell, again. Highly doubt 1 premium edge rusher is all that stands between GB & the Lombardi.

 

[tynimiller]

Parsons is the prime example of a player you just don’t do in an effort to win championships. FA sure but to trade for him it would be insanely ignorant IMO.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Well I basically agree about draft performance not being what it should be. But I have to wonder if it's about sticking with the same lead scouts. I don't know. It's just where I would look first. I sort of wonder if they have been around forever. I mean Gute has to be taking advice.

I don’t know if it gets reported much and i missed a transition but weren’t most of those lead scouts around for TT? While TT liked to GM with one hand behind his back (free agents) his draft ability was top notch.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Parsons is the prime example of a player you just don’t do in an effort to win championships. FA sure but to trade for him it would be insanely ignorant IMO.

Parsons would instantly make the packers defense elite. With MLF’s ability to scheme up an elite offense that would be the kind of move that would make the packers one of the top two teams in the NFC. Why is that ignorant? Based on Gute’s draft history, trading a first round pick (or two) would be a great value for one of the best defensive players in the league and the packers save cap space for a reason.

 

[Voyageur]

Parsons would definitely make the Packers defense better, but after this year we'd more than likely loose players to free agency that we need to secure other positions on the team. We've been strangled by the cap, and I don't want to see it happen again. No matter what, he isn't going to make up for what's a perceived weakness we have at CB and being a little think on the DL. At this point we have a couple of LB players who could become pretty darned good players this season and we would be fine without Parsons.

I think we need to be concerned about the future as much as today. You can't mortgage the future on a hope of winning it all today.

 

[OldSchool101]

Gary looked like he might be great but he fell back in a big way last season.

You lost me here? In a totally unbiased of NFL peers (these were not Packer fans) he was rated the #80 best NFL player in 2024. Although his 2024 Probowl season reflected his change to a new scheme. He led the team in Sacks (7.5/8.0) QB hits (15) and tied his career high 47 tackles, but hit a career high 9 TFL’s. He also had 8 QB knockdowns, 1 FF/FR and only 1 missed tackle across 639 Defensive snaps, which is near perfection.

PFF graded Gary 83% tile of the Edge class. Most impressive was his 75.3% Run grade in a brand new 4-3 scheme.
He did not rank below 50% tile in ANY of the 9 separate key categories used to judge Edge players.

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