One of the biggest surprises of the NFL trade deadline was the fact that the Green Bay Packers didn’t make a single move. With the Packers struggling on offense right now, it seemed like a lock that they’d make at least one deal.
Although they came up empty, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Apparently, the Packers were eyeing multiple players in the lead up to the deadline. One of the most notable ones was Chase Claypool, but the Bears came in and stole him before a deal could go down. CBS Sports NFL Insider Josina Anderson reported earlier this week that in the hours leading up to the deadline, the Packers had the best offer on the table.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers actually offered a second-round pick for Claypool and appeared to have the inside track until the Bears also offered a second-round pick. To make the deal happen, the Bears had to give up their own second-round pick instead of the second-round pick they received from the Ravens in the Roquan Smith trade. Apparently, the Steelers were more willing to take Chicago’s pick (over Green Bay’s) because they felt that it would be higher in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Besides Claypool, the Packers also “checked in” on T.J. Hockenson, according to the Journal Sentinel. Hockenson has 395 yards and three touchdowns so far this year, which is more than Packers leading tight end Robert Tonyan, who has 286 receiving yards and one TD. Unfortunately for the Packers, not only did they fail to make a deal for Hockenson, but the Lions ended up trading him to the first-place team in the NFC North in the Minnesota Vikings.
Between Claypool and Hockenson, that’s two players the Packers looked at who ended up going to a division rival.
Pick Six Newsletter Crafted By The Best NFL Experts Get the day’s big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings. By submitting my email I agree to receive the “Pick Six Newsletter” and other marketing and promotional emails from CBS Sports, which may include information from our affiliates and/or partners’ offers, products and services. For more information about our data practices consult our Privacy Policy See All Newsletters Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error processing your subscription.
Two other players the Packers at least talked about are Kadarius Toney and Jerry Jeudy. According to the Journal Sentinel, the Packers “had a brief but not serious discussion” about Jeudy and showed actual interest in Toney before he was dealt to the Chiefs. According to both ESPN and the Journal Sentinel, the Packers also were targeting an unnamed receiver who ended up not getting dealt before the deadline.
In the end, the Packers came away with no one, and of course, Aaron Rodgers was asked this week how he felt that the team made zero trades.
“That just sent the message to us that we’ve got to play with the guys we’ve got and win with the guys we’ve got,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “I think there’s still a lot of confidence in the guys in the locker room. I do feel like we need to get healthy.”
Green Bay is definitely banged up at receiver right now with Christian Watson, Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb all dealing with injuries over the past few weeks. If those guys start to get healthy, Rodgers seems confident that the 3-5 Packers can turn their season around.