Packers Trade Pitch Deals Christian Watson for Projected $136 Million Star

Getty Packers WR Christian Watson

No doubt, even after two Packers seasons that were both dampened badly by hamstring injuries, no one is quite ready to give up on Christian Watson. After all, the talent and speed he has flashed in his time with Green Bay has been impressive enough to keep him at the top of the team’s depth chart, even as second-year players like Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks have made their claims as the WR1, and Romeo Doubs remains a contender for that role, too.

But an interesting thought experiment could well be raised amid the turmoil that’s going down in Dallas, where wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and the Cowboys have been unable to come to terms on a new contract that would surely place Lamb—who set franchise records with 135 catches and 1,749 yards last year—among the highest paid receivers in the NFL.

Would the Packers, whose timeline should be accelerated by the fact that the team was on the brink of the NFC Championship game last year, be willing to cough up one of their talented young receivers for a clear-cut No. 1 option—especially if that option was CeeDee Lamb?

That’s the notion put forth at Bleacher Report, where the Packers are being encouraged to consider making a blockbuster trade offer for Lamb.

Packers Trade Would Include 2 Picks

In an article titled, “5 NFL Teams That Should Revisit CeeDee Lamb Trade amid Cowboys WR’s Holdout,” the site’s Maurice Mouton includes the Packers as a sensible suitor for Lamb, even as the Cowboys have made clear they’re not trading their star. Lamb is on the fifth-year option of his contract, worth $18 million, and ultimately, the Cowboys do have the leverage to make him play on that deal.

But Lamb did take the step of erasing the Cowboys from his social media presence. Egads.

And if the Cowboys can look past Watson’s two major hamstring issues and instead focus on his speed and the 107-yard, three-touchdown game he had against Dallas as a rookie, they might be able to talk themselves into this B/R deal:

Cowboys receive: 2025 first-round pick, 2025 third-rounder, Christian Watson

Packers receive: CeeDee Lamb

Lamb would be quite a weapon to add to Jordan Love’s arsenal. With Doubs on the opposite side and Reed in the slot, plus Wicks and talented tight ends, the Packers would have arguably the best group of pass-catchers in the NFL.

CeeDee Lamb Could Get $136 Million

The Packers are obviously more than willing to enter the 2024 season with their receiver group as it is, and let the roles develop as the year goes on. Injuries will be a factor, but with so many young players involved, so will development. And it’s hard to say how these players are going to develop.

Lamb, on the other hand, is 25, the same age as Watson, but has already announced his place as one of the league’s best. What an addition to these Packers he would be. They would have to pay, though: Spotrac projects Lamb’s market value as $34 million per year, worthy of a four-year, $136 million contract.

Here’s how Mouton explained it:

“The Packers’ aerial attack made leaps and bounds with (Jordan Love) while wideout Christian Watson battled through injuries that cost him eight games. Of course, Green Bay’s offense can be more explosive with Watson healthy, and he has shown star potential, but the unit doesn’t need him to go up and down the field against opponents. We saw evidence of that last season.

“In exchange for Watson, a 25-year-old high-upside wideout, the Packers would get a bona fide No. 1 receiver as the rest of their young pass-catching group continues to grow into its own. They have $22.4 million in cap space this year, and $16.4 million for 2025, though the front office can restructure contracts to free up space if necessary.”