Getty The Green Bay Packers could trade for a promising tight end in Albert Okwuegbunam.
While the Green Bay Packers wait for a move that will send Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, general manager Brian Gutekunst could make a different move to acquire a promising and athletic tight end in Albert Okwuegbunam.
The Packers are currently in a holding pattern despite entering into trade discussions with the Jets for Rodgers. While Green Bay free agents like Allen Lazard are nearing a deal to join the 39-year-old quarterback in New York, the Packers will need to start making some moves of their own.
Alex Kay with Bleacher Report gave their ideal trade scenarios for each NFL team, and rather than discussing a Rodgers trade for the Packers, they decided to go in a different direction. Instead, Kay had the Packers trading a fifth-round pick to the Denver Broncos for tight end Albert Okwuegbunam.
“While the team could grab one of the available rookie tight ends, it’s a position that is notoriously difficult to make a quick and successful transition to the pros at,” Kay said. “Albert Okwuegbunam would be an interesting target, as the Denver Broncos’ 2020 fourth-round pick was expected to breakout last season after a promising sophomore campaign…A fresh start could benefit Okwuegbunam greatly.”
Latest on a Rodgers Trade
While the Packers could very well make a move for a tight end, the team is limited with what it can do until Rodgers is finally traded.
The Packers and Jets have been in trade talks for a week before the beginning of the NFL’s legal tampering period on Monday, March 13. However, no move has been made as of Tuesday, March 14, and Rodgers has yet to announce a decision about his future.
That hasn’t kept both Rodgers and the Packers from commenting on the situation, however. Packers president Mark Murphy heavily implied that Rodgers would be leaving Green Bay when speaking publicly the weekend before free agency. Meanwhile, Rodgers told Brandon Marshall at a celebrity flag football game that a decision would be coming soon in his first comments since meeting with the Jets.
Even though a trade hasn’t gone through, Rodgers has apparently been trying to lure free agents to New York. That move was all but confirmed with reports that both Lazard and Cobb are potentially being targeted by the Jets as free agent signings.
No trade has happened yet, but all signs are pointing towards Rodgers playing for the Jets in 2023.
Who is Albert Okwuegbunam?
He might not be the biggest name at the tight end position, but Okwuegbunam has yet to reach his full potential.
The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick out of Missouri in the 2020 NFL Draft, with the Denver Broncos taking a chance on him. He was a two-time second-team All-SEC selection for the Tigers, catching 98 passes for 1,187 yards and 23 touchdowns over three seasons.
Unfortunately, Okwuegbunam hasn’t had the same kind of production at the NFL level due to some bad injury luck. His injury history includes a torn ACL that ended his 2020 season along with a hamstring injury that placed him on injured reserve in 2021.
With the emergence of rookie Greg Dulcich last season, Okwuegbunam has suddenly found himself buried on Denver’s depth chart. If the Broncos are willing to part with him, Green Bay could be a solid landing spot for the 24-year-old tight end to try and break out with a new team.