Getty Wide receiver Courtland Sutton of the Denver Broncos.
The Green Bay Packers aren’t going to replace Jordan Love this season save for an injury, so the team might as well get him some help ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
Green Bay has an impressive roster of skill-position players, but they are the youngest collective group in the league and have made their share of rookie mistakes this season. The Packers have struggled to score, or even push the ball down the field in the passing game, since Week 2. The most logical path to relevancy down the stretch then is to add some talent who can spark the offense and help Love develop more confidence.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report on Friday, October 27, suggested that the best option in this regard is Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton. The Broncos just bested the Packers last weekend but are still 2-5 and one of the league’s most likely sellers ahead of the October 31 deadline.
The Green Bay Packers have lost three straight games, and it’s becoming clear that they probably aren’t going to contend in 2023. Their sole focus should be on developing and evaluating quarterback Jordan Love.
The Packers should see if Denver is willing to trade one of its receivers, specifically Courtland Sutton. While Sutton may not have the upside of a true No. 1 receiver, he does have one 1,100-yard season on his resumé, and he’s an extremely reliable option. This season, he’s provided a passer rating of 125.2 when targeted. Sutton’s dependability could have a huge impact on Love’s development.
Courtland Sutton on Pace for Career Year with Broncos
GettyWide receiver Courtland Sutton of the Denver Broncos.
At age 28, Sutton is on pace for the perhaps the best season of his six-year NFL career.
Through seven contests he has caught 31 passes for 351 yards and 5 touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference. Extrapolated out over a 17-game season, Sutton is on pace for a career-high 75 catches and a career-high 12 touchdowns. His pace of 852 receiving yards would be the second-highest total of his career behind the 1,112 he tallied in 2019 — Sutton’s only Pro-Bowl year to this point.
Green Bay needs to win this weekend against the Minnesota Vikings to justify buying ahead of the deadline, at least in the context that the team hopes still to compete in 2023. But the franchise’s plan for Love has to include adding a veteran option in the passing game at some point in the relatively near future.
The Packers may find a free agency pursuit of a top-end wide receiver something of a hit-or-miss prospect as a cold-weather team with questions at QB. Their only other option is a blockbuster trade, most of which are pricey and often hard to come by. As such, a move for Sutton now makes a lot of sense for Green Bay if they believe he is available.
Packers Trade for Courtland Sutton Works Even if Team Doesn’t Compete in 2023
GettyQuarterback Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers.
If the Packers have a chance to go after Sutton, it may be the best opportunity they get at a proven wideout inside the next year. Sutton is playing in the second season of a four-year, $61 million extension that keeps him under contract through 2025. Green Bay has a little north of $7.5 million in salary available cap space and $17.6 million in 2024 room as of Saturday.
The Packers have spent a lot of money on the defensive side of the ball, whereas they have built much of the offense through draft capital over the last couple of years. Green Bay is likely to offer outside linebacker Rashan Gary a multiyear extension worth well north of nine figures, which means the team will be sending more money the defense’s way soon.
However, Green Bay can save $21.5 million by cutting or trading left tackle David Bakhtiari this summer. Bakhtiari will have missed 38 of a possible 51 games over the past three years come the end of this season and is set to hit free agency in 2025. The Packers can and should reinvest that money into the offense to really find out what they have in Love, who will also be a free agent in 2025 barring an extension of his own.