Packers Made 1st-Round Offer for Star WR at Trade Deadline: Report

Packers 1st-Round Moore

Getty The Packers tried to get Aaron Rodger some new weapons at the NFL trade deadline.

The Green Bay Packers have now lost five straight games and continue to look woefully inept on offense after failing to acquire any new weapons at the NFL trade deadline last week, but it sounds like general manager Brian Gutekunst was at least being aggressive about pursuing potential additions for the team.

According to Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer, the Packers were involved in trade negotiations for three different playmakers prior to the November 1 deadline and were even willing to give up a first-round pick to acquire one player in particular: Carolina Panthers star wide receiver D.J. Moore.

“They tried to go out there and get Chase Claypool,” Glazer said on the Fox NFL Sunday pregame show for Week 9. “They offered, from what I’m told, up to a 1 for D.J. Moore in Carolina and also tried with the Raiders with Darren Waller, which is interesting because he just signed a new contract. But no, they tried to get Aaron Rodgers some weapon.”

The Packers have been criticized in recent seasons for their lack of activity at the trade deadline with the primary complaint being that they are involved in plenty of trade talks but never actually manage to pull the trigger on acquiring a new weapon on offense. This time, however, it seems that Gutekunst was willing to give up some premium draft assets to get a deal done and was outbid or outright rebuffed.

The Packers are currently projected to have the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft after losing 15-9 to the Detroit Lions in Week 9 and extending their losing streak to five straight games for the first time with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback since 2008. Whether the Panthers felt the Packers would turn things around (and decrease the value of their pick) or simply didn’t want to move Moore, it speaks volumes that Gutekunst tried to give up a potential top-10 draft pick to add another playmaker to the roster.

Moore has exceeded 1,100 receiving yards in each of his last three seasons with the Panthers and already has 35 receptions for 449 yards and three touchdowns through the first nine games of the 2022 season. He’s also maintained his high level of success despite a quarterback carousel in Carolina that has forced him to catch passes from subpar quarterbacks such as Kyle Allen, Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold, PJ Walker and Baker Mayfield over the past four seasons.


Packers Offered ‘Multiple Picks’ for Chase Claypool

The Packers didn’t only have eyes for Moore before the trade deadline last week. As ESPN’s Josina Anderson reported on November 1, Gutekunst was also interested in getting a deal done for Claypool before the Chicago Bears “swooped in” and beat out their offer to acquire the young playmaker.

It had been believed that the Packers and Bears each offered a 2023 second-round pick for Claypool and that the Steelers accepted the Bears’ offer because they believed it would ultimately be a better pick than the Packers’ by the end of the season, but it turns out the Packers were willing to give up “multiple picks” to get the deal done and were still turned down in favor of the Bears’ single-pick offer.

“The Steelers believed, however, that the Packers are capable of turning around their season even without Claypool, according to sources, and a playoff push by Green Bay would decrease the value of the picks Pittsburgh would have received in the trade,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on November 6. “So the Steelers ultimately opted for the Bears’ offer of a second-round pick, even though Green Bay offered more picks than Chicago.”

Schefter also confirmed Glazer’s report about the Packers revisiting their interest in Waller with the Raiders. The Packers had tried to acquire Waller when they shipped Davante Adams to Las Vegas but ultimately settled for a first- and second-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft when the Raiders declined to give up their veteran tight end. With Waller now signed to a new contract, the Packers decided to give it another go but — according to Schefter — weren’t “willing to offer enough trade compensation to Las Vegas for the Pro Bowl tight end.”


What Options Remain for the Packers at WR?

The Packers’ situation at wide receiver only got worse in Week 9’s loss to the Lions. Standout rookie Romeo Doubs suffered an ankle injury that resulted in him being carted off the field and is now expected to miss four to six weeks with a high-ankle sprain, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. They also saw fellow rookie receiver Christian Watson leave the game with a concussion for a second straight week, putting his status in jeopardy moving forward.

If Watson ends up missing time, the Packers would be left with Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins (who struggled tremendously against the Lions), Amari Rodgers and Samori Toure as their only healthy wide receivers heading into Week 10’s showdown with the Dallas Cowboys. They could be getting back Randall Cobb in the coming weeks, but he still must spend one more game on injured reserve before being eligible for activation and could still need more time to recover from his own high-ankle sprain. Either way, it is not an ideal situation for a Packers team trying to keep its season alive.

That said, there is still some hope if the Packers are willing to explore the free agent market.

The obvious name on the market would be Odell Beckham Jr. He is a proven veteran target who has the approval of Aaron Rodgers and the experience to make a difference. According to Glazer in the same segment as his Moore revelation, Beckham is also set to be cleared to play again by the end of Week 10 and could spark a bidding war for his services. The Packers might not be able to contend with some of the more flush suitors, but Green Bay could still be a great opportunity in the eyes of OBJ — who would get to work with a four-time MVP quarterback and have a chance to be trusted as a WR1.

Will Fuller and T.Y. Hilton are also still available and have the desired amount of veteran experience for a struggling receiving corps.

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