Getty Will Fuller #15 of the Houston Texans makes a catch as Jeff Gladney #20 of the Minnesota Vikings defends during the third quarter at NRG Stadium on October 04, 2020 in Houston, Texas.
Hope has emerged for the “trade for a wide receiver” crowd of the Green Bay Packers’ fanbase.
According to Aaron Reiss of The Athletic, the Packers are among the teams who have called the Houston Texans about a possible trade for wide receiver Will Fuller V, a 2016 first-round pick who has caught 187 career passes and 21 touchdowns.
Reiss was also clear the Texans aren’t necessarily looking to ship away Fuller and that there is no “imminent” deal in the works to bring him to Green Bay.
Fuller has struggled a bit to stay on the field during his four and a half years in Houston, but the 26-year-old wideout is quietly on pace for a career year with 31 catches for 490 yards and five touchdowns through his first seven games in 2020. The Packers could no doubt make use of his speed and big-play capabilities in combination Davante Adams and Allen Lazard — who returned to practice Wednesday from injured reserve.
On the surface, it might seem silly for the Texans to trade their current leading receiver — not that they haven’t done that before — but Fuller’s trade value could be reaching a new high for a team that has lost six of its first seven games. Deshaun Watson would still have serviceable receiving talent in Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills, while the Texans would also take one of their biggest 2021 free agents off the books.
The bigger question is how much the Texans would want in exchange for Fuller. The Packers do have the cap space to take on his contract, but would they be willing to give up an early-round draft pick to land a talented pass-catcher who will need a new contract to play beyond the current season?
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Multiple Costs to Consider About Fuller Trade
Aaron Rodgers would finally have a first-round wide receiver in the offense if the Packers traded to acquire Fuller, but the financial details are a little dicey when looking at what a deal for the Texans wideout would mean for their cap future.
According to a breakdown from salary-cap specialist Ken Ingalls, the Packers could make a trade for Full work without needing to restructure any of their existing contracts for the sake of cap space, but the money would be “real tight.” The Packers are currently operating with about $5.66 million in effective cap space right now, as Ingalls noted.
For the sake of the argument, let’s say the Packers make the deal, send a second-round pick to Houston and find the appropriate cap space to take on Fuller’s contract. Sure, the Packers will gain a valuable wideout for about 10 games as he plays out the remainder of his fifth-year option, but Fuller’s name will be added to a list of notable 2021 free agents that already includes names such as David Bakhtiari, Aaron Jones and Kevin King.
The Packers would then have to decide between signing Fuller to a new contract (ideally with the cap burden pushed back to later seasons) or cutting him loose in hopes of gaining back a third- or fourth-round compensatory pick. Spending that much on a one-year rental could be difficult to justify if it doesn’t get the Packers that much further ahead in 2020, but the same could easily be said about paying big money for a wideout when Adams will be seeking a new extension in 2022.
Matt LaFleur Has Worked With Fuller Before
One appealing thing about a potential fit with Fuller and the Packers is his previous experience with head coach Matt LaFleur, who was the quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame when Fuller caught 15 touchdowns in 2014.
That season ended up being a breakout year for Fuller, marking the first of two 1,000-yard seasons he produced for the Irish and setting him on a course to be taken No. 21 overall in the 2016 NFL draft. LaFleur left to become the QB coach for the Atlanta Falcons during his final collegiate season in 2015, but he hasn’t forgotten the impression Fuller left on him in their short time together (and as he’s continued into the NFL).
“Will, what a great, what a great kid, what a great guy,” LaFleur told media ahead of the Packers’ matchup with the Texans last week. “Always would prepare the right way, but man, does he have a lot of juice, and he’s been a lot of fun to watch over these last couple years. You can really see him, you know, improving every year he gets out on that field. I think he’s a legitimate No. 1 receiver and he definitely has the speed that you’ve got to know where he’s at at all times, especially when you’ve got a guy like Deshaun Watson throwing him the football. There’s been a lot of explosive plays and I’m really happy to see him have success.”
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