The Green Bay Packers should try to trade Carrington Valentine if they get the chance. The 24-year-old cornerback has starting experience, but could be replaced in the Packers lineup, which might increase interest across the league, per Moe Moton of Bleacher Report.
Valentine was a seventh-round draft pick by the Packers back in 2023, so even getting to this point is a sign of a successful selection that late. He has 30 career starts, with 12 coming in his rookie season, seven coming in year two, and then 11 starts in 2025.
The issue is that he has not improved enough, and the last year was the worst the team had seen from Valentine. He allowed a career-high six touchdowns and had a career-high four penalties. Valentine also had a career-high in missed tackle rate with a career-low in run stops. It was a bad year across the board.
Now, the Packers have competition and are not going to wait for him to improve.
The Green Bay Packers Added Depth at Cornerback in the 2026 Offseason
GettyThe Packers signed Benjamin St-Juste in free agency
The team signed Benajamin St-Juste, while they drafted Brandon Cisse and Domani Jackson. St-Juste has 47 career starts over five years. However, he hardly started during his rookie year, and he did not fit in with the Los Angeles Chargers after signing with them in free agency last year. In the three years in between, he had 42 starts, so he can hold down a job if needed.
Cisse was selected in the second round, so the question is much more about when and not if he will get on the field as a rookie. The Packers would like for him to get on the field earlier, which makes Valentine more expendable. Jackson was taken in the sixth round, so he is considered depth more than anything. Still, that is another fresh face to compete with Valentine.
The Packers May Not Have Long-Term Plans for Carrington Valentine
Valentine is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract, so he will be a free agent after this year. Cisse is going to be a future starter, and even if they do not want Keisean Nixon to be their starter across from him in the long term, he will have a better chance at earning an extension this offseason than Valentine. More than that, the team has St-Juste signed for 2027. They might be hoping for their two new additions to lead the secondary into 2027.
This makes it easy to understand why the Packers would trade Valentine. The issue is that they might not get much in return for him. A 24-year-old cornerback with 30 starts should have interest across the NFL. However, while the Packers will frame it that way to increase his value, rival teams will say that he is a player who needs a new contract and is about to get benched. Would someone really trade an asset for a player who might not be able to start and then leave in free agency after just one season?
Green Bay will listen to offers but they might not come in fast.
Packers Starter Named Trade Candidate After Offseason Moves