2-Time All-Pro Wide Receiver Emerges as Packers Trade Target

An unprecedented number of wide receivers were selected on the first night of the NFL Draft, but none of them will be wearing a Green Bay Packers jersey come the start of next season.

Six wideouts were off the board within the first 18 picks Thursday night, April 28, a historic run at the position throughout draft history. The Packers were left on the outside looking in with selections at No. 22 and No. 28 and chose not to trade up into a better position. Green Bay did, however, trade its No. 53 and No. 59 selections in the second round to move up to No. 34 and nab wide receiver Christian Watson of North Dakota State University.

The 6-foot, 4-inch senior is equipped with both speed (a 4.36 time in the 40-yard dash) and verticality (a 38.5-inch vertical leap). At 22 years old, Watson may prove more ready to make an impact during his rookie season than some wideouts, but he remains a far cry from the talent reigning MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers lost when the Packers shipped Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders in March.

Whatever Green Bay’s plans were in the first two rounds, they are still missing a No. 1 option in the passing game, and the answer could be three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints.

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Thomas, Saints on Outs Throughout 2021 Regular Season

There are a couple of indicators that Thomas might be available for the Packers via the trade market. The first is the deal the Saints made during the first round of the draft.

New Orleans dealt picks No. 16, 98 and 120 to the Washington Commanders to move up to No. 11 and draft wide receiver Chris Olave out of Ohio State University. ESPN projects Olave to start on opening day and be the No. 2 option behind Thomas. However, if Thomas isn’t going to be in town for long, Olave makes sense as his replacement atop the wide receiver depth chart.

The second indicator that Thomas may become available involves the public issues between himself and the organization, which started nearly a year ago. Thomas missed nine games in 2020 with an ankle injury, which Saints doctors decided would require surgery to repair. Thomas disagreed after seeking a second opinion, arguing that he could heal without surgery.

After attempts to avoid an operation, Thomas ultimately did undergo surgery in June of 2021, after which it was reported the Saints were unable to contact him for months as he navigated rehabilitation. Former Saints head coach Sean Payton called Thomas out publicly for refusing to communicate with the team and for not getting the surgery earlier. Thomas responded by publicly accusing the team of trying to ruin his reputation. Thomas ended up sitting out the entire 2021 season.

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Packers’ Trade Cost For Saints Michael Thomas Remains Unclear

What the Packers might have to sacrifice to bring Thomas to Green Bay remains unclear.

Common logic was that if the Packers were going to trade for a big-name wide receiver like Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers or DK Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks, they were probably going to have to use a number of the four picks they’d amassed over the first two rounds. Those picks are now gone, the first-round selections spent on linebacker Quay Walker and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, both out of Georgia, and the two second-rounders parlayed into Watson.

However, the Packers are also rumored to be in trade talks with the Raiders for tight end Darren Waller. Whatever package they had in mind to offer Las Vegas in return for its Pro-Bowler could theoretically be repurposed in a push for Thomas, especially if Waller proves unavailable, which the tight end himself indicated was the case in a radio interview with CBS Sports earlier this week.

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