NFL Trade Deadline: Green Bay Packers fail to give QB Aaron Rodgers another playmaker
NFL fans and media have been expecting the Green Bay Packers to acquire a good wide receiver since April. As the calendar gets into November, that still hasn't happened.
After the Packers lost to the San Francisco 49ers in last season's NFC Championship Game, they went into the offseason with "wide receiver" listed on just about every NFL Draft analysis as their biggest area of need. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers can still play at an MVP level at 36 years old, but he needed pass-catching playmakers in addition to three-time Pro Bowl wideout Davante Adams.
Not only did the Green Bay Packers not use their first-round pick on a receiver, but they didn't use any of their picks on a receiver. The Packers used their first-round pick on quarterback Jordan Love, the kind of pick a team makes when they're looking toward the future and not necessarily trying to win now.
The Green Bay Packers used six of their nine draft picks on the offensive side of the ball, but didn't address arguably their biggest need on the offensive side of the ball.
Fast-forward to November and the NFL's trade deadline on Tuesday. Since the Green Bay Packers didn't draft a receiver or sign a prominent one in free agency, it was expected that they'd make a move for a receiver ahead of the trade deadline.
That didn't happen, either.
NFL Trade Deadline: Green Bay Packers stand pat going into season's second half
It's not like the Packers are struggling. At 5-2, they're in first place in the NFC North. Rodgers is 10th in the league in passing yards, tied for third in passing touchdowns and second in Quarterback Rating.
But Adams is the only Green Bay player ranking in the league's top 50 in receptions or receiving yards. After Adams, the Packers' leading pass-catchers are running back Jamaal Williams, tight end Robert Tonyan, and running back Aaron Jones. Their next-most productive receiver is Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who has 16 receptions in seven games. Adams has 43 receptions in five games.
The Green Bay Packers were reportedly having trade discussions about wide receivers like Will Fuller of the Houston Texans, but couldn't get a deal done before the deadline.
Because the Packers' defense is in the bottom-third of the league, allowing 26.7 points per game, they needed to make their offense as potent as possible.
With an elite albeit aging franchise quarterback, the time to pay up for the players you need is now. Whether that's a high draft pick or a high salary, the Green Bay Packers should be trying to surround Aaron Rodgers with the talent he needs to get the team over the hump and win a Super Bowl.
First in the 2020 NFL Draft and again at the NFL trade deadline, the Packers didn't do what it takes.