1 player Packers would love to steal from each NFC North rival
The Green Bay Packers are retooling and, if they could, Brian Gutekunst would love to steal 1 player from the Vikings, Bears and Lions in the NFC North.
Aaron Rodgers‘ departure this offseason undoubtedly creates a wildly unknowable immediate future for the Green Bay Packers. The team clearly believes in Jordan Love taking over at quarterback and this remains an overall talented roster. At the same time, though, there’s no way to know if Love is the franchise quarterback given his lack of meaningful NFL snaps, which is a huge factor.
Having said that, in the thralls of the offseason, it’s hard not to dream a bit. And what better dream is there for the Packers than not only being able to upgrade the roster but to do so by stealing from the rest of the NFC North in the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings? Brian Gutekunst and every fan in Green Bay would surely love that.
Who would they steal though? Let’s take a look at the one player for each team that the Packers would steal if they could while trying to not double up on any positions and still helping the cause in Green Bay.
Green Bay Packers: 1 player from Vikings, Bears, Lions that they’d love to steal
Packers would love to steal OT Braxton Jones from the Chicago Bears
I know what you’re thinking: Cody, the Packers have arguably one of the best offensive lines in the NFC when healthy. Why in the world would they want Braxton Jones, a second-year player who was drafted in the fifth round by the Bears?
A fair question, but one with an easy answer.
For one, Jones far outplayed his draft position as a rookie put into an unexpectedly large role in Chicago last season, He graded out as the 18th best tackle in the NFL according to PFF (subscription required) last season. Moreover, he improved throughout the season as he garnered more reps at the pro level after playing college ball at Southern Utah.
On top of that, though, the Packers are in a tough position at tackle. David Bakhtiari is not only high-priced with a $21 million cap hit in the 2023 season and a $40 million cap hit next season. Additionally, injuries have also been an issue for a player who will turn 32 years old this year over the past few campaigns.
Subsequently, Green Bay would love to be able to hit the reset button on a player who is making a fifth-round rookie salary but already performing at a starting-level tackle in the NFL in Jones rather than paying Bakhtiari that type of money with less injury reliability as he enters the late stages of his career.