Packers could shake up NFL Trade Deadline with a surprising move 

The Green Bay Packers became the first team to make a major free agency splash when they signed Hall of Fame defensive end Reggie White during the league’s first free agency period in 1993. Coincidentally, Green Bay has historically avoided acquiring external talent. 

While some teams thrive on signing and trading big-name players, the Packers have relied on the NFL Draft and roster development to build their teams. That conservative approach may have been born out of necessity, as geography has worked against the Packers. After all, attracting players to a cold, isolated and small town is no easy task.

The Packers are unlikely to make many headlines ahead of the trade deadline on November 5, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be entirely dormant on the market.

Packers could trade veteran pass rusher Preston Smith

With the league suffering a shortage of quality pass rushers this season, teams have called Green Bay to inquire about the availability of defensive end Preston Smith, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on Saturday. 

Green Bay made a trade before the deadline during the 2023 season as well, albeit under vastly different circumstances. After falling to a 2-5 record, the Packers traded cornerback Rasul Douglas and a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick. It seemed to be a wise decision at the time, but the trade didn’t work out in Green Bay’s favor. Douglas went on to have a spectacular season for the Bills.

This season, Green Bay is in a much better position to buy rather than sell. The Packers currently hold a 6-2 record, and they have the opportunity to take first place in the NFC North with a win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. 

That doesn’t mean the Packers wouldn’t be open to trading Smith, who is currently the second-oldest player on the team. The 31-year-old pass rusher has played just 56 percent of the team’s defensive snaps through eight games this season, the fewest of his career since his rookie season in 2015.

Smith served as an outside linebacker for the Packers since joining the team in 2019, but he has returned to defensive end under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. With Smith’s diminishing usage, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Packers shed their fifth-highest salary cap hit in a trade this week.