The Green Bay Packers could consider making a very surprising trade during the upcoming NFL offseason.
Entering the 2026 NFL offseason, the Green Bay Packers are going to be a team worth watching closely.
After dealing with a multitude of injury issues throughout the 2025 season, the Packers ended their season on a brutal note. They limped into the playoffs before blowing a 21-3 halftime lead in the Wild Card round of the postseason against the rival Chicago Bears.
It's clear that Green Bay was a Super Bowl contender when fully healthy. However, there were still consistency issues at full strength.
Heading into the offseason, the Packers will look to fill the holes that caused issues last year. Brian Gutekunst has his work cut out for him and will also be forced to make some tough decisions.
To that end, Green Bay has been linked to a surprising trade option this offseason.
Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine took a look at the top three trade assets for each team entering the offseason. When it came to the Packers, he had Lukas Van Ness mentioned as one of the options.
"If the Packers feel like they need Gary to carry them through whatever time Parsons misses next season, then Luka Van Ness could be a tradeable asset," Ballentine wrote.
"The 24-year-old has not lived up to expectations over the first three seasons of his career, but he still has the draft pedigree of a first-rounder."
Putting aside the obvious typo misspelling "Lukas," Ballentine brings up an interesting point. Most fans have expected that Green Bay could move on from Rashan Gary. If the Packers chose to keep him, Van Ness would be a very realistic trade candidate.
Throughout his first three NFL seasons with Green Bay, the 24-year-old pass rusher has played in 43 games. He has racked up 84 total tackles to go along with 8.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a defended pass.
Van Ness has big potential, but he has yet to have the breakout season that the Packers have been hoping to see from him.
At the end of the day, the NFL is a business. Keeping Van Ness around and trying to develop his potential would be an ideal scenario for Green Bay. But, it's possible that the team may need to move him.
Expect to hear plenty of rumors surrounding the Packers as the offseason heats up. Van Ness could very well be back next season, but that is far from a guarantee at this point in time.