The Green Bay Packers eye Pro Bowl defensive linemen, exploring blockbuster moves. Will they secure a game-changing addition to bolster their Super Bowl aspirations?
The Green Bay Packers feel like they're in a Super Bowl window. They're also backing that feeling up with action from the front office. From trading for Micah Parsons to extending head coach Matt LaFleur, the Packers are operating with an "all in" mindset.
As such, it's no surprise to hear that general manager Brian Gutekunst, also newly extended, is potentially kicking the tires on bringing a real game-changer in on the defensive line.
According to Easton Butler, the Packers are one of the teams talking to the Philadelphia Eagles about a trade for two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jalen Carter.
They've also apparently given a call to the New York Giants to see what it would take to get three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence.
A trade for Carter would be an all-in move for 2026 because he's entering the final year of his rookie deal. If the Eagles don't think they can bring him back in 2027, they may look to deal him so they can at least get some value out of him before he hits free agency.
He's the former No. 9 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft and one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in the league, so he won't come cheap in a trade. One would imagine that if the Packers tried to do this, they would much prefer a trade with the knowledge that they'd be able to sign Carter long-term -- much like they did with Parsons.
Can they afford a player like Carter on the same line as Parsons, though? That's the question.
Lawrence is under contract with the Giants for the next two seasons, and he carries a cap hit of close to $27 million in both campaigns. Again, the question of affordability immediately comes to mind, as does the trade haul.
Lawrence has 30.5 sacks as an interior defensive lineman through the first seven seasons of his career, so he's undoubtedly a big-time player. The Packers traded away two first-round picks for Parsons last offseason, so it's not like they have a ton of draft capital to work with.
Perhaps the evaluation here is that both of these targets are unrealistic. Gutekunst has been known to kick the tires in the past just for the heck of it, so that could be what is going on here.
Realistically, though, there is a need. Devonte Wyatt is coming off a catastrophic leg injury and the Packers just traded away Colby Wooden.
They need some help up front and whether that's through free agency, a trade or the 2026 NFL Draft, Gutekunst is going to have to pull some levers.
It just feels like these two levers, in particular, may be a bit too expensive for the Packers' tastes this offseason, though you never know.
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