The Green Bay Packers have spent a great deal of time this offseason retooling their roster. A hard decision was made not to bring back fan-favorite running back Aaron Jones, who also is the third-leading rusher in franchise history. Additionally, the team decided to part ways with David Bakhtiari, Darnell Savage, Jon Runyan Jr., and Yosh Nijman.
To replace those players, Green Bay looked to free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft. Josh Jacobs was signed to take over as the primary running back (before Jones was even officially released) and Xavier McKinney was brought in to play safety. In the draft, the Packers selected three offensive linemen: Jordan Morgan, Jacob Monk, and Travis Glover.
Green Bay also drafted two linebackers, Edgerrin Cooper and Ty’Ron Hooper, to help fill the void left by De’Vondre Campbell’s release and subsequent signing with the San Francisco 49ers.
One NFL writer, though, does not think the Packers should be done adding to their team, particularly on defense, and named them in an absurd trade proposal.
Proposed Trade Sees the Green Bay Packers Acquiring New Orleans Saints Cornerback Marshon Lattimore
In a recent article, John Buhler of Fansided proposed a trade that would land four-time cornerback Marshon Lattimore in Green Bay. The reasoning for the deal is that, in his opinion, the Packers would want a more established veteran to play the boundary opposite Jaire Alexander, instead of Eric Stokes, Carrington Valentine, or Kalen King.
The compensation Green Bay would have to give up to get Lattimore, though, is a lot:
- 2025 first round pick
- 2025 fourth round pick
- 2026 second round pick
- 2026 seventh round pick
While the idea of having Lattimore and Alexander as the team’s starting cornerbacks may sound intriguing at first, there are several issues with this trade proposal.
The Green Bay Packers Would Choose Not to Afford Marshon Lattimore
In his article, Buhler writes:
“From Green Bay’s perspective, you do the deal because what price can you put on another Lombardi Trophy, honestly? Jordan Love may not be on his rookie contract anymore, but it isn’t like he is making a ton of money either. The Packers need to take advantage of this financial situation and load up on defense. Green Bay is probably a playoff team again and could challenge the Lions in the division.”
This is a very short-sighted statement given the fact that Jordan Love’s price is going up as the days and weeks go by. Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff just got a four-year deal that will pay him $53 million. While it is uncertain whether or not Love will get that high of a salary, it is fair to assume that, starting in 2025, the Packers will be paying him $50 million or more.
Lattimore, meanwhile, is currently in the middle of a five-year $97 million deal. While his cap hit this year is just $14.6 million, next season it more than doubles to $31.4 million. Of course, the Packers could release him, four draft picks is a lot to give up for one year for a player. Lattimore’s dead cap hit in 2025 is also $20 million, so it would still be a hefty hit on the salary cap.
Financially speaking, the trade does not make any sense. Lattimore’s addition would not guarantee the Packers a Super Bowl win and it would make budgeting for future Championship runs more difficult.
Marshon Lattimore Has Not Played a Full Season Since 2021
While Lattimore is a four-time Pro Bowl cornerback, he also has missed half of the Saints’ games over the last two seasons. He played just seven games in 2022 and 10 games in 2023.
Last season, the Packers had to deal with Alexander getting banged up, and the young cornerbacks on the team all stepped up and helped the Packers have a top-10 passing defense. Adding an oft-injured veteran who is going to cost them a ton of salary cap space is simply not the responsible thing to do.
Instead, the Packers will start either Stokes or Valentine on the boundary opposite Alexander. Developing and playing young talent has always been the way the Packers have done things, not trading four draft picks for an expensive injury-prone former Pro Bowler.
