The Green Bay Packers have had a relatively quiet offseason so far. While the NFL free agency tampering window has only been open for a day, many teams around the league have been spending big money to improve their 2025 Super Bowl chances. As for the Packers, general manager Brian Gutekunst has taken a more subtle approach.
On day one of the tampering window, Green Bay agreed to deals with cornerback Nate Hobbs and offensive lineman Aaron Banks. Both players are quality additions, but neither of them brings star power to the Packers. Another area that Green Bay will need to address happens to come on defense. They need to add more pass rushing for defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to work with. Enter Trey Hendrickson, who recently requested a trade from the Cincinnati Bengals. With back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons, he is exactly the kind of defensive star that the Packers could use.
Read more:Colts to Sign Former Giants Quarterback Daniel Jones in Massive Free Agency Move During the 2024 NFL season as a whole, Hendrickson ended up playing in 17 games with the Bengals. He totaled 46 tackles to go along with 17.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and six defended passes.
Those numbers are extremely impressive, but in 2023 he also put up 43 tackles, 17.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and three defended passes. He has recorded nearly identical astronomical numbers in two straight years. Some players will have a monster season one year and fall off the next. Hendrickson has not allowed that to happen to him.
Landing a trade for Hendrickson would be the perfect way for Green Bay to complete its offseason build. What would the Packers have to give up to get Hendrickson? There has been a lot of speculation that a third-round pick could be enough to get a deal done. Green Bay would then likely need to work out a contract extension to keep him long-term.
Read more:Vikings Retain Breakout Corner Byron Murphy on Massive $66 Million Deal It’s possible that Cincinnati would push for a second-round pick. Even if that ends up being the case, the Packers should not let that be a dealbreaker. Green Bay is a piece or two away from a championship. Hendrickson could be one of those pieces and the player who takes the Packers’ defense to an elite level. There are many teams around the NFL who would love to add a player of Hendrickson’s caliber. Green Bay happens to have the cap space, the draft capital, and the need to go after him.
Gutekunst has made it clear that he wants to compete for championships. If that’s true, this is the kind of move he needs to make to prove it. For more on the Packers, head to Newsweek Sports.
