Packers Deal Away $13.8 Million Starter to AFC in Trade Pitch

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The Green Bay Packers will explore adjustments to their roster during the 2025 NFL offseason after falling short in the postseason last month — and that could mean an intense evaluation of former first-round linebacker Quay Walker.

Walker — a 2022 first-round pick — seemed to turn a corner for the Packers late in the 2024 season. Despite missing four games, he finished with a team-high 102 tackles, including nine for a loss and 2.5 sacks, and learned how to marry his on-field instincts with his natural physicality, gifting Green Bay’s defense with a formidable linebacker.

That said, the Packers will need to decide on whether to pick up Walker’s 2026 fifth-year option in the spring. The rise of second-round rookie Edgerrin Cooper — who may ultimately take Walker’s job at middle linebacker — could also influence their decision.

If the Packers do not pick up Walker’s option, he could find himself on the trade block in the coming months. Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Staff even pitched a potential trade suitor for Walker — if Green Bay goes down that road during the offseason.

The proposed trade: The Packers would send Walker and the final year of his $13.8 million rookie deal to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for their 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 118 overall).

“Linebackers don’t typically cost much in a trade,” BR staff wrote. “For the Packers, this would be more about getting a pick in return for a player they don’t intend to extend anyway. But the Bengals would be getting an exciting addition at a position where they need more athleticism alongside Logan Wilson.”

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Quay Walker’s Future Remains Unclear in Green Bay

While it is still far too early to assume the Packers will not extend Walker, his looming fifth-year-option decision does force the team to start weighing his long-term future.

As a baseline, the Packers have no trouble declining a player’s fifth-year option and then keeping him on the roster through the end of his contract. They have done so with multiple first-round picks under current general manager Brian Gutekunst, including former free safety Darnell Savage Jr. and pending free-agent cornerback Eric Stokes.

The linebacker position is not exactly stacked if the Packers deal away Walker, either.

While Cooper has the looks of a rising star, fellow linebackers Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson will hit free agency in March without new contracts — and there are legitimate questions about whether they should re-sign either one. If neither returns, the Packers will need to find more talent at the position, and that’s harder if they trade off Walker.

Of course, the Packers could always start laying the groundwork for a transition in the coming months without getting rid of Walker on a faster-than-necessary schedule.

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The Packers took a sizeable swing at the off-ball linebacker position in 2024 when they sunk their second-round pick in Cooper, and their decision paid off immensely.

Cooper dealt with some injury troubles as a rookie, but he still managed to rack up 87 total tackles along with 13 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, four pass deflections and a pick in 14 games of action. His involvement in Jeff Hafley’s defense also progressively ramped up down the stretch, earning him a spot on Pro Football Focus’ All-Rooke team.

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Could the Packers’ success with Cooper lead them back to the well in 2025, though?

The Packers could target a veteran replacement for McDuffie and Wilson in free agency next month, but the NFL draft — the team’s bread and butter — makes far more sense with Walker’s future undecided. Georgia’s Jalon Walker, Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell and South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight Jr. give them good early-round options, too.

For now, we will await the Packers’ decision-making at the start of the new league year, but don’t be surprised if the linebacker topic comes up again in relation to April’s 2025 draft if they avoid the position in free agency.

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