The Green Bay Packers could be aggressive in improving their roster during the 2025 NFL offseason after general manager Brian Gutekunst declared the team he has built is “ready” to start competing for championships back in January.
Are they willing to be aggressive enough to call the San Francisco 49ers about the reported availability of star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in a trade, though?
The 49ers agreed to trade veteran Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders for a 2025 fifth-round pick during the NFL Scouting Combine last week. Even still, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the team remains open to trading away Aiyuk — who signed a $120 million contract extension last offseason — as it looks to get younger.
Naturally, the Packers would make logical suitors for him given how badly they need to find a No. 1 wide receiver to pair with starting quarterback Jordan Love. Per Over the Cap, they also have roughly $48.8 million in cap space to reasonably fit his contract, which includes option bonuses in 2025 ($22.86 million) and 2026 ($24.94 million).
In our trade pitch, the Packers would make a blockbuster exchange with the Niners for their 2023 and 2022 leader in receiving yards, giving up their 2025 second-round pick (No. 54 overall) and wide receiver Romeo Doubs to acquire the high-priced Aiyuk.
Brandon Aiyuk Trade Would Beef Up Packers Offense
The Packers have tried to make things work with their four drafted wide receivers over the past two seasons with Love as their starter, but there is a growing sense they need — and want — a more dynamic primary target who can take over games for their offense.
Brandon Aiyuk could certainly give them that, if he returns to form after his ACL tear.
Aiyuk caught just 25 passes for 374 yards and no touchdowns in seven games before his injury last season, but he finished with a career-high 1,342 receiving yards — and an eye-catching 17.9 yards per reception — in 2023. It was Aiyuk’s second consecutive year with at least 1,000 yards, and he earned second-team All-Pro honors for his efforts.
Now, past troubles with David Bakhtiari and Jaire Alexander might make the Packers hesitant to make a trade for a recently-injured player. But if the Packers are satisfied with Aiyuk’s medical outlook, he could provide them with a necessary missing piece to help them contend for a Super Bowl alongside stars Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft.
The trickier factor is the trade compensation.
The Packers could be willing to give up a second-rounder and an inconsistent receiver entering the final year of his contract, but the 49ers might demand more. According to NFL insider Ari Meirov, San Francisco sought a first-round pick from teams when it shopped Aiyuk around the trade market last offseason before inking his big extension.
If the price tag is still a first-rounder, though, the Packers likely wouldn’t have interest.
Is Free Agency or Draft Better Option for Adding WR?
If the Packers are ready to make a move for a No. 1 veteran receiver, Aiyuk could make sense considering he has played well in a similar offense and is signed through 2028.
The safer — and perhaps stronger — approach might be trying to find their next star wide receiver on either the free-agent market or in the 2025 NFL draft, though.
After Tee Higgins received the franchise tag from the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, the market’s best options are Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs and Chris Godwin — the first two of whom are already in their 30s but could sign for less than the top of the market.
If the Packers prefer to find a new wideout in the draft, they will have no shortage of promising choices in the early rounds. Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka or Texas’ Matthew Golden could fit for them at No. 23 overall, but that would require Green Bay to veer from its trend of not taking first-round receivers — which seems unlikely to happen.
Better options might be TCU’s Jack Bech, Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor or Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins in the second round; though, the Packers will need to work through their pre-draft evaluations and figure out which skill set best suits their needs.
Packers fans don’t always love the approach, but it is hard to argue against the success the team has found targetting pass-catchers outside of the first round of the draft.
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