According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, as well as Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, the Packers attempted to acquire Raiders tight end Darren Waller prior to Tuesday’s trade deadline. We already knew that Green Bay had offered a second-round choice for Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool — whom Pittsburgh ultimately sent to the Bears, as it believed the second-rounder it received from Chicago would be more valuable than the Packers’ selection — and we also learned previously that the team was interested in potential TE upgrades. We now know that Waller was one such TE target.
Waller, 30, signed a three-year, $51MM extension with the Raiders in September, but he is dealing with serious injury issues for the second straight season. The 2020 Pro Bowler was limited to 11 games in 2021, and he is expected to miss his third consecutive game on Sunday as a result of a hamstring ailment. Plus, after catching 10 balls for 129 yards and a score in the first two games of the 2022 campaign, he was limited to six catches for 46 yards in the next two contests. He played just eight snaps in Week 5 before injuring his hamstring.
Still, a healthy Waller is one of the game’s better receiving tight ends, and assuming he gets back to full strength soon, he would have been a nice weapon for a Packers offense that is just outside the bottom-10 in passing yards per game. Part of that disappointing ranking is due to a rash of injury problems that have impacted the club’s pass-catching contingent; Allen Lazard missed Green Bay’s Week 8 loss to the Bills due to a shoulder injury, Randall Cobb is on IR with an ankle injury, Sammy Watkins has missed time with hamstring troubles of his own, and Christian Watson exited the Buffalo game with a concussion. Injecting another player with health concerns into that mix might have been something of a risk, but GM Brian Gutekunst was clearly hoping a bold move might save Green Bay’s season.
Indeed, while Claypool was, according to Schefter, Gutekunst’s “primary focus,” the team also called the Panthers to discuss D.J. Moore, per Rapoport and Pelissero (though Schefter says the Packers were not interested in Texans receiver Brandin Cooks). Carolina, which rebuffed a massive offer for DE Brian Burns, also turned away the Moore inquiries, even though Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports the Packers were willing to deal a first-round pick (via Marcus Mosher of Pro Football Focus on Twitter). Schefter adds that, in an effort to close a Claypool trade, the Packers added a late-round pick to the second-rounder it was prepared to send to the Steelers, but apparently Pittsburgh valued Chicago’s Round 2 choice over Green Bay’s two-pick proposal.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who could be in the midst of his final season, publicly expressed his appreciation for the front office’s efforts. “The compensation for whatever players we were going after just didn’t make sense,” Rodgers said. “So I trust [Gutekunst]. We had some good conversations. We were in on some things. It just didn’t pan out.”
Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes the ESPN and NFL.com reports, which were both published early Sunday morning, were based on leaks from the team designed specifically to appease Rodgers, and that the Green Bay front office did not actually want to make a deal. Regardless of the veracity of that claim, the end result is the same: if the 3-5 Packers are to salvage what could be Rodgers’ last stand, their existing talent will need to get healthy and turn things around in a hurry, as the only receiving help they can add at this point is free agent Odell Beckham Jr.
As an interesting aside, this is the second time this year the Packers and Raiders have discussed Waller, who was part of the talks that culminated in the blockbuster Davante Adams trade in March.
So we’re supposed to believe that the Packers were willing to pay a TE 17 million a year, But didn’t want to pay Davante Adams? Really? You know, If you want people to swallow Horse S**t you need to at least offer up a huge keg of beer. Talk about spin control. Plus, How’s Adams looking in this deal? Think he’s still happy about how it went down? As a Bears fan I find this completely humorous.
Sorry, they did offer Adams more money than the Raiders. Adams wanted out, and the Packers decided better to move on than have no salary cap room due to the requirements a franchise tag.
I wondered at the time how Adams would fare with the Raiders. The question was, Did Rodgers make Adams, Or did Adams make Rodgers look better? Asked and answered I would think. Rodgers makes lame WR’s look good because of how fast he gets rid of the ball and how he slides around in the pocket.
That’s in the past. He didn’t make anyone look good today, including himself.
I am sure they did at least try and discuss it, they also discussed Red Grange, Lynn Swann, and ask Tong Gonzalez to come out of retirement. This whole organization is a joke.
Right. They were in on EVERY WR and couldn’t get 1? That’s like falling off a Cruise Ship and missing the Ocean.
For what it’s worth, the Packers wouldn’t actually be paying $17MM/year for Waller. $51MM was the new money on the extension, but Green Bay would have been paying closer to $12MM over the next several years.
I’ll take Poles and Cunningham over management like that. Besides, Anybody who can talk a McCaskey into eating 89 million dollars in Dead Cap space as the right thing to do, Is bound to be able to get some decent FA’s next year.
Anyone believing anything from the fools in the media as it relates to how the Packers run their organization simply just don’t pay attention.
And just like every other year they didn’t close any deals, we get all the stories of who they tried to get, and how close they were to getting them.
That’s fine though, they could have acquired prime Jerry Rice or Randy Moss and they’d still look like garbage.
If I were the Packers, I don’t think that I’d leak any more of these stories. I haven’t seen or met a single person who takes them seriously. The first time or maybe even the second you might get some “dang, we’ll at least they tried” but now it’s just bringing up failure.
I believed when they missed on Gonzalez and Moss years ago. I wouldn’t even buy those as “well, we really tried” anymore. I just saw another headline saying GB offered Carolina a 1st for Moore and got shot down.
It’s comical at this point. Might as well hire George Costanza as GM (or Special Assistant to). He can’t be any worse at actually getting a deal done.
Agreed, this front office is being exposed, big time. I thought McCarthy was the problem too. You can only hide for so long…
The wheels are officially off in GB. LaFleur & Stenavich are you guys idiots? Or just guys pretending to be offensive geniuses? Yeah sure, the OL is obviously having trouble blocking. But how do you not have your most elusive and quickest back (Jones) not in the game on first and goal at the one until 4th down?!! Everybody in the building (& watching) knew it would be a handoff to Dillon on any running plays.
Another thing NFL owners, stop playing games on carpet! No wonder injuries are up you cheap #%$$*!
Tired of excuses from the GB front office. Have needed a WR for years. Rodgers & Adams and some other players have bailed out Gutenuts for years. Gutenuts obviously doesn’t like anyone (especially players) second guessing his decisions and will stick to his smartest guy in the room arrogant attitude trying to prove he’s right despite the results.
How does Gute still have a job? I seriously want to know.
I wish I could suck at my job as bad as he does and still make what he does.
Dude seriously can’t be fired fast enough.
Murphy will have to go first I’m thinking. Which I believe means the board of directors has to make that decision. I won’t hold my breath waiting for them to do something.
Agreed. Can’t see any other way out of this mess. Cut bait and start over.
When I get my next proxy vote for those directors, I am voting no for every last one of them if Gute is still our GM this offseason.
I get it’s one vote out of some odd million but so is what is happening on Tuesday around the nation.
I guess the Packers wanted a TE for their IR list.