Despite inactivity, Packers still benefited from trade deadline

The Packers didn't make a move in the hours before the NFL trade deadline, but Tuesday still played out well for them in many respects.

Despite an open Super Bowl window, a recent rash of injuries, and countless pleas from fans, the Green Bay Packers did not make any trades in the hours before Tuesday’s deadline.

This will hardly come as a surprise to anyone who has followed the team over any extended period. When the Packers have made deals at the deadline, they have more often given up a player than acquired one. In just the past decade, the front office sent starters like Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Rasul Douglas out the door in exchange for mid-round picks. In both cases, Green Bay either had a realistic chance to push for the playoffs or did indeed qualify.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur even hinted that the team probably wouldn’t have an active Tuesday.

“I don’t think so, not necessarily,” LaFleur said when asked if Green Bay needed to add a player before the trade deadline. “I know [general manager Brian Gutekunst] and the rest of the guys upstairs are doing a great job of looking for things that could potentially help us. If the right decision is there, then I’ve got full confidence he’ll make it.”

But while many complain about the Packers’ standing idle at the deadline, these discussions require context. The team did make the biggest move of the entire 2025 league year, acquiring All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons at the cost of multiple first-round selections and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Green Bay also further depleted its future draft resources with the late-August trade to acquire Darian Kinnard. Those moves didn’t happen this week, but they have inarguably impacted the on-field product.

And the Packers could still make meaningful additions to the roster. They reportedly have interest in free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., a 26-year-old corner with nearly 50 starts under his belt. A spine injury has sidelined Samuel since last season, but he has since received medical clearance and plans to begin taking visits with teams this week. Samuel boasts an 87.8 defensive passer rating since the start of 2023.

Even so, for a certain segment of the football audience, big moves made in the past or ones that could come in the future don’t matter. Instead, only the headlines generated now matter.

But even those critical of Green Bay’s inactivity should acknowledge that multiple developments at the deadline broke right for the team. While the Packers didn’t bolster their roster with a trade, they still appear better off than when the week began.