Packers tried to add receiver but 2022 trade deadline was ultimately a lose-lose proposition

Regardless of what the Packers did or didn't do before Tuesday's trade deadline, the team would have ended the day mired in futility.

Another trade deadline has come and gone with a familiar result: The Green Bay Packers did not consummate a deal.

In most years, such a result would have come as little surprise. The Packers have long favored a draft-and-develop mentality, one that has served them well overall despite fan displeasure. Since Ron Wolf took over as general manager on Nov. 27, 1991 -- the ground zero for the team's current approach to team-building -- only the New England Patriots have compiled more wins than Green Bay. More impressive still, the franchise has endured just five losing seasons in the time since, the lowest such total in the NFL.

But 2022 presented a unique set of circumstances. Aaron Rodgers, the reigning two-time MVP in his age-39 campaign, could retire at any time. His recently signed extension, structured as a de facto one-year deal with player options thereafter, says as much. The Packers cannot merely assume their centerpiece player will remain in place beyond the current season and must conduct themselves accordingly. That means living for today rather than preserving resources for years into the future.

And the Packers had clear and obvious personnel needs to anyone paying attention. The receiving corps, still smarting from the offseason departures of Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, offers rookie Romeo Doubs, savvy veteran Allen Lazard, and little else in terms of reliable production. Executives across the NFL assumed that, given Rodgers' limited time, Green Bay would address the wideout position before Tuesday's trade deadline.

Still, exactly how the Packers' newfound team-building approach might manifest became a hot topic, and not just outside the organization. Even before the deadline, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur referenced the internal discussions between him and general manager Brian Gutekunst.

"We've been having those conversations for weeks now, and it really comes down to opportunity," LaFleur said. "If the right opportunity presents itself, I know that Gutey's all on board with trying to upgrade our roster. You're always trying to do that. But we're not going to just do a silly deal."

The Packers found themselves caught in a lose-lose situation. Trade a significant asset and attempt to "win now" with a team that seems far from capable of making a Super Bowl run and they undercut their upside in 2023, perhaps the final season of Rodgers' career. Hold onto their draft picks and they force that same quarterback to continue battling with an inexperienced, incomplete receiving corps for the remainder of the year.