Proposed NFL Trade Has Packers Acquire $19 Million Star Before Deadline

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Packers quarterback Jordan Love.

The Green Bay Packers are coming out of their bye week looking to get back on track after failing to win their last two games, prompting speculation that they might make another move for a playmaker before the NFL trade deadline.

The Packers are well-stocked at the wide receiver position ahead of Week 6’s matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals at home, especially after they opened the activation window for starter Christian Watson on Monday and welcomed him back to the practice field.

Even still, some NFL analysts remain convinced that the Packers must seek out another reliable veteran for their receiver room to make up for starter Jayden Reed’s prolonged injury absence. And with the New Orleans Saints slumping after a 1-4 start to the year, Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame believes their target should be star Chris Olave.

Verderame proposed that the Packers trade their 2026 second-round pick to the Saints in exchange for Olave, who put up 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons.

“Jordan Love needs another reliable playmaker, especially with Jayden Reed sidelined due to injury and rookie Matthew Golden still finding his footing in the NFL,” Verderame wrote last week. “A trade for Olave would stretch the field for Love and extend the playbook for coach Matt LaFleur. Olave has 26 catches for 184 yards and one touchdown this season.”

Chris Olave Trade Makes Less Sense After 2025 Draft

Olave — the No. 11 overall pick in 2022 — is a talented receiver who would improve the firepower of the Packers offense. Earlier this year, it would have also made a lot of sense for the Packers to target him in a trade when they were still seeking more pass-catchers.

After the 2025 draft, though, the Packers have little reason to make a receiver trade.

In the spring, the Packers broke their decades-long trend of not selecting a receiver in the first round of the NFL draft when they selected Golden — a standout at Texas — with the No. 23 overall pick. They also circled back to the receiver position for TCU’s Savion Williams in the third round, significantly improving the quality of their position group.

While neither Golden nor Williams had their breakout moment through the first four games of the 2025 season, it is far too early for the Packers to be scrambling for more help, especially with Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks and tight end Tucker Kraft in place to offer Love more reliable and experienced targets in the passing game.

Additionally, Olave is not quite the knock-out trade target that Verderame pitched him to be. He has been impressively consistent for the Saints when healthy, catching 244 passes for 2,809 yards in 44 career games, but “when healthy” is an essential phrase. Olave played just four games in 2024 due to an injury, and he dealt with concussions a whopping four times over his first two seasons in the league.

That’s a considerable red flag for a receiver who will cost roughly $15.49 million against the salary cap in 2026 — and plenty of reason alone for the Packers not to target him.

Could Packers Make WR Trade … to Offload a Talent?

The Packers seem highly unlikely to make a trade for another wide receiver in 2025, but could they consider trading one away before the NFL trade deadline on November 4?

At the very least, it is more realistic than a trade for Olave.

The Packers are once again looking at a crowded receiver picture with Watson back at practice this week. Once he returns to the roster, they will need to figure out how best to divvy up the reps among Doubs, Watson, Wicks, Golden and Williams — and that only gets more challenging for them when Reed returns to the mix later on in the season.

While the Packers won’t want to jump the gun, there is logic in them offloading one of their wide receivers before the deadline. Doubs is the most likely candidate, given that he is in the midst of a contract year, but he has been Love’s most reliable receiver over the first four games. A strong offer could persuade them to trade him away, but it would almost certainly take a Day 2 pick for the Packers to even consider dealing away Doubs.

Alternatively, Wicks could make more sense. He has another season left on his rookie deal, but the Packers already have Reed, Golden, Williams and Watson signed for 2026. If the right offer comes in, the Packers could justify offloading Wicks at the deadline.

Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson