Eli Berkovits makes his case for the Packers to trade for one of Myles Garrett or Maxx Crosby

(Photo: © Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY Sports)

The Packers 2024 season ended one month ago which means we’re about three weeks into crazy internet rumor season. Between a Davante Adams return, a trade for Maxx Crosby, and now Myles Garrett, Packers fans are in full swing, adding hypothetical pieces to this team. This is really no different than most offseasons for any team’s fan base – everyone wants to see exciting trades or signings.

This year feels different for the Packers though.

After making it to the playoffs in each of Jordan Love’s first two seasons as the starter, it’s time for this team to take the next step. There are clear holes at cornerback and edge rusher, and you can make the argument that wide receiver is a major need as well.

After the transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love I basically put all blockbuster trades on the back burner until I felt this team could actually compete for a Super Bowl – it is time.

The Packers will always be a draft and develop team but that doesn’t mean you can’t supplement your roster with proven vets like we just saw with Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney. Their impact on the team this year was immeasurable both on and off the field. That has to give Brian Gutekunst some added confidence as we approach the new league year.

It’s not often you see truly elite pass rushers come available in the NFL, but when they do, you must be ready to take advantage. Myles Garrett just requested a trade, and Maxx Crosby seems to be more than okay with moving on from Vegas. It would be organizational malpractice for Gutey not to do everything in his power to get one of these men in a Packers jersey.

I know that trading multiple high-value picks can be scary and feels so foreign to us but it’s time to break the mold. Let’s take a quick look at some of Gutey’s top 100 picks over the past four years, for fun.

Eric Stokes, Amari Rodgers, Lukas Van Ness, Luke Musgrave, Jordan Morgan, Marshawn Lloyd, Ty’Ron Hopper just to name a few.

Before anyone gets upset, I’m not saying all of these players are busts, but you can certainly make the argument that a proven veteran would bring more value than just about all of them. That takes age and contract into account.

On the flip side, we’ve also drafted guys like Edgerrin Cooper, Jayden Reed, and Tucker Kraft in that same time frame. Notice a similarity between these three players – none are first-round draft picks. There may not be a team that consistently finds stars outside of the first round more than Green Bay. I’m not saying that it completely devalues first-round picks, but I do think it’s something you have to consider.

Mason Crosby announced his retirement this week and I was looking back at some of his greatest kicks and of course, was reminded of the Aaron Rodgers era. Something we very, unfortunately, became far too used to was watching those teams get exposed in heartbreaking playoff defeats.

Whether it was Ladarius Gunter covering Julio Jones, Mike Neal rushing the quarterback, or Marquez Valdes-Scantling at WR2, it was never good enough.

Instead of seeing those deficiencies and finally making that blockbuster move to put them over the top, we saw more draft and develop with the occasional signing of a player usually past his prime.

How many more Super Bowls do we win with Rodgers if they went and got Khalil Mack instead of the Bears? That’s just one example of many.

Don’t do the same thing to Jordan Love!

We have seen this movie before. Young team. Great quarterback. A couple of great skill position players and one or two defensive cornerstones. You know what that got us? One ring surrounded by 15 years of heartbreak.

Sometimes you just need more. Look at what Howie Roseman is doing for the Eagles. Every year you feel like that team is reloading even if they don’t “need” to.

I’m not saying Gutey should change his entire philosophy, but there are always exceptions to the rule, and I can’t think of better exceptions than Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby.

As Packers fans, we always talk about two free-agent signings – Reggie White and Charles Woodson. Both of those men came to Green Bay and lifted them from a good team to the best team in football.

Yes, this situation is different because you can’t just sign one of these guys, you’d have to trade for them but so what? This team has gotten close to nothing production-wise from their last five first-round picks. You can’t tell me that a rookie will bring more value than a proven star for the youngest team in the league who also happen to be ready to compete right now.

Rashan Gary led the 2024 Packers with 7.5 sacks while Devonte Wyatt was the only other player with at least five. That is nowhere close to good enough for a team trying to contend for a Super Bowl. It’s a completely different defense if we’re forcing offenses to choose who they want to double-team between Gary and Garrett/Crosby.

Don’t get me wrong, I love how the Packers have managed to stay so consistently good over the past 30 years thanks in large part to their conservative style, but I also want to see them win a Super Bowl.

I don’t see them being able to fill the need at corner, edge, and wide receiver with only three top-100 picks. Even if they hit all of those positions early, we all know you can’t really rely on a rookie for much of anything. You can hope but can’t expect it.

There are enough players on this team that give me hope. Now, go get someone who gives me elite production.