The Green Bay Packers traded Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Smith spent six seasons with the Packers, playing in 91 of 92 possible games and recording 284 tackles and 47.5 sacks. He ranks 11th on Green Bay’s all-time sack list.

Thank you, Preston Smith! pic.twitter.com/RiUVh7vVYQ

— Felipe Reis Aceti (@Aceti_Felipe) November 5, 2024

The primary value of trading Smith lies in freeing up cap space. By trading him, the Packers open $2 million in 2024, $7.6 million in 2025, $18.2 million in 2026, and $1.66 million in 2027. Green Bay has $12.08 million in dead money in 2024 and $9.88 million in 2025. Meanwhile, the Steelers are expected to cover the remainder of his $3.2 million base salary and the $900,000 roster bonus per game.

Green Bay needs to maximize its cap space as the 2022 draft class enters the final year of their rookie deals in 2025. Zach Tom has earned a significant payday, while Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, and Rasheed Walker are also realistic candidates for contract extensions. Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft are also trending toward future paydays, although their rookie deals run through 2026.

The trade makes perfect sense for the Packers. Smith is an aging veteran and has had minimal impact in their new defensive system. He has managed only 10 pressures this season, marking his lowest pressure rate since 2020. Moving him opens the field for Lukas Van Ness and J.J. Enagbare to develop. Trading Smith accelerates player growth and clears cap space for future signings.

The Packers will miss Smith as a person. He was a beloved presence in the locker room and enormously influenced some of Green Bay’s best recent teams. Reed expressed his feelings on Twitter minutes after the trade was announced.

Fans expected Green Bay to be active at the deadline. However, they were sellers again, like when they traded Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills for a third-round pick in 2023*. While some may criticize the Packers for not pursuing additions, the Smith trade doesn’t impact their contention. They’ve invested $96 million in Rashan Gary and a first-round pick in Lukas Van Ness, and they need to trust these players to step up. This isn’t like 2022 when Jaire Alexander was Green Bay’s only reliable corner, yet Gutekunst still moved Douglas.

The Packers started 3-5 in 2022. Last year, they were 3-6. This is the first season since 2021 where it would have made complete sense for the Packers to acquire players at the deadline, yet they refrained. Throughout his tenure as Packers GM, Gutekunst has never made a midseason acquisition, and that trend will continue for another year.

We have more reason to trust Gutekunst’s decision-making than not. Though he delivered inconsistent draft classes in 2018, 2020, and 2021, he followed up with strong classes in 2022 and 2023. He picked up Douglas from the practice squad and acquired Malik Willis for a seventh-round pick and Brandon McManus as a free agent. Both were crucial during Green Bay’s 4-0 stretch against the AFC South.

Gutekunst’s track record shows more hits than misses, and we should trust his judgment that moving Smith is the right path for the future. He is counting on Lukas Van Ness and J.J. Enagbare to fill the void left by Smith, thereby trusting in the potential future of the Green Bay Packers.