It’s no secret that the Green Bay Packers have a long history does not signing or trading for big name players. Of course, there are exceptions to that rule, but those exceptions are pretty extreme. And of course the Brett Favre trade happened before anyone knew he was going to be a Hall of Famer.
Now in 2023, the Packers didn’t spend very much in free agency. Jonathan Owens, Tarvarius Moore and Matt Orzech were the three biggest names they signed. Additionally, the Packers didn’t make any trades to bring in new players (the Aaron Rodgers trade gave them draft capital).
As it turns out, convincing players to accept a trade to Green Bay can be difficult anyway.
Green Bay Packers named 2nd worst trade destination in NFL
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According to Maurice Morton by Bleacher Report, Green Bay is the second least desirable trade destination for players for two reasons. The first is the uncertainty of the team’s direction under new quarterback Jordan Love. Not only are there questions about whether or not he will produce, many wonder if head coach Matt LaFleur’s success in his first three seasons was due to Rodgers.
The second reason is the weather, which many players have given in the past as a reason not to sign with the Packers. A recent example is Emmanuel Sanders, a wide receiver who turned down Green Bay in free agency because of the cold winters.
In his article, Morton wrote:
“The Green Bay Packers’ allure left Aaron Rodgers when the team traded him to the New York Jets in April.
“For three decades, the Packers have had a star quarterback under center. Hall of Famer Brett Favre and Rodgers created buzz around the organization, kept the team in the playoffs and helped deliver two Lombardi trophies to Titletown.
“Now Green Bay is moving forward with Jordan Love, who is a relatively unknown commodity with a first-round pedigree. In three seasons, he has thrown for 606 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions on a 60.2 percent completion rate — more action than Rodgers saw in his first three NFL campaigns.
“Still, players with enough leverage to control their options in trade negotiations will likely be hesitant to commit their short-term futures to a team coming off its first sub-.500 campaign since 2018 and an offense with an unproven starting signal caller.
“Also, let’s address the obvious factor with the Packers. Green Bay is not a desirable destination with its poor late-season cold weather conditions.
“The Packers rank one spot higher than the Patriots because Belichick has gone to the playoffs after losing his star quarterback. Head coach Matt LaFleur has to earn the benefit of the doubt in the post-Rodgers era.”
It’s interesting that the Packers were included on this list, for a couple of reasons. One has to assume that they were there to once again highlight the questions that the national media have about the team. It’s natural that some players might have similar questions, but the idea that Green Bay isn’t ideal leaves out a lot of consideration.
The Green Bay Packers rarely trade for players or are big players in the Free Agent Market
If you had to ask what the best free agent signings in Packers history are, the easy top three are Reggie White, Charles Woodson and Julius Peppers. Sure, there are dozens of smaller deals that were made, but the thing is, the Packers don’t pursue free agents as much as other teams.
Instead, the Packers have always focused on re-signing their own players. This has worked well throughout their history. While they’ve lost Rodgers and Adams in recent seasons, they also saw star running back Aaron Jones take a pay cut to stay.
Over the past few decades, numerous players have been drafted by the Packers and made Wisconsin their permanent home. LeRoy Butler, for example, moved to Wisconsin and stayed after spending his entire life in Florida before being drafted.
A current Packers player, AJ Dillon, has made Door County his home and has said numerous times that he will always be at home wherever football takes him.
The point here is that weather is a personal preference. Some people like it, some people hate it. It should not be something that is generally considered negative.
However, the question of the future has some validity. Even some fans have questions and low expectations for the season.
But the players have not changed their expectations. They expect to win. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?
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