It’s time for the Green Bay Packers to try to swing a big trade for T.J. Watt

It’s time for the Green Bay Packers to try to swing a big trade for T.J. Watt

It’s time for the Green Bay Packers to go allin on a major trade for a pass rusher. Go get it done. You are Locked on Packers, your daily Green Bay Packers podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. You were locked on Packers, part of the Locked on Podcast Network. Your team every day. I’m Peter Bowski and I cover the Packers for the Leap, a newsletter I would love for you to subscribe to. Follow me on Twitter, Peter_Bukowski. Follow the podcast on Twitter, Locked On Packers. Like us on Facebook, subscribe to the podcast, iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast, wherever you find podcasts, you will find Locked on Packers, the number one Packers podcast on the internet and the show for fans who know what happened. They want to know why and how. Thanks to everyone who makes Locked on Packers, their first listen every day. We hope you like starting your day with us as much as we like starting our day with you. Today’s episode brought to you by our friends at FanDuel. Right now, new customers can get $150 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. It’s time for the Green Bay Packers to go make a move. TJ Watt is at an impass with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who just made a big move that I don’t understand at all. moving Minka Fitzpatrick for Jaylen Ramsay, Janu Smith. I I I don’t understand that trade. I’ll be honest. But TJ Watt is not happy about his contract. According to Adam Shfter, the Steelers would like to resign TJ Watt, but of course they would. The Bengals would like to resign Trey Hendrickson. Of course they would. But if they were close to doing that, number one, we’d hear about it. And number two, the players wouldn’t be so pissed about it. So now, right now, everyone feels good about their roster. That’s the beauty of this time of year. Oh, everyone just, hey, we we got a chance to win it. The Steelers, you just get Aaron Rogers. You bring in a corner that you’re really excited about, so excited, you give up an allp pro safety for reasons that I don’t I again, I don’t understand it. You feel like you can win the title right now. That has to be the way that you feel. Even though they’re like the NBA team where they missed their title window, they’re the last one to realize they missed their title window and the owner is going, “Just get me to 45 wins and I’ll be happy. I just want that playoff revenue money and we’ll be good.” By the way, that has been happening in the NBA from time of memorial. And unfortunately, for a long time, it was the Milwaukee Bucks. If you’re the Packers, can you play into a little bit of Steelers hubris here and say, “Look, you guys defensively, you just you make everything work. You just got Jaylen Ramsey, who you guys love. You’ve got Heismith there. You’ve got Hayward there. I know he’s at the end of his career, but why don’t you moved on from George Pickkins, you don’t really have a good secondary passcatching option there. Why don’t we throw you one of these receivers? We’ll throw you a day two pick even. The sweeten the pot in there. A day two pick and you can you can make your run this year with Aaron Rogers. Get a receiver that’s ready to go. You’re worried about paying TJ Watt. I get it. 31 years old. Hey, listen Pittsburgh. We understand. That’s why we don’t normally pay those guys. But we’ll take him. We’ll bring him back to Wisconsin and he will be a conquering hero here. and we’ll see you in the Super Bowl. By the way, I did think it was funny. The Pittsburgh Steelers account posted uh a video highlight package of Aaron Rogers and conspicuously left out the uh the Super Bowl highlights against you guys know you get it. Could is that enticing enough? I don’t know why the Pittsburgh Steelers would would trade TJ Watt, but I also don’t know why they would trade Ma Fitzpatrick. They certainly did not get enough for me to go, “Oh, yeah, that makes a lot of sense why they did that. I I still don’t understand it. So, if they’re going to make some of these weird weird trades, then why don’t why don’t you be the team that benefits from the weird trade? You go be the team that makes that splash move. Because I’ve been making the case all off season. The NFC is wide open. Philadelphia has come back to the pack. Detroit with the coaching stuff, they’re I think they’re coming back to the pack. I think Minnesota, they’re going to be one of those teams that falls out of the playoff race because I just don’t think from a a talent standpoint and from a quarterback standpoint, I have a lot of faith in them right now. I don’t know. I don’t have a belief in anybody in the NFC West. I think the Packers are better than all of those teams right now today. If you get TJ Watt, are you the favorite? Are you the favorite in the NFC? If you get TJ Watt, are you the favorite in the NFC? If the answer is yes or if you’re in that front office and the answer is yes, then you have to do it. You have to do it or you have to at least explore it. Maybe Pittsburgh says no, no, this is our guy. We’re not moving off this. We’re not we’re not going to entertain anything. It seems like if that’s where they were, if that was the position that they were holding, then they would have just paid him already. And we don’t even have to go down the rabbit hole of like the yes, the Packers could have had TJ Wad. I don’t know if you guys knew that. It’s not that’s not relevant. But guess what? If Brian Gutin wants to undo all of the ill will, create some goodwill. I mean, I it’s hard to think of a trade sort of like they traded for Justin Jefferson, but like a a feasible trade that would engender more goodwill than trading for TJ Watt. Like, let’s just pause for a moment and entertain this. Of the pass rushers in the NFL, Miles Garrett’s not getting traded. And I I don’t think that the amount that it would take to get him would make any sense. Who are the Who are the other best pass rushers in the NFL? There’s a tier there. Hendrickson, it’s Nick Bosa. It’s TJ Watt. By the way, Trey Hendrickson also not happy. We know that TJ Watt of of that next group with Denil Hunter and and some of the best passers, Will Anderson, who you’re not trading on a rookie contract if you’re Houston. But I think I think if the Packers traded for TJ Watt, it would get a higher approval rating among Packer fans than Will Anderson, then Denil Hunter, than Nick Bosa, than Trey Hendrickson. It might be a higher approval rating move than Miles Garrett just because of what you’re going to have to give up. Like if you if you told me you could get TJ Watt for just a first round pick, by the way, I would do that. I don’t think that’s the market. But I would do it. But the but the cost for Miles Garrett is two firsts and a second and something like that was the Khil Mack price. I would rather have TJ Watt with just the pick. So when you put all these pieces together, you go, “Okay, this is a no-brainer. Why are why are the Packers not doing this?” Well, number one, the Packers just generally don’t do this. But I don’t know if this front office has that sort of mindset. They just don’t. I have also been someone who have who has defended this front office. I know that there is this accusation that is made. Oh, they don’t want to win. They don’t want to go all in. They don’t want to they they want to make sure that they’re they’re planning for the now and the later and that undercuts their ability to plan for the now. I don’t buy that. They just don’t make these kinds of moves. If if the cost is, let’s say, a first round pick, if you could do it for a day two pick, if you could do it for a third in Romeo Dos, even a third in Dontaven Wixs, would you do that trade? Would you do a third and Dantavian Wix for for TJ Watt right now, plus a a top market extension? And let’s maybe assume he’ll take a little bit less to number one, spite the Pittsburgh Steelers, and number two, come home. Would you do that? Like we talked about this with DK Mechaf. I think TJ Watt is just objectively a more impactful player and exa exactly the kind of player that I think could come into Green Bay and just wreak havoc. The greatest fumble creator of all time. He’s just a big play waiting to happen. And I understand down to down the consistency isn’t quite there anymore. But when you have Rashawn Gary on the other end, who by the way bears a lot of um resemblance in terms of the way that he wins. Dallas Highmith in Pittsburgh, those big interior pass rushers and he’s that speed off the edge. He’s exactly the kind of pass rusher they don’t really have. Everyone’s big, strong, fast. He’s he’s big, strong, fast, but not in that, you know, he’s not 6’5 to 70 like Lucas Vaness and Rashawn Garry. He’s 6’5, 6’4 and change with long arms, but a skinnier guy, a leaner cut guy, and wins with speed, wins with polish, wins with counters. He’s not just going to try and run through your face every time. This is the time of year when everyone can talk themselves into winning. And that would be one reason why if you’re the the Steelers, you’d go, “We’re not going to do this.” But it would also be a reason to go, “Hey, we got Aaron Rogers.” Like, we can we can make this move, win now, and try and set ourselves up for the future with a receiver maybe down the road, another pick to help us go get a quarterback if we need one. There’s some opportunities here. There’s some opportunities here. All right. Uh, I want to talk about this offense for a second and and the continued disrespect because I’ve I’ve had enough. I really have. Summer sports are in full swing. And whether you’re all about the baseball or the lights, see what? Full swing. See what I did there? Golf on the green or high stakes soccer action, FanDuel is the best way to make every game even more exciting. You’re already following the action, so why not make it a little more thrilling? With FanDuel, you can get in the game while your friends are getting sunburned on the beach. You have to give yourself a chance to enjoy these games sometimes because it can be a slog. Baseball especially, look, I love baseball, but it can be homework sometimes. 162 games plus playoffs is a lot. So, you get into those dog days, July, August, the non Miserowski days for the Brewers, if you’re a Brewers fan, uh you might need a little a little incentive. FanDuel’s got it for you. Plus, new customers can bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Open the FanDuel app or visit FanDuel.com to get started. I don’t understand it. I don’t understand what else needs to what else needs to happen because another list comes out and I want to talk about the list. Matt Laflur not a top 10 coach. Bummer. Another talking head goes on national TV and says some chucklehead thing like Caleb Williams is already better than Jordan Love because interceptions. Okay, cool. Nice. We’re still doing interceptions in the in the year of our dear Lord at 2025. Forget the sacks, forget the fumbles, forget the value added, forget the positive play generation. Just like 11 plays over the course of the season. That’s the good sample. Sure. and bears homeorrific wish casting aside, there still is this perception and I believe it’s a fantasy football problem that this offense is not reliable and it’s not very good. So somehow a coach that’s not in the top 10 has elevated a quarterback who’s also not in the top 10. In fact, a a rookie who was one of the least efficient and least effective, least productive quarterbacks in the league last year was already better than than that than the Packers quarterback. And a group of receivers that now is I think underrated where it’s like, well, it’s a bunch of fours and fives. No, it’s No, it’s not. But that’s the offense. That’s the offense that is top five in DVOA. That’s top 10, top eight in EPA per play, in success rate, in explosive plays. What What more do you need to see? What is what is missing here? What is the problem? And my answer is fantasy football is a big reason because other than Josh Jacobs, you’re not drafting anybody on this team. Not not high anyway. And Matt Lafleur has been criminally criminally underrated his entire career. Look at what has happened to Aaron Rogers since he left Green Bay. Look at what look at what happened to Aaron Rogers in 2022 when he didn’t want to do the thing that any other quarterback would do, and that is just throw to the guys. Just throw to the receivers. Don’t be be too worried about getting into the perfect play. Don’t be too worried about getting into every every hand single, changing every play at the line of scrimmage. Just run the damn offense. No, I’m too good for that. And then in 2023 hurt 2024 terrible Jets move on toxic 2025 now the Steelers for nothing. Do you remember what Aaron Rogers looked like before that? What he looked like in 2017 hurt 2018 terrible 2019 like kind of meh. And then the most Matt Laflorian version of this offense in 2020 really that we’ve seen since the last two years. And then they evolve it again in 2021. And then they rejigger it on the fly. And in the second half of the season when Rogers actually starts throwing to Christian Watson and not pouting about Christian Watson, the offense starts to get in gear a little bit. Wow. Amazing. If you just throw to the just trust the receiver, just go do the thing. Just go play football. It works. And then on the fly, this roster, youngest playoff team ever, youngest team to win a playoff game ever on the road, that doesn’t that doesn’t get Matt Laflur any credit. By the way, Brian Utakin did a hell of a job revamping this roster. Doesn’t get any credit for that because they don’t have anyone you would draft in the first three rounds of your fantasy football draft other than Josh Jacobs. And if it’s just the running back, no one’s going to care. But the Buccaneers because they have Mike Edwins and Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The Dolphins because they have Tyreek Hill and Jill Waddle. Even though those teams not as good as Green Bay, they’ve got they’ve got players, you know, they’ve got players you’ve heard of. They’ve got guys on your fantasy team. Guys that have been on your fantasy team for 10 years, guys that have fantasy football mainstays. This is the fantasy football brain rot that exists among NFL media and among some NFL fans. Do they have anyone that I would draft early on my fantasy team? I mean, there’s one of one of the biggest names in podcasting talks about it constantly in his NFL analysis, and it’s someone I like, someone I like to listen to, but they are perpetuating this idea, the primacy of fantasy as a useful indicator for player quality, and it’s just Not I mean, how many times have we seen quarterbacks especially put up numbers like the Blake Bortles where you’re just like back door covering in the fourth quarter throwing three touchdowns after you’re, you know, nine of 25. Now, there were some accusations that Jordan Love did that and there were some games where he did pick up some stats later in the game, but also like the Lions, he brought them all the way back. The Vikings, he brought them almost all the way back. They were one stop away from getting the ball with a chance to score and win. So it was that was not just frivolous. That was real. Like they had a chance to actually go win that game. Jordan Love is not some but that was remember we did if you listen to the Peacock Williamson episode from a couple uh days ago weeks ago. No, last week. I don’t know what day it is. That that conversation started with fantasy. And I don’t think Brian Peacock and Matt Williamson are fantasyrained, but that is that is almost the the lens that we default to at times. Oh, well, he’s like the 14th quarterback in in fantasy football. Even that felt disrespectful because it’s like, no, this guy’s really good, and if he’s healthy, he’s going to put up huge numbers. And by the way, in 2023, he put up huge numbers and it still didn’t matter. Going into 2024, no one believed it was real, and he was like way too low on all of the fantasy charts. And it’s like what are we doing? Like even that is part of this because and and I don’t know I can’t I can’t account for the fantasy brain bit but he was super productive in 2023. Like was second or third in the league in touchdown passes. That’s really good. I don’t know if you know that in fantasy like you need the touchdowns. I know he doesn’t run a ton but he ran more that first year as a starter. So like what do we I don’t I don’t understand it. It can’t be that all the disperate parts stink or are average and the whole is great. Like there is the saying that a team can be or a thing can be in any walk of life better than the sum of its parts. But I would like for you to show me the team in recent NFL history who qualifies for that without either a truly elite head coach elevating those players, truly elite players carrying a coach or just like the most loaded roster like the Eagles. Okay, the Eagles are maybe a bad example because they do have such high-end talent, but like I don’t think Nicksi is a great coach and I don’t think Jaylen Herz is a great quarterback. But that talent on that roster as a whole, top to bottom, is so good that it doesn’t matter. Like I told you after the Super Bowl that I thought there were probably 10 or 15 quarterbacks, maybe more, that could have won a Super Bowl with that team. And there are probably 15 coaches that could have won a Super Bowl with that team. Is that where the Packers are? Because no one seems to think that. No one thinks the Packers are just so loaded that they’re that Jordan Love is getting backpacked, that Matt Laflur is getting backpacked, that Brian Gutin is a savant because that’s not the case either. So, how are they doing this? Someone is lying. Someone is wrong. And the reality is that if you produce at a high level for a long enough period of time, the questions just go away. And I’ll give you a good example in my own life. I dismissed and no look 2023 was historically great. I don’t think Brock Purdue is a historically great quarterback. But the fact that he was asked to do more straight drop back without Brandon Aayuk with Debo Samuel clearly on the decline with no Christian McAffrey with some issues along the offensive line. Yes, I know he has Kyle Shanahan, but he was still highly highly productive. That told me something about Brock Party that I just underestimated how good he was. Now, yes, Kyle Shanahan did a lot of that same stuff with Jimmy Garopppolo, but he had dbo Samuel in his prime. He had George KD at his apex prime. He had a stable of running backs. They were able to run the ball at will. And that was back when the the Shanahan outside zone thing was a little bit more novel. The whole league wasn’t running it. The whole league hadn’t seen how you defend it. And it was a little bit different than it is now. And I think Jimmy hit a physical cliff. The injuries took a toll. He just wasn’t able to do it the same way unless it was against the Packers in the fourth quarter of a playoff game and he’s just going to drive the ball down your field to break your heart against Joe Barry. Gez, it can’t be that none of the players, none of the coaches are that good. It can’t be. The team has been too good. The offense has been too productive. If I understand in big spots last year, they didn’t play great. They played pretty well against Dallas in 2023. They played pretty pretty great against the Lions in Detroit. Pretty great against the freaking Super Bowl champions in 2023 against the Chiefs. This is not a we don’t show up for big games problem. Last year was a little bit fluky, a little bit weird. We’ve seen them win big games. We’ve seen the offense single-handedly win big games, and we’ll see him do it again. Now, as we roll through our Leap roster series, I want to look at some players on the fringes who you need to keep an eye on. Guys who could surprise. We’ll do that next on Locked on Packers. The leap just posted their latest in our uh our roster series. Uh the players expected to be most impactful for the Green Bay Packers this season. Um, I I happen to write today’s installment. That’s not necessarily why we’re talking about it, but it it did put me in the right headsp space to do that. And I thought this was a good part of the list to get into a little bit precisely because, you know, Jason did our our roster players 9 through 82. Um, and and those guys I just think are are frankly too far down the list for anyone to really care about. Not that they can’t surprise and make the team. Not that they can’t surprise us and and get on the practice squad, but I just it seems pretty unlikely. And so this was when I was doing this exercise. Remember we were talking about, you know, how I went through this and and was looking at the different places. This was where the players on this group, I started to go, hey, if things broke right, this these guys could make the roster. Omar Johnson, the running back from South Dakota State, was was one of those names. He’s 80 on our list. And I don’t feel like I’m that that’s above the fold. That’s above the pay wall. So I’m not feeling like I’m spoiling too much here. But go back to last year. Marshall Noi gets hurt. They have Chris Brooks. They elevate Chris Brooks. And Chris Brooks becomes a vital part of the team for long stretches of the season. So what if they have another injury? They’re they’re going to have a running back on the practice squad probably. This is a guy with good athleticism. 88th percentile athlete for the running back position was productive. You need to have production if you’re going to be a, you know, a um a nonp power five player. There’s always a running back that, you know, you like to get a little excited about. He’s one of those guys. Sam Brown Jr., another guy. I think there’s a chance this is the receiver that fans see on family night, they see in the exhibition games, they see the clips on on Twitter, X, whatever, Blue Sky, athletic tools off the charts at his size, 6’2, 200 lb, a a 90 near 99th percentile athlete at the receiver position. and when he was at Houston, he was there with Matthew Golden and he got more targets than Matthew Golden in the season that they shared together. So, the talent is there. The polish isn’t and he’s never been super productive, but it’s just a name I wanted to flag because those tools are are something to to really look at. Now, one name that you’re you’re probably not going to hear on any other podcast, Cameron Young. Cameron Young was someone when I when I was going through this list, I went, “Hm, this is interesting. This is a player that I’m excited to to get an opportunity to see.” He was a fourth round pick out of Mississippi State for the Seattle Seahawks two years ago. and as a rookie played 16 games for P. Carroll. As a rookie played 16 games, was not crazy productive, but was was there. Played over 200 defensive snaps in 16 games. That’s a a real snapshare. That’s a real rotational defensive lineman. Then got hurt. New new coach comes in, new defense comes in, and they end up moving on from from Cameron Young. He’s not an overwhelming athlete, but he’s got long arms. He was going to play nose tackle for Mike McDonald when he came in and then he got hurt uh knee injury. Spent the season on the physically unable to perform perform list. Should have just said pup if I was going to butcher the name and now gets an opportunity where the Packers don’t have like yes, they drafted Warren Brinson. They brought in Nir Stackhouse in undrafted free agency both from Georgia. Those guys don’t have NFL reps. We don’t know if those guys are ready. And if you want to make the joke about NFL players in the SEC and all that, like I’m I’m here. I’m here for those jokes for sure. But we’re talking about a guy who was drafted ahead of both of those players in his draft and has played NFL snaps. If you’re the Packers, you you you may want to just see what those guys have first, but I would expect someone like Young to come in right away and be ahead of those guys. Like, his draft pedigree says he’s more talented than those players. The fact that he’s played real NFL games, went through two offseason programs, was on a team for two years, that should give and played real snaps. That should give him a leg up. Especially when it’s are you big enough and strong enough in the NFL. When you’re going to play like the grownest of grown man positions. If you’re going to play nose tackle in the NFL, you need that grown man strength. And this guy 34 and a half inch arms. He’s big and powerful at the point, can control blocks, is not going to give you a ton of pass rush. But they need a TJ Sllayton replacement. And so if you’re gonna get a guy to do that on the back ends of this roster that’s not someone you’re you’re thinking about, that’s not Warren Brson, that’s not as your stack house, they have the ability to do that, too. And they’re going to give every opportunity to do that. The Packers are are known for letting everyone compete. But I do think they give some preferences to draft picks. I think every team does that. I think one of the reasons is because coaches get involved and they like the players. and they go, “Hey, let’s see what this guy’s got. Let’s see. Let’s give them an opportunity. So, let’s see what this guy’s got. He’ll get an opportunity. We’ll see what he’s able to do with it.” All right. We are going to be back on Friday. I understand holiday weekend, but we’re going to get you a show. Um, and uh I hope you get a chance to listen to it at some point before next week. And then once we get back to next week, next week regular schedule, I I don’t know. I don’t think we’re going to do any any exceptions. Like I think we’re just going to be full on from here on out. From here until I don’t know, next June will be basically five days a week. So enjoy the time off. Enjoy the holiday. And we’ll see you next week in full, but I’ve got a Friday coming um episode for you. Follow me on all the social medias. Peter_Bukowski onx and on Instagram the podcast wherever you get uh any sort of social media also wherever you get podcasts you will find Locked on Packers and of course we’re on our YouTube page always always so you can stay locked on Packers.

T.J Watt isn’t happy with his contract in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are all in and have a difficult cap situation. The Packers can fix this for both sides and it’s time for Green Bay to take a big swing. Plus, why is there STILL so much disrespect for the offense? (Hint: Fantasy brain is real).

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Peter Bukowski, co-founder of The Leap, brings you a daily look at the Green Bay Packers year round with Locked On Packers! Go beyond the latest injury news into what you’re seeing on the field, how it works, and how it might change with new players or against a division rival. It’s the podcast for fans who know what happened, they want to know why and how!

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