The Green Bay Packers may need to make a consolidation trade in the wide receiver room and turn a pair of No. 2 options into a true No. 1, but the majority of roster work required resides on the defensive side of the football.
Green Bay’s secondary is a legitimate concern, with Eric Stokes almost certainly on his way out and Jaire Alexander a serious cut/trade candidate given his $84 million contract and the fact that he’s missed 10 games in each of the past two seasons. But the pass rush is a legitimate problem, too.
Lukas Van Ness hasn’t panned out after the Packers spent a first-round pick (No. 13 overall) on him in the 2023 draft. Rashan Gary led the team with 7.5 sacks last season and no one else on the roster mustered more than 5 total.
A clear inability to create enough chaos for opposing quarterbacks in 2024 has led to real speculation about Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby as a trade target in Green Bay. On Thursday, Feb. 13, BETUS Sportsbook & Casino published odds indicating the Packers have a jaw-dropping 40% chance of acquiring Crosby this offseason.
That’s…. a very interesting line… @BetUS_Official
+150 would indicate a 40% implied probability…
Hmmm🤔 pic.twitter.com/3yINPr5owH
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) February 13, 2025
“That’s … a very interesting line @BetUS_Official,” Andy Herman of Pack-A-Day Podcast wrote. “[Plus-150] would indicate a 40% implied probability … hmmm 🤔.”
Herman’s skepticism about just how good Green Bay’s odds are in the sportsbook’s estimation is plenty valid, but there are signs that point to a potential trade making sense.
The Raiders are in rebuild mode and have made changes at every level of management within the last several months. They are also likely to look for a new quarterback in the draft, but may not be able to land their preferred option with the No. 6 overall pick.
Crosby will be a free agent in a couple of years and has been vocal about his desire to win. The Packers have been in the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and may be just a couple of moves away from true Super Bowl contention. What’s more, Rich Bisaccia — Crosby’s old head coach, who led the Raiders to their only playoff berth in the last eight years (2021) — runs the special teams in Green Bay.
Crosby is a four-time Pro Bowler with 105 tackles for loss and 59.5 sacks and would no doubt cost the Packers a first-round pick, and then some. But Green Bay is on the cusp and if ever there was a time to swing for the fences via a blockbuster trade, it is now.