Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said trading cornerback Rasul Douglas before Tuesday’s deadline wasn’t something the team sought after but the deal from the Buffalo Bills — swapping a fifth-round pick for a third-round pick — was too good for the Packers, who are 2-5 entering Week 9.
“It was a tough one because of what (Douglas) means to our team. We weren’t looking to move anybody,” Gutekunst said Wednesday. “We got a call out of the blue a few days ago. We weren’t really interested in doing it, but at the end of the day the offer was too good to pass up.”
Moving Douglas, a starter at a premium position and one of the best players on the Packers defense, will give Gutekunst five picks in the top 100 picks of next year’s draft, including two picks in both the second and third rounds. The Douglas deal swapped what is likely to be a high fifth-round pick for late third-round pick.
“We thought it was in the best interest of the Packers,” Gutekunst said. “Obviously, in the short term, you lose a good player, that’s tough. But at the same time, looking long term, it’s going to be in our best interest. Any time you get a third-round pick that’s going to be in the top 100, probably going to be in the top 50 players on your board, that’s too good to pass up…we’re excited about the opportunities it presents for other guys.”
Gutekunst said the Packers have young players at the cornerback position who “need to play” and who the team needs to evaluate over the final 10 games of the season. He specifically mentioned Eric Stokes, a 2021 first-round pick who is on injured reserve, and rookie Carrington Valentine, a 2023 seventh-rounder. Stokes will miss at least another three games. Valentine could be a starter come Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.
Gutekunst said there is an expectation that other players will step into leadership roles in the absence of Douglas, one of the top veterans on the defense.
In terms of dealing other veterans, Gutekunst said the Packers weren’t looking to trade anyone else and was actually trying to add before the deadline.
“There are some offers you can’t refuse, this is one of those,” Gutekunst said.