The trade deadline passed uneventfully for the Green Bay Packers.
While they had reported interest in acquiring a tight end or cornerback, the Packers passed on handing over more draft capital. They should also be thankful for a move they didn't make, which would've seen Luke Musgrave depart.
Appearing on the Pack-A-Day Podcast, Justis Mosqueda of Acme Packing Company revealed that the Packers almost traded Musgrave. According to Mosqueda, Tucker Kraft's injury and the Minnesota Vikings claiming Ben Sims on waivers put an end to those plans.
"We would've traded Luke Musgrave to either the Denver Broncos or the Jacksonville Jaguars for like a fifth-round pick," Mosqueda said. "For a while it looked like it was going to happen, apparently, and then, obviously, the situation changes when you're down two tights ends within a week."
Packers reportedly came close to trading Luke Musgrave before the deadline
How things can change, and so quickly. Just a few weeks ago, the Packers had a deep tight end room led by Kraft. Musgrave, Sims, and John FitzPatrick provided plenty of depth. But with Kraft on injured reserve and Sims now a division rival, there's no way they could justify trading their former second-round pick.
The opposite, in fact. According to Easton Butler of Packer Report, Green Bay made calls about acquiring a tight end at the deadline.
Thankfully, the trade deadline didn't arrive a week earlier and the Packers didn't make a deal before Kraft got hurt. They will now rely on Musgrave, whom they drafted a round earlier than Kraft in 2023, to provide some of the lost production.
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The two couldn't be more opposite in terms of playing styles. Kraft can do a bit of everything but excels at picking up yards after the catch. That's not Musgrave's game. He also won't provide the same level of blocking as Kraft. But in Musgrave, the Packers have a phenomenal athlete with game-changing speed. His role will expand, and it's over to Matt LaFleur to maximize his potential impact.
Sometimes, the best deals are the ones you don't make. That statement couldn't ring more true here. A fifth-round pick wouldn't do much for the Packers this season, but Musgrave undoubtedly could.
Green Bay thankfully didn't make this deal.