The NFL trade deadline will be here on Tuesday afternoon, and after years of being lackluster compared to other sports, the football world is slowly but surely catching up. Fresh off the heels of a 45-27 thrashing of New England, the Green Bay Packers find themselves at 6-3 on the season and trending upwards.
Green Bay's defense has taken some major blows on the injury front, including Edgerrin Cooper and Javon Hargrave, who were lost to season-ending injuries. Zaire Franklin has missed a number of games with a hairline fracture in his shin, and now Ty'Ron Hopper is dealing with a chest injury.
The Packers were forced to turn to special teams ace Nick Niemann to fill in at "linebacker". Jack Dingle is on the practice squad, but certainly won't be the best option for the Packers going forward. The Packers do also have Kristian Welch, listed at linebacker on the main roster, but the Wisconsin native has almost exclusively played special teams.
There is a different homecoming, though, that could make a lot more sense for Green Bay in the immediate future: Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun.
The Eagles have reportedly traded star defensive tackle Jordan Davis to the Jacksonville Jaguars, giving the Packers more reason to call about Baun's status.
Why the Packers should trade for Eagles linebacker Zack Baun
This is certainly wishful thinking, but if Green Bay intends to go "all in" on the 2026 season, bringing Baun back home could make a lot of sense.
Baun, a Milwaukee native, played his college ball for Wisconsin before becoming a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Baun spent his first few seasons with New Orleans before being traded to Philadelphia before the 2024 campaign.
Baun is a Super Bowl champion, has two Pro Bowl nods, and was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2024. Philadelphia re-upped Baun ahead of the 2025 season. He is currently playing on a cap hit of $1.22 million, which, with bonuses already calculated, would have the Packers on the hook for roughly $607,500 for the remainder of the season, per the Over the Cap calculator.
Baun would carry an $11.85 million cap hit for 2027, which Green Bay would certainly have to work on figuring out after the season, but it very well could be worth it. Halfway through the 2026 season, Baun has 65 tackles, two sacks, and five passes defended. He is well on pace to match or better his 2025 Pro Bowl campaign.
Those 65 tackles would rank second on the Packers' current roster, just behind Evan Williams' 76. Timing would be perfect too. If Green Bay made the trade, it would probably be a coin flip whether he would play this week, but with the bye week coming up, it would make almost too much sense.
What could a Packers-Zack Baun trade cost?
Green Bay currently has about $6.5 million in cap room. Some may want the Packers to take a bigger swing by landing someone like Jonathan Taylor from Indianapolis, a different Wisconsin alum who could bolster a struggling rushing attack.
Yet Baun would make so much sense and likely would be much closer to Green Bay's price range.
A 2027 Day 2 pick could get it done, maybe packaged with a late-rounder. The Packers are projected to have 11 picks next year, including four compensatory selections, though they won't have a first-round pick due to the Micah Parsons trade.
So, it could be a costly trade in terms of draft capital, but with Parsons nearing a return and the Packers' offensive line showing signs of life, trading for Baun could go a long way to helping the defense.
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