Packers: Everything Brian Gutekunst said about Jordan Love, Rasul Douglas, trade deadline

Brian Gutekunst on trading Rasul Douglas

The Packers made the surprising decision to trade cornerback Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills before the deadline. They sent Douglas and a fifth-round pick to Buffalo for a third-rounder. It's a move that signals the Packers are focused on the bigger picture rather than the current season.

However, Gutekunst kept stressing that the team's focus is on beating the Los Angeles Rams this week. A reporter followed up by asking how trading Douglas helps the Packers beat the Rams.

"You look at it all. You look at where your team is at. We have some young players at that position we really like and want to see play; we need to see play," said Gutekunst. "My job is to keep an eye on right now but also an eye on the future. Getting a pick in the top 100 was something that I didn't think we could pass up at this time."

He's right. The Packers had to open for business before the deadline. If anything, they should've explored more trade possibilities. Gutekunst has to say the focus is on beating the Rams. In reality, he is taking a long-term view and building for the future. That's smart.

What exactly are the benefits of trading Douglas?

"It's a pretty good class coming up, but it's more about, that's a four-year rookie contract. It also frees up a significant amount of resources for the cap next year as well," said Gutekunst. "It's everything that's involved in that, and then just looking at our team right now and some of the young guys that need to play, and making sure we know what we know there as well."

Again, this shows Gutekunst is focused on the future. Green Bay needs to fix its salary cap issues, and this trade helps. Adding another top-100 draft pick is another way to strengthen the roster for the long term.