Packers get unnecessarily trolled by Bills GM over Rasul Douglas trade

After losing five of their opening seven games, trading Rasul Douglas seemed like a sensible move at the time. However, the Green Bay Packers may have lived to regret it after their incredible turnaround to make a deep playoff run.

Green Bay sent Douglas and a fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for a third-rounder, which the Packers used to select linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper.

Hopper may become a starter for the Packers' defense in the future, but Douglas already was.

It didn't take long for Douglas to make an impact in Buffalo. He played in nine games, making eight pass defenses and four interceptions, including a pick-six. According to Pro Football Reference, he allowed just 51.3 percent of passes to be completed in his coverage, and quarterbacks earned an awful 38.6 passer rating throwing his way.

Do the Packers regret making the deal?

Bills general manager thinks the Packers regret trading Rasul Douglas

A better question might be, would the Packers have made that deal if they were 5-2, not 2-5? Bills general manager Brandon Beane doesn't believe so.

"If they knew they were going to make that run, I don't know if they would've done it," Beane told Tyler Dunne of Go Long.

"Even the short time we had him, I think he quickly showed he could turn the ball over and he's just got really an instinctual feel. You can't teach things he's got," said Beane.

Look, we get it, but he's probably right.

Coincidentally, the Packers turned their season around immediately after the trade-deadline move, going 7-3 down the stretch. When they made the Douglas deal, their season was accelerating toward failure, and Brian Gutekunst's decision to trade a key starter showed he believed it, too. If Gutekunst knew they would be in the Super Bowl mix, there's no way he would've traded Douglas.

Now, the trade feels different. The Packers are contenders this season. Are they better off with Hopper over Douglas? It's hard to make a convincing case that they are a better football team without Douglas' brilliance in the secondary.

While they are confident in the trio of Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, and Carrington Valentine, they lack depth beyond that. Douglas was a game-changer and could've thrived in Jeff Hafley's scheme.

If Gutekunst could reverse the trade to get Douglas back, would he do it? Many Packers fans certainly would.

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