The Green Bay Packers were a team widely though to be in the market for some new additions to their flagging football team ahead of the NFL's trade deadline, but the 4pm ET cut-off passed without a deal being done.
Packers (3-5) fans watched on as their division rivals strengthened, the NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings (6-1) bringing in tight end T.J. Hockenson from the Detroit Lions, and the Chicago Bears (3-5) adding star receiver Chase Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It is on offense too that the Packers are most in need of help, the team themselves linked with Claypool, as well as Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans, in the hopes of solving the league's 26th ranked scoring offense (18.1 points per game) and 22nd in passing (217.4 passing yards per game).
Wide receiver is a position the Packers are badly lacking depth at following on from the trade of their No 1 wideout Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason. A four-game losing streak leading into Tuesday's trade deadline strengthen the belief that Green Bay would be forced to make a move with their playoff hopes fading.
- Steelers trade star receiver Claypool to Bears
- Dolphins trade for Chubb and Wilson
- Listen to the Inside The Huddle Podcast
"If you're a Packers fan, you've got to really be frustrated right now," Sky Sports' Jeff Reinebold said on the latest Inside The Huddle podcast. "Certainly Aaron Rodgers.
"I hope somebody took away the remote control of his television and put it in a drawer.
"The Minnesota Vikings, who are hot, go out and get Hockenson, because Irv Smith is on injured reserve for six to eight weeks. They give up a second-round draft choice to get a really good tight end out of Detroit.
"You just wonder with the Packers, how serious are you about winning?"
Claypool deal a 'fresh start' for Steelers
Commenting further on the Claypool deal, Reinebold believes it benefits both parties, with the Bears securing their second-year quarterback Justin Fields a much-needed weapon on offense and the Steelers getting a player off their books who had become "kind of a distraction".
The 24-year-old Claypool has topped 850 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons in the NFL, while his rookie year in 2020 saw him also tally 10 receiving touchdowns.
"Claypool; here's a guy that in his rookie season goes off, he looks as if he's going to be the future as wide receiver number one in Pittsburgh," Reinebold said.
"For the Bears, it's a great trade because they're desperate for talent on offense. And it's a fresh start and for the Steelers, they get rid of a guy that had become really kind of a distraction with some immature behaviour.
"I don't think he's a bad kid, he just needs to grow up a little bit. Hopefully he'll help Justin Fields and the Bears."
'Dolphins show they're committed to winning'
As well as the Claypool and Hockenson deals, on a hugely busy trade deadline day, the Denver Broncos traded pass rusher Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins (5-3), with running back Chase Edmonds heading the other way as part of the deal. The Dolphins also added San Francisco 49ers RB Jeff Wilson Jr to their backfield.
Another pair of running backs also swapped homes, with the Indianapolis Colts moving Nyheim Hines to Bills and Zack Moss sent the other way in the deal, while the Jacksonville Jaguars traded for suspended Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley.
With the last two Super Bowl winners, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020) and Los Angeles Rams (2021), achieving success in large part due to loading up on superstar talents such as Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford via free agency or trade, Reinebold believes teams are trying to be similarly aggressive.
"It goes back to, sadly, a guy we've lost; Ted Thompson, who was the general manager for a lot of years in Green Bay, was a 'draft and develop' guy. But I'm not sure if that philosophy works in this day and age," Reinebold said.
"We talk about the Les Snead [Rams general manager] effect in the NFL, creating a team of superstars and continuously depending on trades, free agency and that mode, as opposed to the draft - bringing in to your football team what are proven players.
"And we say it all the time; it's a copycat league. What's hot is what's hot. At the moment, that approach seems to be the way to do it in the NFL.
"Look at the Kansas City Chiefs. They shed players in the offseason, they lost Tyreek Hill and what did they do? The got JuJu Smith-Schuster, and now they've brought in Kadarius Toney [from the New York Giants].
"They keep their core, but they're constantly trying to upgrade via the draft or free agency. That's what good football teams have to do.
"And if you're a Dolphins fan, these are heady times. They have shown they are committed to winning."
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