5 Packers Who Aren’t Safe After the Trade Deadline
The Green Bay Packers didn’t make a splash by acquiring a high-profile player at Tuesday’s trade deadline, but they did stir things up by sending veteran defensive end Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a seventh-round pick. On the surface, it’s an unexpected move for a team with playoff hopes. However, Green Bay’s decision was driven by financial considerations, as the trade cleared up significant cap space—$2 million for this year, $7.6 million in 2025, $18.2 million in 2026, and $1.7 million in 2027. Additionally, the Packers regained the seventh-round pick they had previously traded away for Malik Willis.
Now that the trade deadline has passed, some players on the roster might feel a sense of temporary security. But not everyone is safe, and several Packers still have to prove their worth in the second half of the season.
1. Eric Stokes
Eric Stokes’s 2024 season has been disappointing. After battling injuries in each of the past two years, he entered this season fully healthy and motivated to prove his strong rookie campaign wasn’t a fluke. However, he has yet to demonstrate the same consistency or impact he showed earlier in his career.
Originally slated as the starting cornerback opposite Jaire Alexander, Stokes quickly lost that role. Keisean Nixon has been moved outside, while rookie Javon Bullard has excelled in the slot. Now, Stokes is relegated to a backup role as younger players step up and take the snaps he once held.
The Packers’ decision to decline Stokes’s fifth-year option signals that his future in Green Bay is uncertain. He will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and unless he shows significant improvement over the next few weeks, his time with the team could be coming to an end.
With the season winding down, Stokes will have one final opportunity to make a case for himself, but it looks like an uphill battle to reclaim a starting role.
