Ever since quarterback Jordan Love emerged as a star just over a calendar year ago, the Green Bay Packers have been knocking on the door to Super Bowl contention. In January 2024, they came within minutes of clinching a spot in the NFC Championship Game, but this season, they took a step back by losing in the wild-card round of the playoffs to the Philadelphia Eagles.
While they finished the regular season sixth in points allowed and fifth in total yards allowed, they could use a couple of reinforcements on defense. In particular, they need a big-time pass rusher in order to generate more consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Jason Reed of FanSided’s Bolt Beat suggested a trade that would land Green Bay a risky but very gifted pass rusher in Joey Bosa, a five-time Pro Bowler, from the Los Angeles Chargers in return for the No. 123 pick in this year’s NFL draft.
“The Green Bay Packers have been named a potential landing spot for Khalil Mack but with the Chargers prioritizing bringing Mack back, the team can instead send the Packers its other edge rusher to fill the void,” Reed wrote.
Bosa has long been a difference-maker on the defensive side of the football. The 29-year-old was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016 and has achieved double-digit sacks four times. In 2024, he earned his most recent Pro Bowl nod while posting 5.0 sacks, 13 quarterback hits, five tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
The concern with him is his injury history — he has appeared in at least 14 games just four times and played in a combined 14 games in 2022 and 2023. He also has just one year left on his contract with a $36.47 cap hit for 2025, and he could be expensive for the Packers to retain past next season.
But Reed still feels Bosa would still make sense for them.
“This allows the Packers to fill the void in the short term while keeping future doors open,” Reed wrote. “For a team like Green Bay, it is better to spend the cap space on a one-year flier versus committing multiple years to someone who may not be a great fit.”
Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness simply haven’t gotten the job done in terms of creating defensive pressure, and thus it may make some sense for Green Bay to take a chance on the oft-injured Bosa if the price is right.
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