Analyst Suggests Preston Smith as Packers Trade Candidate

The Green Bay Packers opened up a lot of cap space with De’Vondre Campbell’s Post-June 1st release hitting the books. They can use some of that space to address some depth issues they have on the roster and work toward an extension for quarterback Jordan Love. If more cap space is needed, Preston Smith could be on the move.

As we get closer to training camp, the team will also have some difficult decisions to make when it comes to paring down the roster. It is the least enjoyable part of being a coach and front office member, giving someone their walking papers.

If the Green Bay Packers want to cut down the roster while retaining some assets, they could look to swing some trades. One player who the Packers could consider trading, in the opinion of Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report, is pass rusher Preston Smith.

“There are multiple contenders who would be more than a little interested in adding some pop to the pass rush. And dealing Smith would both add draft capital and clear a path for Van Ness to assume the role he was drafted for—Smith’s replacement,” Davenport wrote.

That won’t be a popular suggestion by Davenport among the fan base. But, the suggestion is a logical one for a few reasons. One of them being, as he noted, the extra playing time that would open up for Lukas Van Ness.

The team’s first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Iowa, Van Ness started coming on in the second half of the season. Trading away established pass rushers normally isn’t a good idea, but when you have players waiting in the wings for expanded roles, it is a defensible thing to do.

Another reason the Packers could be open to moving Preston Smith is how much money they would save. He has been productive in his career, but is on the wrong side of 30, turning 32 in November.

With a cap hit of more than $14 million in 2025 and $17.5 million in 2026, it wouldn’t hurt to test the market and see if the Packers could sell semi-high on him. He has recorded 8+ sacks in six out of his nine seasons in the NFL and could fetch a decent return draft capital-wise.

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