The Packers reportedly were willing to pay a high price to improve their wide receiver group before the NFL trade deadline passed.
Green Bay ultimately was not able to land its target by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. And to make matters worse for Aaron Rodgers and company, the coveted player ended up with their fiercest rival.
Chase Claypool was one of the bigger names moved on deadline day, going from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Chicago Bears. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Packers were prepared to match the price their NFC North foe paid to acquire the third-year wideout.
“They were definitely in on Chase Claypool,” Rapoport said Wednesday on “Good Morning Football.” “Of course, we know he went for a second-round pick. He went for Chicago’s second-round pick, which theoretically should be earlier in the draft than the Green Bay Packers’ second-round pick. The Packers were, I’m told, willing to part with that second-round pick for Claypool, but what can you really do? The Pittsburgh Steelers chose the other one. They were in on that.”
Another pass-catcher who the Packers could have pursued was Brandin Cooks, who the Texans reportedly were open to trading. But as Rapoport explained, Cooks’ contract situation was a turn-off for potential suitors and resulted in the veteran wideout staying put in Houston.
There’s also a chance the Steelers come to regret trading Claypool to the Bears instead of the Packers. Considering both teams are 3-5 entering Week 9, it’s not out of the question that Green Bay ends the regular season with a worse record than Chicago.
