With the NFL Trade Deadline drawing closer by the day, could the Green Bay Packers be buyers, especially for a wide receiver to boost their passing offense?
New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate would make a lot of sense for Green Bay and quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Packers wide receivers have been hampered with injuries this season, as Davante Adams (toe), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (ankle), and Geronimo Allison (concussion) have all missed practices and time.
Green Bay would benefit greatly from having a veteran receiver like Tate on the field.
Tate is coming off of a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, but that means he still has fresh legs and is relatively injury-free coming into the midway point of the season.
Since coming back in Week 5, Tate has 15 receptions for 195 and a touchdown.
But it's Tate's performance with good quarterbacks under center where he excels. For Seattle in 2014, he caught 99 passes for 1,331 yards and four touchdowns. In Detroit from 2016-2017, he caught 183 balls for 2,080 yards.
With Rodgers under center, the chemistry that could develop between him and Tate would be a dangerous combination. With a healthy Adams, Tate would be the teams number two wide receiver, or could move to the slot which is his bread and butter while Valdes-Scantling or Allison could stay on the outside.
The Packers currently rank eighth in the NFL in passing yards per game with 274.1, but Tate would continue to strengthen those numbers.
Standing at 6-foot-1, it's not necessary for the Packers to take a risk on a playmaker like Tate — who just signed a four-year, $37.5 million contract — but seeing other teams like the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers make moves to bolster its rosters could force the teams hand come October 29.
The team faces a tough schedule on the horizon with matchups against the Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions. Having a consistent wide receiver like Tate would be a big boost for the offense with many question marks surrounding health.
But Tate's asking price from the Giants could be big, but the team could also want to part ways from the receiver and save some money for the continued rebuild the team faces.
Quality receivers are hard to come by in the NFL, so the Packers will have to make a decision if they are willing to take the cap hit for a 31-year-old wide receiver in order to make a more serious Super Bowl run.
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