Green Bay Packers are heading into one of the more important offseasons in franchise history. This will be the first time in a long time that Green Bay tries to avoid missing the playoffs for a third straight year. They’re expected to be very active in free agency, trades and with the NFL Draft. Names are popping up about who could be traded, and the biggest name of all is Antonio Brown. The All-Pro wideout with diva tendencies is on the block, and some want the Packers to trade for him. In a weird way, receiver is the one position where the Packers are actually okay. But adding Brown would make their offense at another level and send a message to the rest of the league. The contract he currently has provides some real issues for the team he’s trying to leave from.

Brown would be wise to restructure his deal with Pittsburgh if he wants out of town. That’s the first thing he and Drew Rosenhaus should do. Because Pittsburgh is looking at 21 million in dead cap if they get rid of Brown which is an extreme amount of money. That will lead to doors being open for teams to trade for Brown honestly. Right now, it’s an en passe with Pittsburgh and their star receiver. The contract itself isn’t that daunting at four years, 68 million dollars. But this would make life easier on everyone.

Brown is worth a first-round pick, but it’s unclear if Pittsburgh can really ask for that at this point. They have no leverage in this situation at all. When a team approaches them about Brown, they might give them a first round pick out of desperation to separate themselves from the competition like Dallas did with Amari Cooper. That’s not a move the Packers should make for Brown. He would be seen as a high-quality add-on, not a must-have player. If they get outbid by San Francisco, Indianapolis or another team, that’s fine. Even if it’s Chicago (gulp.), Green Bay should put their feet in the sand with a deal for Brown.

I expect the Packers to make some deals this offseason, and for NFL teams to look to trades more than ever before. Hell, we saw one yesterday a month before the new NFL year starts with Denver trading for Joe Flacco (Yikes, John Elway). We’ll see if the Packers put themselves in the boomin’ business.

Charlie.