If the Green Bay Packers want to keep quarterback Aaron Rodgers happy enough in 2021 and potentially beyond, they should consider trading for wideout James Washington.
The Green Bay Packers are entering an all-important 2021 season, as it could be the very last time the team will have Aaron Rodgers starting at quarterback. Following a tumultuous offseason, the Packers and Rodgers agreed to terms on a contract restructure that allows Rodgers to demand off the team at the end of the campaign if he so chooses.
With this, the Packers need to go all-in to help contend for a Super Bowl before Rodgers leaves. If they want to put themselves at equal level to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC, then they must give the Pittsburgh Steelers a call regarding wide receiver James Washington.
James Washington contract details
On Friday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Washington approached the Steelers and requested a trade off the team due to his lack of playing time last regular-season and this preseason. This news arrived less than 24 hours after the team’s Pro Football Hall of Fame game win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Washington is a 2018 second-round draft pick out of Oklahoma State. He is currently in the final season of his four-year, $4.5 million rookie contract, where he carries a cap hit of $1.4 million this season, according to Spotrac.
Through three years suiting up for the Steelers, Washington recorded 90 catches for 1,344 yards and nine touchdowns on 174 targets. Perhaps the biggest thing you notice when looking at his statistics is that he went from receiving 80 targets in 2019 to seeing just 56 in 2020. That drop in targets can be attributed to the rise of Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh’s 2020 second-rounder selection.
What it would take for the Packers to acquire James Washington
So, what would it take the Packers to land Washington? Well, considering Washington is an impending free agent at the end of the season and given his numbers over the first three years of his career, it would probably only take a future fifth-round draft pick to acquire him, at most.
Sure, the Packers do have a crowded wide receiver depth chart, but if they want to make Rodgers happy throughout the upcoming campaign, they need to consider bringing in Washington.