GREEN BAY, Wis. – If this were Jeopardy, the answer would be Anthony Smith. The question would be who was the last player the Green Bay Packers acquired at the NFL trade deadline.

Even with one contending team after another, it’s been a long, long time since the Packers were buyers at the trade deadline. They’ve been sellers several times since 2010, when the injury-plagued Packers acquired Smith, who played in four games before joining the legion of players who watched the team win the Super Bowl while on injured reserve.

From one perspective, there’s no reason to believe the Packers will acquire a player before Tuesday’s trade deadline strikes. After all, it’s hard to ignore a decade-and-a-half of inactivity.

On the other hand, though, general manager Brian Gutekunst has been aggressive at times. He made big moves in free agency in 2019, 2024 and 2025. Last year, he made the blockbuster trade for Micah Parsons.

This year, he quickly turned the forever-young Packers into a middle-aged team with plenty of youth but also a lot of flecks of salt-and-pepper hair by adding the likes of Tyrod Taylor and Javon Hargrave in free agency, Jonnu Smith at the end of training camp, and Laken Tomlinson and Kevin Zeitler to address the five-alarm fire on the offensive line.

So, while it’s the same general manager calling the shots, it’s perhaps a different roster-building philosophy given the window of opportunity presented by Jordan Love’s excellent play and Micah Parsons’ upcoming return to the team.

The Packers, obviously, are a flawed team. The best teams win in the trenches. While Green Bay’s defensive line has been the unsung heroes for a quality defense, the offensive line has been the antiheroes for the worst-in-league-history rushing attack.

However, the NFC is filled with flawed teams. Just look at the NFC standings:

NFC Playoff Standings; Teams Are Flawed

1. San Francisco 49ers: 6-1. The 49ers are old – 16 players are 30-plus – and counting on running back Christian McCaffrey to be the straw that stirs the offensive drinks. The top receivers are thirtysomethings Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel.

2. Minnesota Vikings: 6-1. The Vikings lead the NFC North. They have a Super Bowl-worthy defense and a No. 1 overall pick-worthy offense, with no ability to consistently get the ball to all-world Justin Jefferson.

3. New York Giants: 4-2-1. With Jaxson Dart on injured reserve, the Giants are counting on J.J. McCarthy at quarterback and Cam Skattebo at running back.

4. Carolina Panthers: 3-4. The Packers just beat up on the Panthers.

5. Chicago Bears: 6-2. The No. 1 wild card team might be the No. 1 threat to win the NFC because of Caleb Williams. They just made their Parsons-style trade by handing a flawed but productive defense All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Love shedded their secondary at Lambeau.

6. Detroit Lions: 5-2. On both sides of the ball, the Lions are a Super Bowl-worthy team at Ford Field but not on the road.

7. Green Bay: 5-3.

8. Seattle Seahawks: 4-4. The defending champions are just 1-3 in conference play. They have a one-man offense due in large part to their inability to replace running back Kenneth Walker.

9. Los Angeles Rams: 4-4. The presumptive Super Bowl champions at the start of the season haven’t beaten a quality opponent all season due in part to aging Matthew Stafford’s mediocre performance. The upcoming return of Myles Garrett could change everything.

Looking at that group of teams, there’s no reason why the Packers can’t contend for a championship, though what happens on the trade market will play a key role in how everything shakes out.

Packers Are Already Playing Catch Up

The early moves by the NFC contenders have put the pressure on Gutekunst. Surely, he can’t look at his roster and believe it will be good enough to survive a gauntlet of playoff road games and compete for a championship – even if Parsons emerges as a big-time X-factor down the stretch.

The Packers can’t run the ball. At all. They haven’t rushed for more than 86 yards or better than 3.5 yards per carry in a game all season. They’ve signed veteran linemen. They’ve regained the services of Josh Jacobs. Nothing has helped.

Perhaps there’s a trade to be made on the offensive line – though just another decent lineman really wouldn’t do any good. The Seahawks acted boldly by acquiring All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson from the Colts for third- and fifth-round picks. That seems like a bargain for a future Hall of Famer.

Perhaps Gutekunst will feel compelled to acquire a running back, whether it’s as an insurance policy given the latest on Jacobs or to provide a better one-two tandem with Jacobs.

Maybe the Packers can overcome the lack of a running game if they are better in other areas. Green Bay’s defensive tackles have played well, regardless of what the stats would tell you, but injuries have worn down the depth. Adding a player, like the Bears did with Simmons and the 49ers did with DeForest Buckner, would make sense, regardless of whether he’s a run-stopping force or a pass-rushing presence.

Another weapon in the passing game wouldn’t hurt, with last week’s injury to Christian Watson providing a painful reminder of the lack of playmaking depth beyond Watson, Matthew Golden and Tucker Kraft.

Either way, the NFC arms race kicked off with Nelson and Buckner and continued with Simmons. Those were big moves made by teams ahead of the Packers in the playoff standings. For as good as Love and the defense have played this season, you get the feeling that good won’t be good enough.

Especially with the death march that looms for a No. 7 seed.

The Packers are a good team chasing a bunch of other good teams. With the trade deadline now four days away, there is a massive opportunity for Gutekunst. With all of the compensatory picks from last year’s free-agent losses, he’s got the capital to get something done.

To do big things requires bold actions. The Packers’ championship drought is too long. Now is the time to stop “being in every conversation” and actually make the move to perhaps bring another title to Titletown.

The NFL trade deadline is coming up on Tuesday. @JacobWestendorf looks at two trades they should make and two they should avoid. ⬇️https://t.co/68TFN0pAGo

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 5, 2026