The Green Bay Packers are building an exceptionally young team, and aging veterans like Preston Smith are being floated as potential trade targets prior to training camp.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine proposed a handful of bold trade ideas for the Packers. Those moves included a pair of defensive additions, but also a move to offload Smith.
Ballentine provided some fair reasoning behind the move.
“Trading Smith isn’t a dire need, but it might turn out to be financially prudent,” Ballentine wrote. “This might be the best opportunity to sell high on the veteran pass rusher and they have last year’s first-round pick Lukas Van Ness waiting in the wings.”
Smith is currently in the middle of a four-year, $52 million extension. He’ll be a free agent in 2027, but the Packers could decide to move on from him sooner to offload his contract.
Preston Smith’s Rock-Solid NFL Career
Even if he’s never been a star, Smith has been a reliable playmaker through his NFL career.
Prior to going pro, Smith played four seasons for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. He ended his college career with first-team All-SEC honors, racking up nine sacks, 15 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
That strong final year helped Smith go in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent his first four seasons in Washington, generating 24.5 sacks and four interceptions over that span.
The Packers took a big swing on Smith once he entered free agency in 2019. After signing a $52 million deal to play for Green Bay, he immediately had his best NFL season with a career-high 12 sacks.
Smith has been a stable presence since arriving in Green Bay. He’s produced 41.5 sacks and six forced fumbles over five seasons. While he hasn’t earned any national accolades, Smith has consistently been a playmaker for the Packers defense.
Still, at 31 years old, Smith may not have many more effective years left. If the Packers want to be proactive instead of reactive, it may make sense for them to make a trade this offseason.
Lukas Van Ness Is Smith’s Successor
Whenever the Packers decide to move on from Smith, Lukas Van Ness will be ready to step in.
The Packers took Van Ness in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Iowa. He was a relatively unproven pass rusher for the Hawkeyes, but came into the draft with impressive athletic testing and a 6’5″, 272-pound frame.
Van Ness only played in limited action, but managed to appear in all 17 games for the Packers. He even made a handful of splash plays, racking up four sacks and a pass breakup. He even added another sack in the team’s wild card win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Now, Packers fans are optimistic about Van Ness taking a second-year leap. New defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will implement a 4-3 base defense, which better suits Van Ness with his frame and play style.
Still, until Smith starts to show signs of regression, Van Ness will likely spend most of his time as a rotational player instead of a full-time starter.
