Green Bay Packers Trade Target: TE Hayden Hurst

There are rumors flying around that Baltimore could be looking to trade tight end, Hayden Hurst. And if that is the case, the Green Bay Packers should be picking up the phone.

When we think of positions that the Green Bay Packers have to address this offseason, the first few that come to mind include inside linebacker, wide receiver, tackle, and interior defensive lineman. But, another area that needs to be taken care of, is the tight end position.

At this point, everyone is expecting Jimmy Graham to be cut which will save the Packers roughly $8 million in cap space. Marcedes Lewis is a pending free agent, although he has stated that he would like to come back. And Robert Tonyan is an exclusive rights free agent, however, he will likely be re-signed.

So that leaves Green Bay with Jace Sternberger and probably Tonyan as the tight ends for the 2020 season. In their limited action, both players have shown that they can make plays in the passing game and they are both willing blockers. With that said, I think it would be in the Packers’ best interest to add another tight end to the mix for the upcoming year.

Enter Hayden Hurst currently of the Baltimore Ravens and someone who is rumored to be on the trade block:

Hurst was drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of South Carolina and he spent this past season as the Ravens No. 2, borderline No. 3 option at tight end. Nick Boyle led the team in snaps at the tight end position and Hurst took the same amount of snaps as Mark Andrews. Due to Baltimore’s depth at tight end, it is why Hurst could very well be on the trade block.

During his rookie season, Hurst appeared in 12 games, with no starts and caught 13 passes at 12.5 yards per catch with a touchdown. In 2019 he saw an uptick in his production hauling in 349 receiving yards at 11.6 yards per catch with two touchdowns. But his biggest improvement was that he caught nearly 77 percent of the passes thrown his way.

Although he’s taken limited snaps with the Ravens, Hurst has shown that he is a willing blocker and that he can lineup all over the formation having played out of the backfield, inline, out of the slot, and out wide last season. Both of which are requirements if you’re going to be a successful tight end in the Matt LaFleur offense.

On top of that, he’s flashed some big playmaking ability with the ball in his hands. An aspect that we haven’t seen from the tight end position in Green Bay for a few seasons now.

And as an added bonus, Hurst is still on his rookie deal, meaning that he comes with a relatively inexpensive contract.

Currently with the Ravens, in 2020 he has a cap hit of $3.09 million, in 2021 it is $3.5 million, and he has a fifth-year option as well for the 2022 season. For a Green Bay Packers team with not nearly as much spending power this offseason, this is a huge factor.

It’s also worth mentioning Green Bay’s connection to Baltimore now that Milt Hendrickson is on the Packers’ staff as the Director of Football Operations. As a former scout with the Ravens, since Hendrickson has joined the Packers they have shown an interest in a few former Baltimore players, including Za’Darius Smith and Tim Williams.

Now, the big question in all of this is, what would it cost to acquire him? Well, given that he is still on his rookie deal and that he is a former first-round pick, it would likely take a Day 3 draft pick and then some. The Packers also have Lane Taylor and Josh Jackson as bargaining chips as well. Overall, I just don’t see this being a deal that wouldn’t get done due to Baltimore asking for too much or Green Bay not having the draft or player capital available.

Sure, Green Bay could draft a tight end to help add some depth, but the transition from college to the NFL for this position is one of the more difficult moves to make. So Hurst would almost certainly come with a more immediate impact. And any free agent tight end with his upside will very likely come with a larger price tag as well.

Given the team’s needs as well as being mindful of the cost, this is a move that makes a lot of sense for the Green Bay Packers. And it’s certainly worth GM Brian Gutekunst picking up the phone to see what it would take to get Hayden Hurst to Titletown.