5 Packers Who Aren't Safe After Surviving Trade Deadline

The Green Bay Packers may not have landed a big-name player at Tuesday's trade deadline, but they made waves by sending veteran defensive end Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a seventh-round pick.

On the surface, it’s a surprising move for a team with playoff aspirations, but Green Bay had financial motivations. The trade cleared a substantial amount of cap space—$2 million this year, $7.6 million in 2025, $18.2 million in 2026, and $1.7 million in 2027. In addition, the Packers regained the seventh-round pick they’d traded away for Malik Willis.

With the trade deadline behind them, several Packers may feel a momentary sense of security. But some players still aren’t safe and will need to prove their value over the season’s second half.

1. Eric Stokes

Eric Stokes’s 2024 season has been a letdown. After struggling with injuries in back-to-back seasons, he finally entered this season healthy and eager to prove his standout rookie year was no fluke. However, he’s yet to show the consistency and impact he once displayed.

Initially slotted as the starting cornerback opposite Jaire Alexander, Stokes quickly lost his grip on the role. The Packers transitioned Keisean Nixon to the outside, while rookie Javon Bullard has been thriving in the slot. Stokes now finds himself in a reserve role, watching as younger players claim the snaps he once owned.

The Packers’ decision to decline Stokes’s fifth-year option sends a clear message: the clock is ticking on his time in Green Bay. He will become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, and unless he shows marked improvement in the coming weeks, his days in Titletown are likely numbered.

As the season winds down, Stokes may have one last chance to make a case for his future, but the path back to a starting role looks steep.