NFL trade deadline season is never easy. Sometimes, teams have to make tough business decisions for the future of their franchise. The decision to trade former Green Bay Packers DB Rasul Douglas shocked and surprised many, including Douglas, who didn’t believe he was being dealt.
Various players have spoken about the type of person and leader Douglas was. Matt LaFleur thanked him for his contributions to the franchise over the past two years. Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst wasn’t planning on trading anybody, but the package for Douglas “was too enticing to pass up.”
Rasul Douglas spoke about finding out he was being traded to the Buffalo Bills.
Former Green Bay Packers DB Rasul Douglas didn’t believe he was being traded until this person called him.
Douglas spoke to reporters on Thursday and discussed being traded to Buffalo.
“Brian Gutekunst called me at first, I thought it was like a joke because he wasn’t saying too much he was just like, we’re trading you.’ And then the conversation was over, I just hung up.”
Douglas didn’t realize he was being traded until Packers team president Mark Murphy called him and thanked him for everything, and that’s when he realized he was being dealt.
Then, Packers president Mark Murphy called to thank him for everything and he realized it was real
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) November 2, 2023
Shocked is the operative word used here. Green Bay revived Rasul Douglas’ career, and they doled out a brand-new contract for Douglas ahead of the 2022 season. There was reason to believe that Douglas would be in Green Bay long-term. Instead, Brian Gutekunst prioritized a third-round pick, which is odd because Gutekunst hasn’t drafted a successful third-round pick since he became GM in 2018. With how much criticism Gutekunst has received over not giving fan favorites the proper send-off, he at least alerted Douglas before he found out on Twitter.
The team’s secondary didn’t get better because of this trade because there are a lot of unknowns at the position. Carrington Valentine has flashed big-play potential and could step into the role opposite Jaire Alexander. The team is still high on first-round selection Eric Stokes, but he’s had trouble staying healthy the past two seasons.
That could be a good learning experience for Valentine because if the team was prepared to make this move, the Packers must view Valentine as a corner who can step in and fill the void left by Rasul Douglas.
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