Packers and Vikings Make No Moves at Trade Deadline

By Adam Roberts – 11/4/2020

The tried and true Ted Thompson approach to outside help for the Green Bay Packers organization appears to have transferred over to Brian Gutekunst.

The current Packer GM reportedly was in disagreement with head coach Matt LaFleur about the short-term cost of Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller, and so no move for the veteran wideout was made. LaFleur noted yesterday that injured receiver Allen Lazard is close to returning, but many fans certainly wanted to see some kind of a move made by the team’s front office to provide quarterback Aaron Rodgers with an additional deep-threat heading into the second half of the season.

“I think he’s done everything we’ve asked him to” LaFleur said about Lazard. “It’s just a matter of when we feel it’s safe for him to go out there…he wants to be out there in the worst way…but we’re gonna take our time and be smart about him, and make sure that he’s able to go out there and play to the level that he’s been able to do for the last year and a half.”

When he was asked about how close the Packers actually were to acquiring Fuller, LaFleur said he didn’t “know if anything ever got that serious”.

Meanwhile in Minnesota, with a 2-5 record it was unlikely for the team to be buyers at the deadline, but many thought they would offload some veterans. However, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin wrote a piece indicating that the Vikings may have a change of heart after winning 28-22 over Green Bay last weekend, and as it turned out, they didn’t send anyone on their way. Perhaps coach Mike Zimmer, GM Rick Speilman, and the front office may have second thoughts on their chances after all.

In other Vikings news, today running back Dalvin Cook was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Cook of course was nearly unstoppable against the Packers, gaining over 200 all purpose yards and scoring four touchdowns, making history as the first player to score a touchdown on each of his team’s first four possessions of a game since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.