DeVon Achane Miami Dolphins
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 09: De'Von Achane #28 of the Miami Dolphins leaves the field after the game against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
The Green Bay Packers will roll with Josh Jacobs as their top running back heading into the preseason, but the team is among the top potential trade suitors for one of the most dynamic playmakers in the NFL.
Longtime Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan took the general manager position with the Miami Dolphins this offseason before hiring Jeff Hafley, Green Bay’s defensive coordinator of the past two years, to serve as head coach. The two subsequently signed former Packers backup QB Malik Willis to a three-year contract to run the offense in South Beach.
But that is where the additions mostly stopped, as Sullivan and Hafley have cleaned house over the last several weeks. They cut former starting QB Tua Tagovailoa and multiple-time All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill before trading star wideout Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos earlier this week.
The last premier playmaker left from the Dolphins’ explosive offenses under former head coach Mike McDaniel is running back De’Von Achane, who put up more than 1,800 yards from scrimmage and scored 12 total touchdowns in 2025 on the way to the first Pro-Bowl honors of his career.
Matt Schneidman in a mailbag he authored on Thursday, March 19 addressed the Packers’ candidacy to trade for Achane given their needs on offense and the team’s relationship with the new power structure in Miami.
“Achane is only 24, and he’s one of the NFL’s most explosive backs. Jacobs is probably near the end of his prime at 28 years old,” Schneidman wrote. “Achane, a 2023 third-round pick, has one year left on his rookie deal and could share a backfield with Jacobs before taking over next season after getting paid. It wouldn’t be hard for [Packers GM Brian] Gutekunst to ring up his former second-in-command, either.”
Packers Will Have to Persuade Former Colleagues in Miami to Trade De’Von Achane
Brian Gutekunst
GettyGreen Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst.
The rub is that ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported just two days ago that Miami has told trade suitors calling about Achane that he is hands off, at least for the time being.
That said, if any team has a chance to get him, the Packers have to be it given the circumstances. Achane is going to earn a significant deal next March if he can avoid serious injury, so Miami’s specific plans for him matter.
The Dolphins should be able to field a quality rushing attack by pairing Willis and Achane, which is probably what Miami is considering as the basis for its offense in 2026. But if Sullivan and Hafley don’t want to overpay for a running back next offseason, then perhaps the Packers can trade for Achane now, or at the mid-season deadline, for a strong draft pick.
Were Sullivan to make another such deal in his first year as GM, it would make sense for him to do so with Gutekunst, whom Sullivan knows well and likely trusts more than any other current NFL general manager.
Josh Jacobs Could Be Trade/Cut Candidate for Packers Next Offseason
Josh Jacobs Green Bay Packers Chicago Bears
GettyRunning back Josh Jacobs of the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay hunting Jacobs’ successor now is logical, as he has two years remaining on his $48 million contract and slowed down some in 2025 while battling injuries amid his seventh professional campaign.
Some analysts believed the Packers were seeking trades for Jacobs this offseason, though an anonymous team source recently told Jason LaCanfora of SportsBoom that was never on the table.
“He’s the leader of that offense, and everybody knows it,” that person told LaCanfora. “Josh wasn’t going anywhere.”
That could easily change after next season, however, which Jacobs will play at 28 years old.