Brian Gutekunst
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Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst could be poised to take another big swing this year.
The Green Bay Packers traded interior defensive lineman Kenny Clark to land Micah Parsons last year. So it would only make sense for Green Bay to use what remains of its draft capital to select Clark’s replacement.
NFL execs have pointed to the Packers as the logical landing spot for disgruntled New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, according to NFL insider Jason La Canfora.
The Packers parted with Clark and two first-round picks for Parsons, who was on his way to another potential Defensive Player of the Year campaign before he tore his ACL in Week 15.
Parsons is likely to be ready for Week 1, which pushes Green Bay all-in on 2026. The Packers could go all out to land Lawrence, a three-time Pro Bowler who requested a trade from New York earlier this week.
NFL Executives Point to the Packers as a Fit for Dexter Lawrence
The Packers only have one selection in the draft’s first two days after parting with their first to acquire Parsons last August. They upgraded their pass rush but still only had 36 sacks last season and ranked 19th against the run (117.7 yards-allowed per game), without Clark.
Lawrence could both help their interior pass rush and run defense, since he was ranked as the No. 1 interior defensive lineman in football last offseason. Lawrence is just one year removed from a nine-and-a-half-sack season and still had 14 solo tackles and four passes defended in 2025.
“Green Bay probably makes the most sense,” La Canfora quoted an NFL GM for Sports Boom.
Parsons may be ready for training camp, but knee injuries usually take one-year plus to heal. The Packers may be in line for a bigger swing to support Parsons as he recovers.
“Green Bay has abstained from those types of trade for decades,” La Canfora wrote. “But after already swinging big for Parsons it would be counterintuitive to then send [Parsons] out of major surgery with this defensive line cast around him.”
The Packers Would Have to Blow the Giants Away for Dexter Lawrence
Despite Lawrence’s trade request, the Giants are under no pressure to act. Lawrence, 28, is set to enter the penultimate season of his contract for $22.5 million annually and is looking for a raise.
So the Giants seem unlikely to trade Lawrence for a 2027 second-round pick, since the Dallas Cowboys have Green Bay’s first-rounder next year too. Green Bay would have to blow the Giants away, with a deal like the two first-round picks the New York Jets got from the Cowboys for Quinnen Williams.
“I seriously doubt they trade Lawrence unless someone offers at least the Quinnen deal,” La Canfora quoted an NFL exec. “But that’s unlikely because Lawrence expects a new contract with the trade, and he’s coming off an average year for him, and Williams came over in-season and didn’t get a new deal.”
Still, La Canfora quoted a league source who said they should act due to the lack of high-end defensive line talent in this draft class.
“They aren’t finding a Day 1 impact DT in this draft,” a longtime NFL executive told La Canfora. “They could be picking at 26 (their original first-round spot) and it’s not happening… Definitely, they should be calling.”