The Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans were at least two rounds off in terms of draft pick compensation during trade talks involving wide receiver Will Fuller.
According to Aaron Reiss of The Athletic, the Texans wanted a second-round pick for Fuller, but the Packers never offered a pick better than a fourth-rounder.
The trade deadline came on Tuesday afternoon, and no deal was made.
Coach Matt LaFleur indicated Tuesday that he wasn’t sure if trade talks ever really got serious between the Packers and Texans. He also shot down the idea that he and GM Brian Gutekunst disagreed internally about making the deal.
Fuller, who has 490 receiving yards and five touchdowns in seven games this season, will be a free agent after 2020. The Packers weren’t willing to spend a high pick on a potential rental player, while the Texans wanted a premium pick for a player they feel could fetch a third-round compensatory pick in 2022.
The negotiations for the Packers follow a clear trend. Gutekunst wants to upgrade his receiver room, but he’s been unwilling to overpay for help, dating as far back as last year’s trade deadline.
Fuller, a legit deep threat who has developed into an all-around weapon for the Texans this season, could have provided a big upgrade for the Packers next to Davante Adams and Allen Lazard. Matt LaFleur’s offense will have to move forward with third-year receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
