Latest Trey Hendrickson update may look like a setback for the Packers, but it actually brings relief for their roster process

Trey Hendrickson will not be a Green Bay Packer after all. Even though fans screamed for general manager Brian Gutekunst to get a trade for the edge defender, Hendrickson won't be dealt by the Cincinnati Bengals after all, since he's closing to a new agreement with the team, according to NFL insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported it's an adjusted deal to give him a raise, essentially a one-year, $30 million contract.

That might sound like a bad thing for the Packers, but it's not a surprise, and it's actually a positive factor for how Green Bay builds the team.

This is not hindsight or protecting the front office. Months ago, we wrote here at A to Z Sports that Hendrickson is not the type of player that the Packers would invest in. 

"I don't particularly want to see someone on the backside of their career," Gutekunst has said. "I don't think that's something I'd be particularly interested in."

Historically, the Ron Wolf tree and Brian Gutekunst in particular have preferred younger players, pieces that can reach their primes while playing in Green Bay. That's why they drafted Barryn Sorrell and prefer to sign free agents entering their second deals—like they did with Aaron Banks and Nate Hobbs.

With Hendrickson, you might get great production for a year or two. But you are also spending high draft capital and giving a big contract for a player who is 30 years old and passing his best days. At last, the team would be overpaying for past production.

What the Packers look for

Green Bay has tried to trade for Khalil Mack back in 2018 and has been linked to Micah Parsons now. It's not a coincidence, since both were/are young players entering the prime of their careers. In these types of situations, a big investment is justified.

"When you trade a high pick for a veteran player, you’re trading a young, really good contract for a player who’s proven, but probably expensive, so you’re giving up a pick and salary cap space. You gotta weigh that,” Gutekunst said after last season. “If it’s the right player, if you can feel he can be a dynamic player that can change your football team, you gotta consider that, because there’s not many of those guys out there. But you also have to understand what you’re giving up.”

You might agree or not with the Packers' process here, but it's hard to be against that part of the process. Usually, trading for older players, especially non-quarterbacks, tends to backfire.

No team was willing to give up what the Bengals and Hendrickson wanted at the same time. And Cincinnati was still able to give the player a raise without adding future guarantees. The edge defender will be a free agent after this season.

For the Packers, it was just a deal they would never make.