Teams Expected To Have Preston Smith & Azeez Ojulari On Radar As Trade Candidates

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media mentions that Packers veteran EDGE Preston Smith is on “several” teams’ radars ahead of this year’s trade deadline.

Rapoport explains that the Packers are rotating a lot of edge rushers in their new defensive scheme which has “skewed young.”

Another pass rusher to keep an eye on, according to Rapoport, is Giants EDGE Azeez Ojulari.

Rapoport says Kayvon Thibodeaux is slated to return from injured reserve in Week 10 and Ojulari is someone teams could target in the coming weeks.

Smith, 31, is a former second-round pick by Washington out of Mississippi State back in 2015. He played out the final year of his four-year rookie contract before signing a four-year, $52 million deal with the Packers in 2019. 

Smith was entering the final year of that deal in 2022 and was due $12.5 million in compensation between salaries and bonuses. He then signed a four-year, $52.5 million extension with the team in March of 2022.

In 2024, Smith has appeared in all six games for the Packers and recorded 14 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Ojulari, 24, is a former second-round pick by the Giants in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Georgia. He’s in the final year of his four-year, $6,774,908 rookie contract. 

Ojulari is in line to be an unrestricted free agent in 2025. 

In 2024, Ojulari has appeared in all six games for the Giants and recorded 14 tackles, three sacks and a fumble recovery.