For Now, Packers Rank 13th in Cap Space After Jordy Nelson's Release
-- Tuesday's flurry of surprising moves out of Green Bay left the Packers with a little more room for maneuvering in free agency -- if they choose to.
Once the team released wide receiver Jordy Nelson, $10.2 million in cap space was relinquished, leaving the Packers with just over $30 million entering the first day of free agency. Of course, that number is expected to descend and hover back around where it was previously in the $20 million range.
That'll happen once the numbers for the Jimmy Graham deal come in.
The Packers signed the former All-Pro tight end to a three-year deal worth $30 million, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. Graham is set to earn $22 million over the first two years, likely setting his annual salary for those two seasons in the range of $10 million to $11 million.
The Packers' deal for Jimmy Graham pays $30 million over three years, according to @RapSheet. Graham will earn $22 million of that amount over the first two years of the deal.
— Jason B. Hirschhorn (@by_JBH) March 14, 2018
Also, on Tuesday, the Packers committed to eventually signing defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson, who visited with the team last week. According to some reports, Wilkerson planned on signing with the Packers all along. He's expected to sign a one-year, $5 million dollar deal with $3 million packed with incentives.
According to Over the Cap, the Packers' $30.03 million in current cap space -- pre-Graham and Wilkerson -- is good for the 13th-most in the league. And, due to being able to sign Wilkerson on such a cheap, incentive-laden deal, the Packers will certainly be in play to target another free agent or two, assumably to stock up the cornerback position.
"I don't think it's imperative," said Packers G.M. Brian Gutekunst on Tuesday when asked on whether or not he'll sign a cornerback in free agency.
"Like I said, we are going to look at every avenue. This is something between now and really the start of training camp that we will be looking at. There will be many avenues to upgrade that group and like I said, I think we have some good, young players there that will be competing for those spots, but it is something that we are focused on."
Gutekunst has said that his goal is to be "in on every conversation" in terms of addressing free agency, and so far, the new G.M. has kept his promise tenfold.
The Packers have reportedly been in the mix for players such as Allen Robinson, Sammy Watkins, Trumaine Johnson and Richard Sherman. All of which, are now housed on their new teams.
__________________________
Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].
Comments (105)
Packer_Fan
March 14, 2018 at 09:08 am
I am OK with the signing of Graham and Wilkerson. But the CB position really scares me. All of the top corners have agreed to sign. This leaves the position with no quality players that are healthy. Who know how well King will respond to his shoulder surgery. Probably won't be fully healed and confident until 2019.
So the Pack needs to pick up one or two vets that are available. Perhaps Tramon Williams or Cromartie. Then use the 1st pick for CB. But we know how good that will be based on the past few years. Rarely are 1st round draft picks excel their first year. Just scarey.
GBPDAN1
March 14, 2018 at 11:14 am
I agree, P Fan. The CB position scares me, too. King hasn't proven himself yet and re-injuring his shoulder, or any injury to him, creates a field full of toast. We wouldn't be able to stop any #1 or #2 WR with what's on the roster now, behind King.
It's early, but as it sits now, we have somewhat of a crisis at CB. We should have around 15M in cap space, post Jordy, Graham and Wilkerson . That cap space needs to go to FA CBs and soon , before what little is left is gone!
TheVOR
March 14, 2018 at 11:23 am
It's not that I'd say we don't need to address it, but.... Here's some food for thought. Is it because of the Randall Deal that you feel this way? Because Randall was not even a guy I'd consider to be a blue chip CB. He was terrible? Everyone talks about the picks? His picks and pick sixes last year were horrible throws and deflections? It's not like the guy jumped a route or read an offense? If I'm GB, I resign House, maybe pick up another emerging lesser UFA, maybe even draft another one high. I can tell you this, King is a football player, that dude is an excellent talent! House IMO was a better CB than Randall. If they simply signed House, they're almost better at the starting positions. I wasn't a big Randall fan, thought he was "Just A Guy". We can go get another "Just A Guy". We'll be fine.. It's so early, let it unfold..
GBPDAN1
March 15, 2018 at 02:00 am
Hello T-VOR. You mentioned:
"Is it because of the Rendall deal"
My answer; Somewhat and No.
Somewhat because even though I thought Randell was Up and down as a player and replaceable (not to mention his bad attitude), I felt, like others, that he had a good second half of the 17 season and could have contributed next season. Even with Randall, I felt that we needed a couple more quality CBs.
Trading away Randall left the Packers with King as their top cornerback( a guy with half a year experience) . With Davon House entering free agency, six corners are on their roster: King, Quinten Rollins, Demetri Goodson, Josh Hawkins, Lenzy Pipkins and Donatello Brown.
This group behind King scares me. Maybe one or 2 can help, but I see no solid #1 or #2 CBs in that group (probably not even a solid #3).
Relying solely on the draft is scary. We need a veteran CB or Two. We need to spend what's left of our FA money on CBs in my opinion .
Bure9620
March 14, 2018 at 11:27 am
Might be smart to lock up Davon House on a similar one year deal if he is open to it. He will at least be veteran depth in case they strike out on other FAs
Packer_Fan
March 14, 2018 at 12:20 pm
I just checked the FA tracker. There are some CB's out there yet. E. J. Gaines is rated #15, but I haven't heard anything about him. Robinson from the Eagles is still available. Williams and Cromartie and 84th & 92nd respectively.
So my mock scenario:
- Pick up one of the solid CB's still around.
- Wait a bit to pick up another low dollar FA. consider House, but lower than the amount paid last year.
- Then draft a CB high.
- And wait again. Someone is going to get cut or released by September.
Colin_C
March 14, 2018 at 02:56 pm
I'm on board with that plan. With a bit a maneuvering, our CB room could look something like:
1. Rashaan Melvin/EJ Gaines
2. Kevin King
3. Denzel Ward/Jaire Alexander
4. Tramon Williams/Davon House
5. Quinton Meeks/Duke Dawkson
6. Quinten Rollins/Josh Hawkins
7. Lenzy Pipkins/Herb Waters
Just a hypothetical there, but I would be okay with that group. Not world beaters by any means, but serviceable combined with a great D-line and improved scheme.
NickPerry
March 15, 2018 at 04:51 am
"But we know how good that will be based on the past few years. Rarely are 1st round draft picks excel their first year. Just scarey."
There's one HUGE difference at 1265 Lombardi in 2018 than the past few years. Thompson is NO LONGER making the picks for the Packers. IMO that's HUGE, especially considering the guys 1st round pick record the last several years. That and we're not selecting in the late 20's or #30...We're picking at 14 which will help. Now if these teams who pick before the Packers still take a QB ( Browns, Giants, Broncos, and Jets) the Packers still might get a top 5 defensive talent.
I'd like to see them sign Williams to the Vet's minimum or something just above it.
Ryan Graham
March 14, 2018 at 09:12 am
I feel like I speak for the majority when I say cornerback is a position that needs to be addressed, and I don't think the draft is thee way to go about it. There are guys available like Rashaan Melvin whom I like a lot, or a Patrick Robinson. I'll even like to see Terence Newman get poached from the Vikings. I am glad to heasr he's confident in the young talent he has to work with but he needs more.
jeremyjjbrown
March 14, 2018 at 09:27 am
Tramon Williams please.
The CB room needs a veteran pro, and he played great last season.
Bearmeat
March 14, 2018 at 10:28 am
And someone like House to be CB4... veteran minimum. Steady hands on deck.
Fire_Gute
March 14, 2018 at 09:31 am
That Graham deal sounds absolutely terrible. I was hoping he'd be around the same as Bennett was. There's a lot of places I'd rather see that money go. Going to need a 60 catch, 700 yard 12 touchdown season for that to even be close to right
Love the Wilkerson deal, sounds like most of his problems started after he got paid. He could get paid again next year and he knows it, so hopefully he's motivated.
cuervo
March 14, 2018 at 10:54 am
So his 65 and 57 catch, 923 and 570 yard, and 10 ten touchdowns the last 2 years on a terrible Seahawks offense that never really used him correctly ought to supplant your concerns.
Assuming McCarthy is smarter than the Seahawks, I think 70 catches and 900+ yards is easy.
cuervo
March 14, 2018 at 10:55 am
So his 65 and 57 catch, 923 and 570 yard, and 10 ten touchdowns the last 2 years on a terrible Seahawks offense that never really used him correctly ought to supplant your concerns.
Assuming McCarthy is smarter than the Seahawks, I think 70 catches and 900+ yards is easy.
Jonpb
March 14, 2018 at 10:36 pm
Graham will hit that easy. And I'm saying 15 TD's. Don't let Seattle's awful offense fool you. Graham is still a beast and looks like a wide out. And his blocking is better altho in sure he'll be spilt out wide quite often.
Fire_Gute
March 14, 2018 at 09:32 am
Double post
Bert
March 14, 2018 at 09:35 am
I like the Wilkerson signing and am kinda meh on Graham. We are thin and weak at safety, CB, WR and edge rush. There's no way those holes will be filled via the upcoming draft. With the signing of Cousins the Vikings simply have a much better roster than we have right now. Gute may have too many holes to fill in one offseason.
Andrew Lloyd Peth
March 14, 2018 at 09:38 am
Which is why he shouldn't try. He should be rebuilding and targeting 2019, but he's blowing it.
EdsLaces
March 14, 2018 at 10:01 am
They are said to have a vacancy at assistant armchair GM....you should apply!!!
John Ramble Kirk
March 14, 2018 at 12:16 pm
Brian mentioned the balance of this year vs. subsequent years yesterday. Very Ted-esque. He has mentioned "big puzzle" a couple of times. I wonder what sized piece is keeping Aaron engaged? I agree with your logic for 2019. Brian might be trying to walk the line with the QB. The fact that he called him after Jordy's release tells you he's sensitive to what his QB thinks. Aaron isn't going to be on board with throwing away a season at his age, or at any for that matter. Take away his QB coach, his favorite WR and buddy, and then tell him he's going to have to eat it in 2018? ...and then ask him to sign an extension?
fthisJack
March 14, 2018 at 05:04 pm
hah...you think taking away Jordy and his QB coach and maybe not being a SB contender this year is going to make him leave? make him the highest paid player in the NFL and he ain't going anywhere!
mrtundra
March 14, 2018 at 10:09 am
Graham was better in the red zone than Jordy was last season. A sure handed TE is a position GB needed and has now fulfilled. Now we go for CBs in FA. Then draft another TE , or two, and another CB or two depending on how FA unfolds for Gute.
CheesyTex
March 14, 2018 at 11:16 am
8 drops last year = "sure handed TE"?
Finwiz
March 14, 2018 at 01:52 pm
Look at percentage of drops per total targets, and not just totals.
Total drops alone tells you NOTHING!
All stats I've seen put him middle of the pack in ALL receivers drops.
8 drops on 16 targets looks awful, but 8 drops on 100 targets is a totally different story.
Then you get into "catch-able" passes vs. no possible way to catch, as well.
These things AREN'T easily measurable.
stockholder
March 14, 2018 at 11:46 am
The problem is he hasn't had the sure hands he had earlier. He gives up on route's, and has blocking issues. This signing shows their not happy with Kendricks or RR. The bottom line is their still lacking speed!!! And this goes against a Te early in the draft. That was TTs problem when he drafted TEs. None had speed. When one did; he fumbled and had hands of stone. (Couldn't follow assignments.) It's an OVER PAID position now. The loss of Nelson hurts. A new WR will get to take 3 years like Adams to learn. The mistake is swapping Nelson for graham and thinking their ahead. No one has faith in Davis, Allison or Clark. And their contracts will run out. The packers will be moving on because they paid Adams to much. So target WR this draft! CBs. Other than signing House. This just became an over drafted position this year. Draft CB, WR,OL,SS/CB. When it should have been DL, TE, WR, OL.
Andrew Lloyd Peth
March 14, 2018 at 09:37 am
We overpaid Graham. Big money for declining skills. He'll produce, but this just wasn't worth it.
Bearmeat
March 14, 2018 at 10:28 am
I agree ALP
Johnblood27
March 14, 2018 at 11:37 am
Yup, me 2
and Zero blocking skills.
I hate to have a TE on the field that slants the offense to a 90% play call, run or pass.
Finwiz
March 14, 2018 at 12:40 pm
My guess is he blocks better than Bennett. Bennett was awful, and he was sold as an adequate blocker, but I saw zero effort in that regard.
Finwiz
March 14, 2018 at 12:30 pm
Jermichael Finley couldn't block either, yet they basically designed the entire offense around him. Graham will be FINE for what GB asks the TE to do in this offense. I'm more concerned with his ability to be anything more than a possession receiver. Can he get deep and beat a safety or LB? I have my doubts.
cheesehead1
March 14, 2018 at 01:34 pm
Finley also could not catch. Not sure about the Graham signing. IMO he was a disappointment in Seattle. Wish him well though, after all he has arguably the best QB throwing to him.
Finwiz
March 14, 2018 at 01:47 pm
So apparently 4 people think Bennett was a good blocker?
Go back and watch some tape you fools.
I saw plays where he was just STANDING there with his hands in front of him, barely even moving his feet to get in front of a defender.
He was totally AWFUL as a blocker. No effort.
Graham couldn't POSSIBLY be worse than the Marty Bennett disaster in GB.
Coldworld
March 14, 2018 at 03:34 pm
Bennett could block OK till he got to the Packers, when he appeared to block OK when he wanted to. I think that Graham has always been less of a blocker than Bennett, but more of a receiving threat. Bennett was a drop machine last year.
Graham is a big target who can open doors for the other receivers. Probably our best TE since Finley who was also a poor blocker. I say upgrade in position and in general diversity of options, which was sorely needed.
Coldworld
March 14, 2018 at 03:35 pm
deleted
John Ramble Kirk
March 14, 2018 at 10:52 am
He's paid more than Travis Kelce. Gronk is just under 11 million for 2018, cap wise.
It seems like an overpay because it is, but they were as bad off at TE as they were at CB, if not worse. I keep hearing "big targets running down the field" in my head. MM likes them. I guess Philbin does as well.
Perhaps, they felt that using jimmy as a WR would help take the sting from Nelson's release away. They may be thinking of him more as part of their WR fix than just TE. MM loves his multiple matchups. Now, he can put 88 at RB, WR, and Graham at WR and TE. Cobb the same.
if you look at our WR corps as: Adams, Cobb, Graham, Montgomery it sure sounds better than Adams, Cobb, Geronimo.
Cubbygold
March 14, 2018 at 11:20 am
Yup, that's exactly what I expect to happen. Jimmy and Ty are going to be in different looks constantly throughout the game, and it'll be 12s job to identify which of them is on the biggest mismatch.
Adams/Jordy/Cobb/Kendricks/Adams is a much slower and more predictable offense than Adams/Cobb/Graham/Montgomery/Adams
dobber
March 14, 2018 at 12:53 pm
Just can't get too married to position labels anymore. IMO it's more about pass-catchers.
Adams: the receiver so nice you named him twice! ;)
Cubbygold
March 14, 2018 at 03:47 pm
Lol yeah was intending both of those to end with jones. Not sure what i was thinking
EdsLaces
March 14, 2018 at 09:49 am
Chill people . All the big NAME cbs are gone, but not all of the good cbs. Pretty sure Gaines or Melvin are way better than Randall was and they wouldn't cost a fortune. Re sign House for cheap grab one of those guys then a Jackson or Ward round one ? Or maybe a pass rusher round 1 and a solid CB round 2 . Throw in the Wilkerson pickup and all of the sudden our D has a new face and it'd be exciting to watch. Also hoping for a stud WR by round 3. My 2 cents...
stockholder
March 14, 2018 at 11:53 am
House was the plan. WR? He gets 3 years to learn. I see an offense of short throws and hand offs.
Finwiz
March 14, 2018 at 12:32 pm
House was relatively ineffective last year, and made no plays.
If he's part of the plan, then it's flawed.
cheesehead1
March 14, 2018 at 01:36 pm
Agree, House was underwhelming.
cuervo
March 14, 2018 at 02:38 pm
House was injured the entire year with hamstring, quad and back issues. The fact he played at all says something.
Coldworld
March 14, 2018 at 03:42 pm
With those injuries it says a lot! Even more so since we inexplicably made him play zone a lot which he has never excelled at and moving to press coverage was one of his motives in signing.
I recall Herb Waters being eulogized by the coaches last summer. I wonder if he is a wild card in the cb pack?
Finwiz
March 14, 2018 at 04:02 pm
Right, and at this stage in his career, he will be injured again.
I wanted him to be good, because he has some size and other physical ability.
Fact is, he spent a lot of time trailing receivers and not playing the ball.
We have plenty of DB's that spend more time trailing receivers than actually making plays on the ball.
House is JAG now. We need a difference maker, a playmaker, somewhere.
FTS Messamore
March 14, 2018 at 10:03 am
Im fine with both signings. Gute knows we need more depth at DB but i want more pass rush. N. Perry is always hurt and Clay cant do it all himself. I dont see anyone on the DB market that can fit the #1 spot or even a compliment to a #2 spot. M. Claborne? J. Lane? An aging J. Joseph? Younger is probably the better option unless you just want bodies to complain about.
thebeast431
March 14, 2018 at 10:24 am
With a completely revamped defensive scheme upcoming. Who knows what we really have in house.
Our current roster of under performing DB's under our new DC, could flourish. Just like some recently departed personnel that are now All Pros.
I can only see our defense improving, though that's not saying much.
fthisJack
March 14, 2018 at 05:15 pm
we don't know what we have in Pipkins, Waters, Brown. they really didn't get extensive playing time. Hawkins did and should get another chance. but the Packers can't expect big things from them. they have to upgrade the position.
Bearmeat
March 14, 2018 at 10:31 am
Yeah, we are basically out of salary cap room. Cobb needs to renegotiate if we are going to dip into free agency any more. Either that or a very low cap hit on a new ARod deal.
We need to get two vets in the CB positions to cover CB2 and 4. We also need a free agent WR with some speed. No high paying signings (we don't have the room), but we need more average NFL talent at those two positions.
I still think that OLB is where we need to go in round 1.
CheesyTex
March 14, 2018 at 11:28 am
Bears got Taylor Gabriel for a song. He would have looked great in Green and Gold.
jh9
March 14, 2018 at 01:21 pm
As far as a FA WR, Jeremy Maclin was just released from the Ravens. I expect BG's staff to do their due diligence.
John Ramble Kirk
March 14, 2018 at 01:39 pm
Good call, jh9! He'd be a tremendous add.
I loved Maclin back at Missouri. That guy deserves a real QB for a change. An over Donovan McNabb, a washed Mike Vick, Kevin Kolb, Alex Smith and Joe Flacco? That poor poor guy.
There's value in that guy.
scullyitsme
March 14, 2018 at 01:28 pm
I think it’s time for the chill pill, maybe breathe into a paper bag about the salary cap. Every post you have is the sky is falling about our salary cap. We have boat loads available next year, and yes that means we can sign whoever we want this year. Also arods contract more than likely will get us more cap room not less.
cheesehead1
March 14, 2018 at 10:45 am
I see that Trumaine Johnson will sign with the Jets and Butler with the Titans. I’m sure our new GM has a plan in place, but we need to upgrade our CB position big time. Should be an interesting few months.
worztik
March 14, 2018 at 11:50 am
Too many arm chair GMs... way too few viable ideas!!!
Bert
March 14, 2018 at 11:56 am
And I see you are offering all sorts of "viable ideas" yourself.
holmesmd
March 15, 2018 at 01:15 am
You are a real optimist dude! LOL. Why even have the Packers play the season?! Just tell everyone they will lose every game and cheer for the Bears & Vikings?! SMH. Those teams have fan sites, correct?
stockholder
March 14, 2018 at 11:57 am
The bears are getting the right ideas. The brass in chicago said they will win the division this year.
John Ramble Kirk
March 14, 2018 at 12:33 pm
Chicago had a Top 10 defense last year. Now, they have Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Trey Burton to go with Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen and Adam Shaheen. Cam Meredith is a very good player if he's the same after that unreal injury last pre-season. I was watching that one live. Ugly. Plus, they have that wacky creative OC from KC as their HC now. If Trubisky takes that jump we like to talk about here, look out.
We have two teams in our division with Top 10 D's. One just paid for a franchise QB and the other has a rookie deal QB. Vikes are fine for 2018 but interested to see what 2019 and 2020 bring for them. Bears are set up the best IF Trubisky can play.
Then there's us and Detroit. Two teams with D's in the 20's hamstrung by QB contractual needs. Detroit giving 26.5 mil of their cap to Stafford for 2018 and us?
Coldworld
March 14, 2018 at 03:45 pm
The bears have a cheap QB and a cheap roster for the most part. They can afford to splurge. They also need to self hype for their fan base who have seen them replace the Lions as the most disfunctional organization in the NFC.
flackcatcher
March 14, 2018 at 11:14 pm
This!
Chuck Farley
March 15, 2018 at 06:13 pm
Competition? The vikes finished 6 games ahead. They used their backup,we used ours.
Royalty Free GM
March 14, 2018 at 12:03 pm
Reality check
Gute’s first signature move was saying FU to a player who had 6 TDs in the last 5 games he played with Aaron Rodgers.
Coldworld
March 14, 2018 at 03:47 pm
Who cost 10+ million in cap and is not the future however great his past. If we kept Jordy, it would have been short term thinking.
Chuck Farley
March 15, 2018 at 06:17 pm
Correct. He offered 33 yr old guy who had two in a row b bad seasons a low ball offer. said player balked
Bert
March 14, 2018 at 12:05 pm
As a certified "arm chair GM" I think maybe Ted spent a lot of years over rating his own draft prowess and thus over valuing draft picks in lieu of trades and FAs. This thought process put him and team in an endless loop of trying accumulate draft picks in the hopes (expectation actually) of striking gold each April. In the long run, the combination of Ted's "so-so" drafting and MM's "so-so" developing has resulted in a "so-so" roster. Not sure what the answer is but I think it may take a couple off-seasons to build a roster capable of winning a SB. Hope AR is willing to stick around....
Bure9620
March 14, 2018 at 03:42 pm
My updated mock on first pick.com Traded back twice in the first to stockpile picks then traded back up in the 3rd.
Your Picks:
Round 1 Pick 24 (CAR): James, Derwin, SS/FS, Florida State (A+)
Round 1 Pick 31 (N.E.): Davis, Carlton, CB, Auburn (B)
Round 3 Pick 1 (BUF): Okoronkwo, Ogbonnia, DE/OLB, Oklahoma (A)
Round 3 Pick 12: Miller, Kolton, OT, UCLA (A)
Round 3 Pick 21 (CAR): Chark, DJ, WR, LSU (A+)
Round 4 Pick 6 (DEN): Bates III, Jessie, FS, Wake Forest (A)
Round 4 Pick 7 (NYJ): Freeman, Royce, RB, Oregon (A+)
Round 5 Pick 5 (DEN): Fumagalli, Troy, TE, Wisconsin (A+)
Round 6 Pick 12: Adeniyi, Olasunkanmi, DE/OLB, Toledo (A+)
Round 6 Pick 33: Coutee, Keke, WR, Texas Tech (A+)
Round 7 Pick 12 (JAX): Adams, Tony, OG, North Carolina State (A+)
Derwin James is one of the best players in the draft top 4 IMO, can play slot corner, safety, all over.
Really like Carlton Davis long arms, fast, 6'2" 200 classic press player Pettine likes
Ogbonnia is great value here and checks the Ron wolf/TT measurable boxes
Miller is Super athletic and super long, 6'9" 310, checks the boxes for RW tackles could be eventual Bulaga replacement, he might be available here but has been ALL over the place in mocks, never know
DJ Chark can fly, checks RW boxes for receivers, 6'3" not a great route runner and not sure if he can beat press at this level but he can fly, speed kills
Really like Bates from WF, fiesty safety, may not be available here
Royce Freeman, inside pounder for goal line and short yardage, can't have enough good backs
Fuuuum, we know him
Toledo edge rusher has great measurable that check boxes
Coutee is a steal here, slot player, Cobb but smaller and faster
Guard prospect, like his film
fthisJack
March 14, 2018 at 05:23 pm
i love Derwin James but i'm afraid he might be gone before 14. he'll never be there at 24. it they don't get James...i like Roquan Smith. that guy is all over the field and can tackle and cover. 3 down LB with speed to pair with
Martinez....maybe the best player in the draft. BPA!
fthisJack
March 14, 2018 at 05:25 pm
DJ Moore in the second and Gisecki in the third.
CJBauckham
March 14, 2018 at 08:43 pm
I am also a fan of James and Davis
sheppercheeser
March 14, 2018 at 04:07 pm
Can't Gute get CMIII and Cobb to restructure their contracts? It sure would help in our pursuit of a veteran CB.
dobber
March 14, 2018 at 04:33 pm
Most of the veteran CBs left will likely come in well under the Packers cap.
dobber
March 14, 2018 at 04:42 pm
CB market is fairly picked over.
https://www.profootballrumors.com/2018/03/packers-interested-in-cb-rasha...
Has good length and size, to fit with more of a press mentality.
Cubbygold
March 14, 2018 at 06:06 pm
Lots of injuries though
dobber
March 14, 2018 at 06:21 pm
Aside from the draft, that's what they've got to pick from...
CJBauckham
March 14, 2018 at 08:44 pm
We're reportedly interested. Gute 'er done
Spock
March 15, 2018 at 09:49 am
CJ, "Gute 'er done", Clever.
Tundraboy
March 14, 2018 at 05:35 pm
They know they need a Veteran a CB, or two. Where are they going to come from now.
dobber
March 14, 2018 at 04:59 pm
They grow on a tree, right?
Tundraboy
March 14, 2018 at 05:48 pm
No they don't but we still to find one to fix this area.
Bert
March 14, 2018 at 07:12 pm
Can't always fix everything in one off season. Just not feasible. Sometimes you have to hope you can draft a guy who actually does develop in a year and fixes the problem the next year. There's still a long ways to go but Gute has lots of holes to plug in a single off season.
Tundraboy
March 14, 2018 at 08:30 pm
Absolutely, but going through yet another year of flaming out in the playoffs due to lack of CB depth, talent and leadership has to end. With our injury history, going into the season with only King as our most talented and experienced Corner is foolish, if not insane. Another mid level FA and draft heavy as well to take advantage of the higher draft position and then who knows. We might hit on a couple of picks too.
John Ramble Kirk
March 15, 2018 at 01:40 pm
The Herb Waters era ended today...not tendered and is now a FA. Hype one year...afterthought the next.
Glad hearing they're pursuing Melvin from Indy. Should be able to wrap him up. I'm sure Philbin and especially Hostler have a good idea about his play.
EDIT: Heeeeeeeeeeeee's back. Ted must've put a call into 1265, :) Seriously, the Packers are bringing him back for a physical.
dobber
March 14, 2018 at 05:05 pm
I find myself thinking that the Packers not even sniffing Donte Moncrief might reflect something of what Philbin and Hostler had to say there, too.
Joe Thomas also undtendered.
John Ramble Kirk
March 14, 2018 at 05:15 pm
Bad day if you're named, Joe Thomas. One guy cut, the other retired. BTW, Joe Thomas is a guy I liked. We need better than him and what else we have playing ILB but he was a good UDFA for us.
I'm sure you're right, dobber. I really loved Moncrief from that draft. Cody Latimer from that same draft is still out there. We need something opposite Davante. Adams is really going to struggle, imo, if we don't have someone good opposite him. Someone who can run. That's got to be a move Brian makes...can't believe he'd go with a rookie opposite Adams or anything we have on this roster presently.
stockholder
March 14, 2018 at 06:08 pm
Cody Latimer had a bad run in. Night club and girl friend. But they still should grab him. Thomas was a bad. Made 1 play and done. Janis= happy days are ahead of him. Adams is going to struggle no matter what. I've just come to accept that. What to Believe ? A rookie will go opposite!
dobber
March 14, 2018 at 06:22 pm
I think they should kick the tires on Jordan Matthews. Had a rough year in Buffalo, but not far removed from good seasons with Philly...
Coldworld
March 14, 2018 at 05:15 pm
Not sure Walters not being tendered means anything other than that they can get him for less. Conversion project who has never seen a snap and is coming off a season lost to injury screams minimum contract pick up rather than at tender price.
Same rationale could apply to others not tendered like Thomas or Janis if another team does not snap them up.
Bert
March 14, 2018 at 05:36 pm
I think what it really means is that guys like Waters, Thomas and Janis just aren't very good.
Cubbygold
March 14, 2018 at 06:05 pm
You ok with melvins long injury history?
Tundraboy
March 14, 2018 at 08:02 pm
.
John Ramble Kirk
March 14, 2018 at 05:53 pm
Happy to see Morgan Burnett and Richard Rodgers were among the names not tendered. I thought I read that RR was returning? Glad he may not. That leaves Graham and Kendricks as the two viable TE's on the roster.
Morgan likely not coming back ... be very interesting watching Darmarious play S for Cleveland knowing we had him for cheap for a couple of more seasons to move him into Morgan's spot.
I'll miss ST star, Jeff Janis. I don't go Koolaid on many players but he was one of them. Just an incredible mix of speed and strength. Saddened he just didn't know how to play WR. I still can't believe he couldn't get a package of plays per season. He had attributes to use that rarely were.
Oh, and I was shocked to see Aaron didn't put out an IG post for Janis. Neither did RC18. :)
Interesting that Bakhtiari put this tweet out and Cobb and Rodgers retweeted it. There's a level of upset over the Jordy move.
David Bakhtiari
Verified account @DBak69
Mar 13
Loyalty is in your actions, not your rhetoric.
stockholder
March 14, 2018 at 06:16 pm
Told ya. Now we'll see if Gute is bullet proof.
Jonpb
March 14, 2018 at 10:42 pm
This is a thread on Reddit.
This tweet was posted before the team announced it was releasing Jordy. It's directed at M. Bennett.
Players are well aware this is a business and while Rodgers is sad now, he'll be just fine when he realizes how easy it's going to be to score in the red zone and Graham catches 15 of em.
RR was offered a contract but hadn't accepted it yet. Tender offers are given to restricted free agents who once tendered cannot negotiate with any other team.
John Ramble Kirk
March 15, 2018 at 02:41 am
Do you have a link to it? The responses to it make it sound like this was about no loyalty to Jordy from the org. I love reddit but I can't find the thread.
John Ramble Kirk
March 16, 2018 at 11:37 am
I read Marty B's timeline. I didn't see any reason for this response from Bakh and usually when you respond like this you quote the tweet in question.
Zach Kruse thinks the tweet very well could be about Jordy. The idea that the tweet was before the release was official doesn't mean diddly. It was reported by PFT Jordy was looking at NE before his release knowing it was likely coming.
It makes greater sense this is about Jordy not Martellus.
Jonpb
March 14, 2018 at 10:27 pm
I like this but he may cost too much. And may not like not being a starter.
dobber
March 15, 2018 at 10:17 am
Having watched Ebron for a couple years now, he's J-Mike light. He has the ability to make plays but doesn't make them as often as he should, and has a knack for making easy plays hard. Better in general in 2017, but still suffers from lack of focus. FoxSports says he only had 3 drops in 80-some targets last year, but I can tell you that whomever was scoring him was remarkably forgiving.
He's a former 1st rounder, and the Lions are moving on without any kind of decent TE in the wings. That says something...kinda like dealing the only average to above average CB on your roster with not-much behind him on the depth chart. Not to say the Lions might have a plan to try to bring him back (think the Packers and Nick Perry).
ScaryGary
March 14, 2018 at 09:27 pm
id rather pay jimmy a cool mil per 2 touchdowns than jordy at 1:1 , just my opinion. i know there are a lot of jordy lovers (thanks to fantasy football) out there , but his dropped pass on third down in super bowl could have cost us that game.
Jonpb
March 14, 2018 at 10:24 pm
I don't know if the Team is as worried about corner as "we" are. It's a deep draft. I wouldn't be surprised to see the team trade down and grab 2 corners in the first 3 picks. People freaking out because they don't recognize anyone but seem to forget this is how superstars are found. The pack have 5 db's, for all we know the next sam shields or tramon williams is already on our roster.
Cubbygold
March 15, 2018 at 05:45 am
I think you're right, 'we' may be more worried than the team is. Just seems scary to not add any veteran depth.
Jonpb
March 14, 2018 at 10:25 pm
Delete
flackcatcher
March 14, 2018 at 11:46 pm
It's still early, but the Packers are executing their soft rebuild on time and under budget. Both their recent FA signing are one year rentals which targets an immediate need at a reasonable cost. Much of the player picks in FA and more importantly, the draft will be based on the scheme the new DC and the old/new OC uses. Whether this turns into a 'hard' rebuild depends on the remaining-returning players accepting the new systems and excelling in it. To put it bluntly, Rodgers and the other returning veterans need to put their egos away and shut up if they want to win. This Packer team will be very young, and the veterans will need to lead if they want to win. For us fans, we need to remember that this is stage one in the rebuilding process, with next years draft bringing as many draft choices as this years draft has. Packers are rebuilding, and no matter how it plays out, the process is hard on everyone.
dobber
March 15, 2018 at 10:20 am
As I understand, the deal is frontloaded somewhat to the first 2 years, so there might be a convenient out at that point.
carlos
March 15, 2018 at 08:01 am
Agree with you Jon Lee. Tramon took time to develop as did Al Harris in Philadelphia. Some random thoughts: I’d at least have Ebron in for a visit. Hasn’t played to his potential. Good GM’s make hard, tough, unpopular decisions. At times it’s necessary. Plenty of talent still out there and more to come in a few months. Agree with everyone here that I wish some players would tweak there contracts in a cap friendly way. Unfortunately, it probably won’t happen. Would love to sign Tyrann Matthieu.