2018 Packers Offseason Thread - Jordy Out/Jimmy & Mo In

[MickeyDavis]

Bill Barnwell doing a series on each division team, this is what he says the Pack should do

1. Extend Aaron Rodgers' contract. Kirk Cousins' free-agent contract is going to reset the quarterback market, possibly in a drastic way. The Packers, who are going to re-sign Rodgers either this offseason or next, would be smart to get an extension done with their future Hall of Fame quarterback before Cousins signs his deal. Stafford pushed the three-year money bar from Andrew Luck's $75 million to $87 million, and then Jimmy Garoppolo bumped it up to $90 million last week. Cousins probably will hit $100 million. Rodgers will (and should) ask for more.

At the moment, Rodgers, 34, has two years and $41.7 million remaining on his deal. Rodgers' $20.6 million cap hit will rank somewhere between 12th and 14th once we get the details on the new deals for Garoppolo and Alex Smith, which seems shocking. This is probably the last big deal Rodgers will sign, and while there's no way he's leaving Green Bay, the Packers are going to pony up for the best quarterback in franchise history.

Rodgers could be looking at a five-year, $140 million extension, one that would temporarily take the (somewhat specious) title of highest-paid player in football away from Garoppolo. New general manager Brian Gutekunst doesn't need to structure the deal in a way to reduce Rodgers' cap hit, but with a larger signing bonus -- Rodgers got a $33.3 million signing bonus up front and a total of $59.1 million over the first two years of his current deal -- the Packers could even free up more cap room in the process.

2. Extend Jordy Nelson. Both sides should want the Nelson-Packers relationship to continue onward for a few more seasons. Nelson slipped badly last year without Rodgers in the lineup, which might dissuade the 32-year-old from looking elsewhere in free agency next season and encourage him to take yet another discounted offer. The Packers probably want to reduce Nelson's $12.5 million cap hit in the final year of his current extension, and giving the Kansas State grad a two-year extension would accomplish that while keeping Rodgers' favorite target around.
Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson aren't free agents in 2018, but the Packers would be smart to lock in more years for their top offensive players. Dan Powers/USA TODAY Sports

3. Ask Randall Cobb to take a pay cut and release him if he declines. If that happens, though, the Packers are probably going to be down a slot receiver. Cobb is entering the final year of his own extension, and while he's nearly five years younger than Nelson, the 27-year-old has failed to deliver on the 1,287-yard season he posted in advance of free agency in 2014. His yards per reception and receiving yards per game have dropped in each of the past three seasons.

The problem for Cobb is that he would be entering a market that may not be very excited to see him. The slot receiver market is flooded this year, given that we're likely to see Jarvis Landry, Tavon Austin, Danny Amendola, Jordan Matthews and Kendall Wright out there. Someone is going to want Cobb, but it might not be for more than a one-year deal. Given that possibility, Cobb might be better off taking a pay cut and playing his final year in Green Bay with Rodgers.

4. Add a tight end in free agency. Again. While just about everyone was in favor of the Packers signing Martellus Bennett last offseason, the well-traveled tight end lasted half a season in Green Bay before leaving under a cloud of injury-related controversy. Green Bay's leading receiver at tight end was Lance Kendricks, who had the second-highest drop rate in the league among tight ends with 30 targets or more. The position is still a hole for the Packers.

Let's try to address that this offseason. There are a bevy of useful tight ends in the marketplace. Selfishly, I'd like to see the Packers sign Tyler Eifert just to see if we can get 14 healthy games of Rodgers throwing to Eifert in the red zone. Jimmy Graham is available. Someone is going to give Trey Burton No. 1 tight end money after his success as the secondary tight end behind Zach Ertz in Philly. And hey, if Rodgers gets hurt again, we know Burton can pass ...

5. Upgrade at backup quarterback. In all seriousness, though, the Brett Hundley experience was not fun. McCarthy wasn't willing to overwrite his offense and play to Hundley's strengths, which led to weeks of checkdowns and punts. Rodgers probably isn't going to miss nine games again, but he's getting older and has missed at least one game in four of his 10 seasons as a starter.

The Packers aren't going to find anyone on earth who can do what Rodgers does, but someone they trust to throw the football would be nice. Mike Glennon didn't work as a starter in Chicago, but he's qualified to serve as a backup and had at least some modest success during stretches in both Chicago and Tampa Bay. I'm reaching, but Glennon getting $18.5 million in guarantees is a different proposition from Glennon getting $4 million as a backup.

[Flames24Rulz]

Bears fans despise Glennon, but from what I saw, he looked competent outside of the game against us when he played this year. He'd be a better backup option than Hundley would be, that's for sure.

[Kerb Hohl]

I was a Glennon truther when he was playing with Tampa. Fox is similar to Jeff Fisher in mishandling these guys. I'm not saying that Glennon is Foles but in the right offense he could be productive.

[Ron Swanson]

So is the article assuming the Bears are simply gonna cut Glennon? Have to imagine that's quite a bit of dead money considering they just signed him to that deal last offseason.

[MickeyDavis]

So is the article assuming the Bears are simply gonna cut Glennon? Have to imagine that's quite a bit of dead money considering they just signed him to that deal last offseason.

That's his #1 for Chicago

1. Cut Mike Glennon and a few others. Well, that didn't work. The Bears will save $13.5 million by releasing Glennon, and they could free up an additional $13.5 million by moving on from cornerback Marcus Cooper, linebacker Jerrell Freeman and wideout Markus Wheaton, which would get them to about $66 million in cap space.

[Kerb Hohl]

So is the article assuming the Bears are simply gonna cut Glennon? Have to imagine that's quite a bit of dead money considering they just signed him to that deal last offseason.

That’s the fake news about it. The contract was essentially a 1-year deal but everyone latched on to the 2-year dollar amount and believed that was the guarantee so they could all make their twitter reactions.

$4 million in dead money but I think it’s worth it for them knowing how it didn’t work out.

[Turk Nowitzki]

It's actually amazing that everyone still looks at and references the non-guaranteed contract numbers when it comes to NFL contracts. It's 2018, we should know better by now.

[Ron Swanson]

Yeah, guaranteed money is the only thing that matters in the NFL. I just thought he got more guaranteed dollars than that.

[Flames24Rulz]

Bears are cutting Sitton. Not saying it's likely, but if he wants to come back for cheap, it makes a ton of sense considering RG is one of the holes that need to be filled on offense.

[humanrefutation]

Bears are cutting Sitton. Not saying it's likely, but if he wants to come back for cheap, it makes a ton of sense considering RG is one of the holes that need to be filled on offense.

After that acrimonious departure, I doubt they'd bring him back.

[MickeyDavis]

With the Peters trade, Trumaine Johnson will be on the market. Josh Sitton too (Bears declining option). No way Sitton comes back, no way.

[humanrefutation]

If Dez gets onto the market, I'd love for the Packers to take a look at him.

[RRyder823]

If we're going make a splash in FA I think the list for me goes:

1: Johnson
2: Butler
3: Fuller

All CBs and landing any of the 3 instantly makes us set at CB 1-3.

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[humanrefutation]

Packers are making progress towards an extension with Aaron.

[neiLz]

6 year 175 mil. With 82-90 guaranteed get er done. Can spread the guarantee over the final two years plus the six years of extension. Reduce the cap number this year. Sign a cb or three.

[WeekapaugGroove]

It's actually amazing that everyone still looks at and references the non-guaranteed contract numbers when it comes to NFL contracts. It's 2018, we should know better by now.

I actually think it's shifted a little too far the other way where all the NFL media folks talk about is the guaranteed money. It really all depends on the player. For boarderline guys like Glennon then yes it's more important to focus on the guarantee. But for good young players or franchise QB's like Rodgers then the whole contract number is important because those guys typically play out the majority of those deals and make all the money reported.

[crkone]

Rodgers has got to be waiting for the Cousins' contract, right?

[ReasonablySober]

Tyrann Mathieu sounds like a name to watch in the next three weeks. I think the Cards can basically get out from his deal cleanly if they cut him by mid-March.

[MickeyDavis]

I can't see Rodgers signing anything before Cousins does.

[MickeyDavis]

Tyrann Mathieu sounds like a name to watch in the next three weeks. I think the Cards can basically get out from his deal cleanly if they cut him by mid-March.

Interesting