Packers 2011 Free Agency News: James Jones Retained with a Three-Year Deal
Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Packers have come to terms with wide receiver James Jones. It was rumored that Jones would opt for a deal with the Minnesota Vikings where he would likely start at the No. 1 and No. 2 position.
If Ted Thompson doesn’t produce a big name signing, I think most Packers fans will accept this as the biggest accomplishment this off-season. James Jones is one of the best young slot receivers in the league who is ready to start, but appears satisfied to compete for playing time on a Super Bowl caliber team with an MVP-caliber quarterback. In the event that Greg Jennings or Donald Driver goes down for a few games, Jones will supply similar numbers.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers lobbied for the resigning of James Jones early in the off-season. Over his career Jones has had an issue with fumbling and dropping easy passes. He seems to possess all the tools to become a productive starting wide receiver and will likely ascend to Donald Driver’s throne.
Packers 2011 Free Agency News: Five Veterans Cut, Two Free Agents Not Retained
Today was the first day that NFL teams were allowed to sign restricted and unrestricted free agents. All across deals were going public and we even discovered that the Philadelphia Eagles won the Nnamdi Asomugha lottery, and Kevin Kolb is now a $63 million dollar man.
For the Packers, Friday saw some familiar faces leave, including defensive tackle Justin Harrell, offensive lineman Mark Tauscher, linebackers Nick Barnett, Brandon Chillar, and Brady Poppinga. Running-back Brandon Jackson is off to the Cleveland Browns where he will likely share a decent amount of carries with Madden ’12 cover man Peyton Hillis. Lastly, Jason Spitz signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. According to FOXSports.com, former Packer Aaron Kampman helped to convince Spitz.
No official news on whether or not Cullen Jenkins and James Jones are headed to other places.
Packers fans probably won’t shed too many tears for the loss of the five veterans, although I am personally disappointed with the loss of Barnett. Tauscher’s best years are behind him and I think it is time for one of the most memorable Packers offensive lineman to hang up his cleats. Many fans should be upset with Justin Harrell, if not Ted Thompson for drafting him. Harrell never played in four full games. For a first round draft pick that is a very sorry thing to hear. At least Ted realized his miscalculation, and cut his loss.
Chillar and Poppinga were the weak links in the linebackers for much of their time in Green Bay, but neither can say they did not play a part in winning a few football games. They will both receive more opportunities to play NFL football, just not with the Super Bowl Champions.
With all of the cap room Thompson seems to be created, is it possible that the usually low key free agent manager is making room for a big signing? With the rest of the NFC notably improving over this off-season, Thompson would be wise to keep an eye out for a bargain buy that will help to bolster an already formidable team.
Packers 2011 Free Agency News: Daryn Colledge and James Jones Looking to Leave Packers
Jeff Sperbeck is the agent of the 29 year-old Packers veteran offensive lineman. In a conversation with Tom Silverstein, the agent said that ‘it was looking very positive’ for Daryn Colledge to be going to another team. He later gave a specific team name saying that “The Cardinals have expressed serious interest.”
Daryn Colledge is one of the more reliable lineman we have at Green Bay and I have indeed considered that he can be the long term solution at right guard. However, with the drafting of Derek Sherrod, it is likely that Colledge would be out of the starting lineup in the coming seasons. According to Sperbeck, Colledge’s deal with the Arizona Cardinals will pay him “similar numbers” of what he was asking for with the Packers.
This probably feels like a loss for Ted Thompson right now. He is losing a veteran offensive lineman to rely on when the season gets tough. Thompson was willing to pay the price, but Colledge seems to believe that the Arizona Cardinals is where he would like to play football and there is nothing Ted can do about it.
Perhaps Thompson will go shopping for a replacement. Getting better protection for Aaron Rodgers has to be the number one priority for the general manager.
Wide Receiver James Jones has been linked to the Vikings, but according to JSOnline no deal has been hammered out yet. Jones will join the list of ex-Packers that left to join the Minnesota Vikings. The list carries some of the most beloved Packers in recent times, but this move is smart for James.
In Green Bay he is the No. 3 option receiver behind Greg Jennings and Donald Driver. Jones is 27 years old and he could be tired of being a slot receiver. In Minnesota he will be competing for the No. 1 and No. 2 receiver spot (Percy Harvin is the team’s best receiver, but he plays in the slot). What is puzzling is that he would leave one of the best quarterbacks in the league for a team that doesn’t yet have their starting quarterback named.
Packers 2011 Free Agency News: Kicker Mason Crosby To Sign Five-Year Contract Extension
Early Wednesday morning Mike McCarthy reported to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the team has reached a deal with the 26 year-old kicker.
“He’s thrilled. He’s back with the Super Bowl champs.” McCarthy said after mentioning that the new rule change that moves the kickoff to the 35-yard line will benefit Crosby and he will “be able to show off that powerful leg.”
This should bring a smile to the face of every Packers fan. Since Crosby joined the team in 2007 he has shown the Packers that he can be one of the best long field goal kickers in the league. His career accuracy is a solid 78.1% and he has kicked a 50+ yard field goal each of his four seasons.
There is something to be said about the fact that he has never had a field goal percentage of above 80% in a season. He doesn’t seem to have that Adam Vinatieri or Rob Bironas reliability, but there are probably over 25 other NFL teams that would love to have Crosby on their squad. He is still very young and has plenty of time to work on his accuracy. If he can do that, there is nothing stopping him from being able to retire a Green Bay Packer.
Linebacker Nick Barnett Announces That He Expects to Leave Team
Earlier today, star linebacker Nick Barnett posted a series of ‘tweets’ implying that his time with the Packers will soon come to an end.
“Just met with Ted, Thanks for the great 8 years. Very blessed 2 be apart of such a great tradition and great fans.. Happy I was able to be here for the great xlv run… I will always keep a Special place in my heart for this team and city..”- Nick Barnett’s twitter account.
Barnett has been with the team his entire career since he was drafted in the first round back in 2003. Since his rookie season he has been featured in the starting lineup 107 times in the regular season, and started eight playoff games. The announcement should not come has a huge surprise to Packers fans, especially after the restructuring of A.J. Hawk’s contract, and the emergence of Desmond Bishop and of course, Clay Matthews. Even though Barnett spent two seasons on the injured reserved list, he has still been very productive for the Packers and while his departure is not a surprise, he will surely be missed by the other linebackers.
In his Green Bay career, Nick Barnett totaled 787 tackles, 575 of them solo tackles, which comes out to a very impressive solo tackle percentage of 73%. He has not recorded an interception since the 2007 season and has only four sacks over the past three years. The Packers have not released an official statement on their plans for Nick Barnett, and Barnett’s tweets do not give any specific detail so for now we are forced to speculate that the Packers (or Barnett) decided that there was no place for him in Green Bay anymore. With his performance declining over the past three seasons, it is likely that there was a mutual agreement between both parties.
Personally, Nick Barnett has been one of my favorite Packers of the last decade. He plays hard, hits hard, and is a versatile linebacker. However, he was never much of a pass rusher, which seems to be what Dom Capers looks for in his linebackers. I am disappointed to see him leave, but I wish him the best of luck and hope that he goes to a winning team that deserves a winning player.
