Brando19
03-01-2007, 09:11 PM
Since becoming the Green Bay Packers’ General Manager in 2005, Ted Thompson has avoided jumping into the highest-stakes waters of early free agency, and there’s not much reason to think he’ll change that strategy this year even with a little more than $20 million in salary-cap room.
For instance, one the most coveted player in free agency this year is Baltimore linebacker-defensive end Adelius Thomas, who at 29 could help the Packers’ defense at linebacker on early downs and rush end on passing downs, and whose agent, Bus Cook, has a long history with the Packers.
But when free agency begins tonight at 11:01 p.m., the Packers don’t appear likely to be a major player in the Adelius Thomas stakes. The reality of the NFL is Thomas’ agent probably talked about parameters of a deal with a team or two last week at the NFL Scouting Combine, and the likely bidding that could be finished tonight or Friday will be outrageous from Thompson’s point of view.
"I think it will be pretty similar to all free-agent years," Thompson said. "I think there’ll be some deals done that raise eyebrows, and there will be some teams that make good decisions and there’ll be some teams that make mistakes. It’s not unlike the draft. Even though these are proven players, you still sometimes make mistakes in free agency because what you’re buying may not be exactly what you think you’re getting."
Though Thompson clearly has established he’s even more draft-oriented than most GMs when it comes to building his team, and after waiting through the first major waves of signings last year, he became active and succeeded on two of his three signings: cornerback Charles Woodson and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett, to whom he doled out about $11 million and $6.5 million, respectively, in first-year pay.
Safety Marquand Manuel, the cheapest of Thompson’s three free agents at $2.96 million in first-year pay, was the lone disappointment.
This year, Thompson has the salary-cap room to be as active as he likes. After extending the contract of defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins this week at a cost of $3.76 million, the Packers are about $21 million under the cap, and Thompson no doubt will look to upgrade some positions with some of that money before and after the NFL draft. His priority positions probably will be safety, tight end and receiver, though you can’t count out backup cornerback, defensive line and running back if he can’t re-sign Ahman Green.
What makes this year’s free-agency period especially interesting overall is how the huge $7 million jump in the salary cap, to $109 million, affects spending this first week.
Teams are flush with cap room — San Francisco leads with more than $37 million. But with the failure of a team ever to win a championship mostly via free agency, it will be worth watching whether many teams spend wildly for free agents or use a good portion of their extra cap room to extend the contract of core players, as the Packers did with Jenkins and are looking to do with linebacker Nick Barnett.
“I think it will be pretty similar to all free-agent years,†Thompson said. “I think there’ll be some deals done that raise eyebrows, and there will be some teams that make good decisions and there’ll be some teams that make mistakes. It’s not unlike the draft — even though these are proven players you still sometimes make mistakes in free agency because what you’re buying may not be exactly what you think you’re getting.â€
If the Packers make a serious play for Thomas, they’d probably be looking at him as a strong-side linebacker on early downs as an outside rusher on passing downs. That would eliminate the need for defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and his $5 million salary.
But Thomas’ unusual versatility makes him more valuable for teams that run a 3-4 defense, where a coach can maximize his ability to play multiple positions. The 49ers, whose coach, Mike Nolan, was Thomas’ defensive coordinator in Baltimore from 2002-04, appear to be a front-runner for signing him.
This week, the Packers have been trying to re-sign Green and backup tight end David Martin and were working hard to get something done as late as today. There was no indication whether they were close to a deal with either, though Green is a priority as long as the 30-year-old’s price doesn’t include a big signing bonus but perhaps allows him to make up that kind of money with roster and playing incentives.
“We’re having conversations,†Thompson said of team negotiator Andrew Brandt and Green’s agent, “and again you never know when that last conversation takes place that you have a deal. But we’re trying, and we’ve made clear all along we’d like to have him back.â€
Because of most team’s ample cap room and growing sophistication working in the salary-cap system, this year’s group of free-agents generally is thin in quality because teams rarely allow game-changing players to get to free agency.
For instance, this is an especially weak year at receiver. However, a potentially interesting one became available today when New Orleans cut Joe Horn, a four-time Pro Bowler who was to make $4.45 million this season. At age 35 he still might have another season or two as a Nos. 2 or 3 receiver, and he has a good relationship with Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who was Horn’s offensive coordinator in New Orleans from 2000-04.
Also, Philadelphia’s Donte Stallworth has some big-play ability at receiver, though he’s had chronic injury problems as well. The 26-year-old Stallworth also played for McCarthy in New Orleans from 2002-04.
Then there’s the possibility of the Packers trading for Oakland receiver Randy Moss sometime this offseason. The Packers have discussed the possibility, but for now the Raiders are asking for a high draft pick, which is anathema for the draft-oriented Thompson.
However, it’s almost a given that Moss won’t be returning to the Raiders this season — his relationship with the organization has deteriorated, and he’s scheduled to make $9.75 million this year. Teams know that, and his checkered past for both on and off-the-field behavior plus his seemingly declining skills at age 30 further limits what the Raiders can get for him. So perhaps later in the spring the Packers could become a good candidate if the price is, say, a mid-round draft pick, or a stop-gap starter and a later-round pick. For that to work, though, Moss and the Packers also would have to work out a new contract at a reduced price from the $9.75 million he’s due this year and $11.25 million next year.
New England’s Daniel Graham is generally considered the best prospect of a weak tight-end group, but he’s not the receiving-threat tight end that the Packers need, so he probably isn’t of much interest to Thompson. While working in Seattle, Thompson drafted free agent Jerramy Stevens, who has ample physical talent, but he’s been prone to excessive drops and playing poorly in big games.
At safety, Jacksonville’s Deon Grant, who turns 28 this month, and Ken Hamlin, another former Thompson draft pick in Seattle, are two of the top prospects. Thompson drafted Hamlin in the second round for Seattle in 2003, and Hamlin has generally played well. However, the Packers would have to check especially closely into him medically because he sustained a severe head wound in an off-the-field incident that ended his 2005 season after six games. He came back this year, but before making a big investment in him teams will want to know whether he’s an excessive concussion risk.
For instance, one the most coveted player in free agency this year is Baltimore linebacker-defensive end Adelius Thomas, who at 29 could help the Packers’ defense at linebacker on early downs and rush end on passing downs, and whose agent, Bus Cook, has a long history with the Packers.
But when free agency begins tonight at 11:01 p.m., the Packers don’t appear likely to be a major player in the Adelius Thomas stakes. The reality of the NFL is Thomas’ agent probably talked about parameters of a deal with a team or two last week at the NFL Scouting Combine, and the likely bidding that could be finished tonight or Friday will be outrageous from Thompson’s point of view.
"I think it will be pretty similar to all free-agent years," Thompson said. "I think there’ll be some deals done that raise eyebrows, and there will be some teams that make good decisions and there’ll be some teams that make mistakes. It’s not unlike the draft. Even though these are proven players, you still sometimes make mistakes in free agency because what you’re buying may not be exactly what you think you’re getting."
Though Thompson clearly has established he’s even more draft-oriented than most GMs when it comes to building his team, and after waiting through the first major waves of signings last year, he became active and succeeded on two of his three signings: cornerback Charles Woodson and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett, to whom he doled out about $11 million and $6.5 million, respectively, in first-year pay.
Safety Marquand Manuel, the cheapest of Thompson’s three free agents at $2.96 million in first-year pay, was the lone disappointment.
This year, Thompson has the salary-cap room to be as active as he likes. After extending the contract of defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins this week at a cost of $3.76 million, the Packers are about $21 million under the cap, and Thompson no doubt will look to upgrade some positions with some of that money before and after the NFL draft. His priority positions probably will be safety, tight end and receiver, though you can’t count out backup cornerback, defensive line and running back if he can’t re-sign Ahman Green.
What makes this year’s free-agency period especially interesting overall is how the huge $7 million jump in the salary cap, to $109 million, affects spending this first week.
Teams are flush with cap room — San Francisco leads with more than $37 million. But with the failure of a team ever to win a championship mostly via free agency, it will be worth watching whether many teams spend wildly for free agents or use a good portion of their extra cap room to extend the contract of core players, as the Packers did with Jenkins and are looking to do with linebacker Nick Barnett.
“I think it will be pretty similar to all free-agent years,†Thompson said. “I think there’ll be some deals done that raise eyebrows, and there will be some teams that make good decisions and there’ll be some teams that make mistakes. It’s not unlike the draft — even though these are proven players you still sometimes make mistakes in free agency because what you’re buying may not be exactly what you think you’re getting.â€
If the Packers make a serious play for Thomas, they’d probably be looking at him as a strong-side linebacker on early downs as an outside rusher on passing downs. That would eliminate the need for defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and his $5 million salary.
But Thomas’ unusual versatility makes him more valuable for teams that run a 3-4 defense, where a coach can maximize his ability to play multiple positions. The 49ers, whose coach, Mike Nolan, was Thomas’ defensive coordinator in Baltimore from 2002-04, appear to be a front-runner for signing him.
This week, the Packers have been trying to re-sign Green and backup tight end David Martin and were working hard to get something done as late as today. There was no indication whether they were close to a deal with either, though Green is a priority as long as the 30-year-old’s price doesn’t include a big signing bonus but perhaps allows him to make up that kind of money with roster and playing incentives.
“We’re having conversations,†Thompson said of team negotiator Andrew Brandt and Green’s agent, “and again you never know when that last conversation takes place that you have a deal. But we’re trying, and we’ve made clear all along we’d like to have him back.â€
Because of most team’s ample cap room and growing sophistication working in the salary-cap system, this year’s group of free-agents generally is thin in quality because teams rarely allow game-changing players to get to free agency.
For instance, this is an especially weak year at receiver. However, a potentially interesting one became available today when New Orleans cut Joe Horn, a four-time Pro Bowler who was to make $4.45 million this season. At age 35 he still might have another season or two as a Nos. 2 or 3 receiver, and he has a good relationship with Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who was Horn’s offensive coordinator in New Orleans from 2000-04.
Also, Philadelphia’s Donte Stallworth has some big-play ability at receiver, though he’s had chronic injury problems as well. The 26-year-old Stallworth also played for McCarthy in New Orleans from 2002-04.
Then there’s the possibility of the Packers trading for Oakland receiver Randy Moss sometime this offseason. The Packers have discussed the possibility, but for now the Raiders are asking for a high draft pick, which is anathema for the draft-oriented Thompson.
However, it’s almost a given that Moss won’t be returning to the Raiders this season — his relationship with the organization has deteriorated, and he’s scheduled to make $9.75 million this year. Teams know that, and his checkered past for both on and off-the-field behavior plus his seemingly declining skills at age 30 further limits what the Raiders can get for him. So perhaps later in the spring the Packers could become a good candidate if the price is, say, a mid-round draft pick, or a stop-gap starter and a later-round pick. For that to work, though, Moss and the Packers also would have to work out a new contract at a reduced price from the $9.75 million he’s due this year and $11.25 million next year.
New England’s Daniel Graham is generally considered the best prospect of a weak tight-end group, but he’s not the receiving-threat tight end that the Packers need, so he probably isn’t of much interest to Thompson. While working in Seattle, Thompson drafted free agent Jerramy Stevens, who has ample physical talent, but he’s been prone to excessive drops and playing poorly in big games.
At safety, Jacksonville’s Deon Grant, who turns 28 this month, and Ken Hamlin, another former Thompson draft pick in Seattle, are two of the top prospects. Thompson drafted Hamlin in the second round for Seattle in 2003, and Hamlin has generally played well. However, the Packers would have to check especially closely into him medically because he sustained a severe head wound in an off-the-field incident that ended his 2005 season after six games. He came back this year, but before making a big investment in him teams will want to know whether he’s an excessive concussion risk.