Donald Driver unhappy. Wants a new deal.

[Joemailman]

If there was a thread in the romper room about middle east peace, would it get turned into a Favre thread somehow?

Come to think of it isn't that Netanyahu guy back as P.M.? Wasn't he the P.M. once, then was run out of town, and now he's back? But I digress.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Driver staying away because he wants more money makes little sense. He's 34 and makes good money now. The Packers have reworked his deal twice in the last 3 years. Why would Driver get contentious about it?

[Patler]

I would bet it is not about the money he is getting now, or next year as much as it is about the length of the contract. Driver has said at times that he would like to play five more years; and he probably wants some indication that the Packers would like him to do so too. Under TT they have brought in a lot of young talent at his position, and he probably wants to see their intentions.

I am even more convinced that that is Collins' issue too, if you believe his agent that Collins wouldn't be there even without the death of his father. I don't think he is upset with the money this year, he just wants security for the future.

I know contracts are not guaranteed and all that, but with what has happened to Tauscher, players realize that even a good player can get left out with an untimely injury as their contract expire. If Tauscher had years left on the contract, he would be rehabbing with the Packers and might likely be a candidate for the PUP list at the start of the season. It's a better situation than being without a team and trying to rehab while convincing another team to sign you at some point.

Sure, in the end it is about money, but based on longevity more than the pay in one single season.

[Fritz]

Good point, Patler, but this brings up an interesting dilemma. If you're the Packers, and you have a core of young, up-and-coming receivers, do you extend Driver?

I might try to play the middle - maybe add a year so he could play into 2011. It may not badd up to the five years Driver wants, but it's an extra year onto the two more he has. I don't think you can do much more than that - do you want a 36 year old receiver with another two or three years on a contract? Probably not.

[Patler]

Good point, Patler, but this brings up an interesting dilemma. If you're the Packers, and you have a core of young, up-and-coming receivers, do you extend Driver?

I might try to play the middle - maybe add a year so he could play into 2011. It may not badd up to the five years Driver wants, but it's an extra year onto the two more he has. I don't think you can do much more than that - do you want a 36 year old receiver with another two or three years on a contract? Probably not.

I wouldn't care how long the extension is if there is not a lot of signing money tied to it. If he wants three years, I would give him three years if there isn't a big signing bonus involved. The only real downside for the team is a public relations hit if they find it necessary to release him after a couple years. But the fans usually get over it relatively quickly.

[Fritz]

What would be the salary cap implications of an extension? If none of it or little of it was guaranteed, it would provide no security to Driver, then - so what would be the point for him? If there was guaranteed money, then would you be heading to sal cap trouble?

[Patler]

What would be the salary cap implications of an extension? If none of it or little of it was guaranteed, it would provide no security to Driver, then - so what would be the point for him? If there was guaranteed money, then would you be heading to sal cap trouble?

I'm sure there would be some signing bonus, but if its just a few million dollars it won't have any huge cap implication. Just a few million means a lot more to a player like Driver who hasn't had a huge contract, than it does to the Packers. It also gives him that little bit of security that if he continues to play well, he at least has a contract. Beyond that there is no security for an NFL player.

[sheepshead]

If there was a thread in the romper room about middle east peace, would it get turned into a Favre thread somehow?

[sheepshead]

Good point, Patler, but this brings up an interesting dilemma. If you're the Packers, and you have a core of young, up-and-coming receivers, do you extend Driver?

I might try to play the middle - maybe add a year so he could play into 2011. It may not badd up to the five years Driver wants, but it's an extra year onto the two more he has. I don't think you can do much more than that - do you want a 36 year old receiver with another two or three years on a contract? Probably not.

That's really the question here. Where did I hear he was trade bait in the off-season?

[Fritz]

What would be the salary cap implications of an extension? If none of it or little of it was guaranteed, it would provide no security to Driver, then - so what would be the point for him? If there was guaranteed money, then would you be heading to sal cap trouble?

I'm sure there would be some signing bonus, but if its just a few million dollars it won't have any huge cap implication. Just a few million means a lot more to a player like Driver who hasn't had a huge contract, than it does to the Packers. It also gives him that little bit of security that if he continues to play well, he at least has a contract. Beyond that there is no security for an NFL player.

Funny how a few million dollars - which would be a life-altering piece of income for me and most people here - would be, for Driver, just a little bit of feel-good security money.

But I'd be okay if the Pack did it. Driver has proven he'll work hard when he's well paid.

[Bossman641]

But I'd be okay if the Pack did it. Driver has proven he'll work hard when he's well paid.

Does anyone know where Driver's current pay fits in the scale relative to other WR's? I would have to think his position is fairly close to where most would rank him in terms of WR's.

[Patler]

But I'd be okay if the Pack did it. Driver has proven he'll work hard when he's well paid.

Does anyone know where Driver's current pay fits in the scale relative to other WR's? I would have to think his position is fairly close to where most would rank him in terms of WR's.

That's hard to really say, because you can look at such things as new money each year, overall guaranteed money, overall compensation received for a period of seasons, etc. A simple, although perhaps not overly meaningful comparison is the cap value in any one season. Driver's cap value for 2009, reported at about $6.5 million, would have been #11 on the list of cap values for wide receivers in 2008.

[Scott Campbell]

But I'd be okay if the Pack did it. Driver has proven he'll work hard when he's well paid.

Does anyone know where Driver's current pay fits in the scale relative to other WR's? I would have to think his position is fairly close to where most would rank him in terms of WR's.

That's hard to really say, because you can look at such things as new money each year, overall guaranteed money, overall compensation received for a period of seasons, etc. A simple, although perhaps not overly meaningful comparison is the cap value in any one season. Driver's cap value for 2009, reported at about $6.5 million, would have been #11 on the list of cap values for wide receivers in 2008.

Seems pretty fair to me.

[Deputy Nutz]

Look at that camera behind Favre. In front of the lime light, says it all. When the cameras are off, he's in his own changing room, away from the team and doesn't show up to offseason work.

Is the real Favre the Favre with the camera on or camera off? I think we know the answer.

Troll.

[Bossman641]

But I'd be okay if the Pack did it. Driver has proven he'll work hard when he's well paid.

Does anyone know where Driver's current pay fits in the scale relative to other WR's? I would have to think his position is fairly close to where most would rank him in terms of WR's.

That's hard to really say, because you can look at such things as new money each year, overall guaranteed money, overall compensation received for a period of seasons, etc. A simple, although perhaps not overly meaningful comparison is the cap value in any one season. Driver's cap value for 2009, reported at about $6.5 million, would have been #11 on the list of cap values for wide receivers in 2008.

Thanks Patler. I knew the ranking would be hard to quantify for the reasons listed above, but you've given us a starting point.