"Patience While the Packers Grow Up"

[vince]

I think 21.5 million is enough to get this done, but does anybody know offhand which players have contracts expiring the year after this one (i.e. guys who would be in the situation described in the article a year from now)?

Contracts Set to Expire in 2010

Donald Driver
Cullen Jenkins
Brandon Jackson
James Jones
Aaron Rouse
Alan Barbre
Corey Hall
Desmond Bishop
Mason Crosby
Brett Goode
Danny Lansanah

It's likely a much easier task after this year. I wouldn't project many big challenges on this list.

[Joemailman]

I think 21.5 million is enough to get this done, but does anybody know offhand which players have contracts expiring the year after this one (i.e. guys who would be in the situation described in the article a year from now)?

Donald Driver
Brandon Jackson
James Jones
Aaron Rouse
Allen Barbre
Corey Hall
Desmond Bishop
Mason Crosby
Brett Goode
Danny Lansanah

Not sure about Anthony Smith and Duke Preston.

[Partial]

Team will be fine over the next few years as TT is building enough depth to let some of the young, good players go that he'd have to pay an arm and a leg to keep.

Keep your stars. I <3 the contract he gave Jennings, but I'm not crazy about greatly overpaying for an unproven Rodgers (though this contract will probably look much better in a year or two given the way contracts are going to explode given the CBA being renegoiated). Let the replaceable guys go and get paid by somebody else.

This team will be really, really good if Raji is a star. The really desperately need one more super star.

[vince]

Not sure about Anthony Smith and Duke Preston.

Smith and Preston both signed two-year deals, which would add them to the 2010 list as well.
Smith
Preston

[Gunakor]

Keep your stars. I <3 the contract he gave Jennings, but I'm not crazy about greatly overpaying for an unproven Rodgers (though this contract will probably look much better in a year or two given the way contracts are going to explode given the CBA being renegoiated).

Rodgers' contract is heavy on the front end. It looks bigger than it really is. His cap number last year was around 12 million. This year it's slightly less than 10 million. Next year it drops considerably, to about 6 million. Then 7.5 the year after that. He's probably not going to put up 4k every year, but lets say he puts up 3.5k for the next 3 seasons and the team record improves by 2 wins per season - I don't think that's too unrealistic an expectation. In 2011 we'll have a QB who threw for 3500 yards and helped lead his team to a 12-4 record playing for a measly 7.5 million dollars in a league full of 14 million dollar starting quarterbacks. Bargain. I'll take it.

[cpk1994]

Ted Thompson has what ? Four more years on his contract.

I believe both TT and M3 took advantage of The Packers 2007 season to quickly sign 5 years extensions. woo-yeh.....

Fixed for accuracy. Brett wasn't responsible for 2007 alone.

The 2007 Packers with Favre have a 13-3 regular season record. The Green Bay Packers are also NFCN Champions and runner-up to the NFC Champion and Super Bowl Champion NY Giants.

The 2008 Packers without Favre are 6-9. Yes! Headed in a new direction.

Brett doesn't play defense of special teams. You know, the units that went from top 10 to bottom 10. Favre wasn't the sole reason for 2007. That is pure BS Favre cult propaganda.

[ThunderDan]

Ted Thompson has what ? Four more years on his contract.

I believe both TT and M3 took advantage of The Packers 2007 season to quickly sign 5 years extensions. woo-yeh.....

Fixed for accuracy. Brett wasn't responsible for 2007 alone.

The 2007 Packers with Favre have a 13-3 regular season record. The Green Bay Packers are also NFCN Champions and runner-up to the NFC Champion and Super Bowl Champion NY Giants.

The 2008 Packers without Favre are 6-9. Yes! Headed in a new direction.

I was sure we played in 16 games in 2008 and no way were we as good as 6-9, maybe more like 6-10.

[Packnut]

BS

Ted Thompson has what ? Four more years on his contract.

I believe both TT and M3 took advantage of The Packers 2007 season to quickly sign 5 years extensions. woo-yeh.....

Fixed for accuracy. Brett wasn't responsible for 2007 alone.

The 2007 Packers with Favre have a 13-3 regular season record. The Green Bay Packers are also NFCN Champions and runner-up to the NFC Champion and Super Bowl Champion NY Giants.

The 2008 Packers without Favre are 6-9. Yes! Headed in a new direction.

Brett doesn't play defense of special teams. You know, the units that went from top 10 to bottom 10. Favre wasn't the sole reason for 2007. That is pure BS Favre cult propaganda.

The flip side of your BS ANTI-Favre cult propaganda.......

[The Shadow]

Building a quality team takes time.
Thank God Thompson saw the team that reached the NFC title game had reached it's ceiling and changes had to be made.
He took the heat and made the necessary tough calls.
The future is bright.

[The Leaper]

The team is set up well going forward IMO. None of the free agents we have are key components...Thompson did well to lock up 2 of those already in Rodgers and Jennings. The thing with Thompson's draft strategy is...he always has guys coming up behind the 3-5 year vets. That wasn't true his first 2-3 years, because he had to restock the cupboard that Sherman had left bare.

The key now is coaching...because our defense looked frustrated way too often last season, and our special teams took a huge step backward. We need the new coaches to step up and dial the team into this new defensive system.

[vince]

I think 21.5 million is enough to get this done,

Colledge, Collins, Kampman, Pickett, Spitz, Bigby, Williams, Blackmon, Jolly, Chillar,...

As the devil's advocate, if special teams guy Jarrett Bush got a $1 million signing bonus, Grant with no leverage and a half year starting in got $4 mil, and Rodgers and Jennings got upwards of $10 mil, what do each of these guys warrant under a pay-as-you-go approach? What would you be pushing for if you had the track record of Aaron Kampman? How about Collins coming off what will presumably be 5 years of starting and a pro bowl - all under a rookie contract?

It may be doable, but it'll be very tight and there is a distinct possibility that a guy like Kampman doesn't fit, not to mention the possibility of losing Clifton, Jolly and Chillar altogether (Not that I'm suggesting any of that is catastrophic).

Some of these guys may get pushed into free agency and threaten to go elsewhere or at minimum have their signings go to next year's non-cap year (if that's what happens), and be added to the shorter list of key guys - Driver, Jenkins, Barbre (potentially), Jackson and Crosby. Since Tramon will still be an RFA, perhaps that makes the most sense. I believe Bigby would be an RFA next year as well due to the possible added year of RFA.

[vince]

Collins' Pro Bowl starting partner at Safety, Adrian Wilson, just signed this deal with the Cardinals earlier this month...

6/4/2009: Signed a five-year, $36.5 million contract. The deal contains $15.5 million guaranteed, including a $1 million signing bonus and Wilson's base salaries in years one and two. Another $2.5 million is available through incentives. $250,000 workout bonuses are available in years two through five. 2009: $8.5 million, 2010: $6.5 million, 2011: $3 million (+ $3 million roster bonus), 2012: $6.5 million, 2013: $7.5 million, 2014: Free Agent. Cap charge: $10.2 million (2009).

Perhaps Canty's deal is somewhat comparable to the ballpark Kampman might want except Kampman probably can't command a six-year deal, which would restrict the cap spread.

3/1/2009: Signed a six-year, $42 million contract. The deal contains $16 million guaranteed, including an $8.5 million signing bonus, Canty's first-year base salary, and $3.75 million of his year-two salary. $250,000 workout bonuses are available in years two through six. 2009: $3.75 million (+ $1.25 million roster bonus), 2010: $4.5 million, 2011: $5.25 million, 2012: $6 million, 2013: $6.25 million, 2014: $6.5 million, 2015: Free Agent. Cap charges: $5.45 million (2009), $6.45 million (2010), $7.2 million (2011), $7.95 million (2012), $8.2 million (2013), $6.75 million (2014).

And here's what OG Chris Snee re-signed for before last year when his contract came due with the Giants... I'm not saying Colledge is equal to Chris Snee, but this contract is now a couple years old, so it's at least something to compare and contrast against.

Here are the details of the new six-year extension for Giants G Chris Snee, according to his agent, Noel LaMontagne of EAS Sports:

* Total value of $41.25 million without escalators. With escalators, the max value of the deal is $43.5 million.
* $13.5-million signing bonus.
* Base salary average of $6.875 million.
* $17 million guaranteed.
* $23 million in the first three years of the contract.

Snee's salary for the upcoming season remains the same, but was incorporated in the new contract so the actual figure will change.

Some work will need to be done to restrict cap hits for each of these guys if their contracts are to be re-upped beginning with this year. It looks like the days of front-loading cap hits are over for the foreseeable future, and it's a good thing Thompson has had the foresight many here have lacked to carry cap space forward the last few years to cash in this year.

[Scott Campbell]

Nice work Vince.

I expect that cap money is reserved for guys that are 1) franchise cornerstones and 2) players that offer a good value for their contract amount. Players caught in between are why we have all those draft picks on the bottom of your roster.

[prsnfoto]

Colledge,(Nothing special) Collins(Above average), Kampman(Star), Pickett(Above average), Spitz(Average), Bigby(nothing special), Williams(nothing special), Blackmon(nothing special), Jolly(nothing special), Chillar(Average)


I think a lot on this board way over value some of our players and TT's drafting ability. They have a below average o-line, d-line, and running game, average LB's, and above average secondary,recievers and QB. Special teams is a complete joke and 99% of that falls directly in TT's lap. He got rid of the punter and best special teams player and replaced them with "HIS" guys and it was a fucktard move.

If there is not vast improvement this year the contracts won't be TT's problem anyhow!

[vince]

We can agree or disagree about which players up for renewal are studs or duds prsn, but this thread is about what to do with them. Are you proposing the Packers should let all those Bozo's walk next year?

If you're proposing the Packers should let TT walk, then I suggest starting a new thread about it.