Hawk Cut

[vince]

The Packers cut A.J. Hawk today.

Per Adam Schefter

[Freak Out]

Wow. TT makes a big call.

[Smidgeon]

I guess that renders the debate in the other thread moot. I'm guessing they'll still try to get him back, though at a reasonable rate.

Any other cuts?

[swede]

Wow.

I am surprised and I am not happy to lose the guy. But if it means we keep Raji and CMIII and other young stars then we must remind ourselves that this is a business.

[vince]

Follow up tweet from Schefter.

Keep in mind that AJ Hawk had $10.5 million escalator, so Packers wanted to clear it from their books. New deal still could be in line now.

[Freak Out]

I feel the same way Swede.....really sorry to lose the guy but who knows.....? We might end up upgrading at LB and saving some money to boot.

[swede]

I guess that renders the debate in the other thread moot. I'm guessing they'll still try to get him back, though at a reasonable rate.

Any other cuts?

I guess it is easier to get a concession out of a guy whose name is no longer on the roster.

Will they make him fill out an application and list three references?

"It says here you played with a guy named Nick Barnett, is that right?"

[Lurker64]

Wow.

I am surprised and I am not happy to lose the guy. But if it means we keep Raji and CMIII and other young stars then we must remind ourselves that this is a business.

It's not necessarily the case that we'll lose the guy. It's more a case of the Packers couldn't reach a deal for an extension, and they wanted to clear the $10.5 million dollars they would be on the hook for if Hawk were under contract at the start of a new league year.

The fact that we cut him shortly before CBA armageddon and not weeks ago indicates that the Packers wanted to keep him, as they were negotiating with him, they just weren't able to get a deal done.

Let Hawk visit some other teams, let them set the market, and it's entirely likely that they will give the Packers the option to match whatever deals he is offered, as most guys generally seem like they'd prefer to stay where they are in most cases.

Disirregardless, we may not keep him any way because you really shouldn't be paying your buck ILB like a premium position.

[swede]

Disirregardless, we may not keep him any way because you really shouldn't be paying your buck ILB like a premium position.

Good use of disirregardless.

[RashanGary]

Makes sense. He's not worth that money. It's actually double what he's worth. We have Barnett and Chillar (two guys who started ahead of him on week 1 this season). The time to get Hawk restructured was before the season. Before the season we weren't even planning on starting him. The way it played out, he got on teh field and had his best year as a Packer. I think now, if we could do it all over, we would have resigned him last offseason for 6M/ year. The way it all played out though, Hawk would be an idiot ot not want UFA and teh Packers would be idiots to pay him 10.5M. Ultimately, because we draft so well, we pay less money to better players than Hawk. We'll be fine without him and the money he would taek in a long term deal would mean we can't sign better players. Everythign is a give and take and AJ's name/hype is bigger than his production so he'll get overpaid somewhere else.

[Lurker64]

The real problem, I think, is that this is a bad draft class for ILBs all throughout, and I'm not convinced we go any more than 3 deep (Barnett, Bishop, Chillar) at the position as it stands right now. Maybe one of the PS guys will surprise me, who knows.

So I'd like to get Hawk back, but he really doesn't deserve the mad scratch he was set to be paid.

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

So by not cutting Barnett does that guarantee his salary unless we trade him?

[Smidgeon]

I think someone alluded that Barnett's salary isn't guaranteed until the first game or final cuts. He didn't have the "first day of the year" escalator that Hawk did in his rookie contract.

[Patler]

So by not cutting Barnett does that guarantee his salary unless we trade him?

Most vet salaries are not guaranteed until the season starts. Hawk's contract had a special provision guaranteeing the last year's salary at the start of the league year. In essence, it made him a typical FA, except the Packers could buy a year back for $10 million.

[Lurker64]

Donald Lee and Derrick Martin were also cut. Thompson indicated that those two won't be brought back, but that he would still like to bring back Hawk.