Woodson to be released

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

HOFer without a doubt and I would even go as far as to say one of the best players in packer history. I understand why he has to go, but doesn't change the fact that he will be missed. Fun player to watch play.

[red]

Burnett playing SS seems like the more natural fit. A FS in the draft just became a bigger need than it already was. I've heard this is an excellent year for safeties, so maybe we're in luck.

Really?

I haven't seen any safety prospects that impress me at all

[King Friday]

We just cut a HOFer due to our need to keep the stars we have on the roster. I don't know if big money free agency makes a lot of sense considering the context surrounding the cutting of Woodson.

We aren't in a horrible cap situation. $10M is obviously way too much for a guy who can't play 16 games anymore, has clearly lost a step in coverage, and who did not prove to be irreplaceable this season. We do now need another starting safety...and if you can find a guy who is younger and more capable than Woodson is now for $5-7M, I would consider it. Few safeties come into the league as rookies and make an immediate impact. With the window for titles wide open, Thompson should at least consider the capable FAs rather than count on drafting Woodson's replacement.

Byrd is a very solid player. He is probably worth $6-7M a year and is entering the prime of his career. No one knows who he is because he plays on a horrible team...but I find it hard not to think of him as impressive.

[Joemailman]

It's hard to imagine Buffalo wouldn't franchise Byrd if they need to. Same thing with Dashon Goldson of SF.

[pbmax]

At first I was


But then I was


And then I was


Then fell into


Before settling on



But I will miss him. Freelancing aside, he was worth the risks and paid off the risk in signing him in spades. He worked with McCarthy and became a leader in the locker room. Very happy he played for the Packers. Can't see him getting $5 mil or above from another team, so the pay cut ask must have been steep.

[Joemailman]

1,2,3 Whitehouse!!

[Farley Face]

It was noted in the press release today that the Packers did not approach Woodson about reducing his pay. It got me to wondering, have the Packers of the TT era ever asked a player to take a pay cut to stay on with the club? I can't recall a single instance where they did.

[smuggler]

Pretty sure they did this with Driver either last year or the year before.

[swede]

It was noted in the press release today that the Packers did not approach Woodson about reducing his pay. It got me to wondering, have the Packers of the TT era ever asked a player to take a pay cut to stay on with the club? I can't recall a single instance where they did.

That's a good observation. TT handles business in a certain way. Release the player straight up (Harris, Flynn, Barnett) or let the player have a good clear look at what other teams will pay them before negotiating a truly market-driven contract with no hard feelings (James Jones).

As Patler pointed out earlier, the Driver contract was an anomaly in the TT era.

To my untrained eye Woodson clearly slipped in 2011, and, when he finally returned in 2012, all the football intelligence in the world couldn't give his old legs enough of a head start to consistently get him where he needed to be on the football field.

The team will say the all the right things but they know that what he was is not the same as what he is.

[King Friday]

To my untrained eye Woodson clearly slipped in 2011, and, when he finally returned in 2012, all the football intelligence in the world couldn't give his old legs enough of a head start to consistently get him where he needed to be on the football field.

I agree Swede.

He was awful grabby this year...and it will only get worse as his athleticism continues to decline. Add that to the recent injury history, and it probably would be the right time to release him regardless of his contract amount. He heads into 2013 much as Driver was heading into 2012...on the verge of falling off the cliff. It happens, unfortunately. I loved having him here while it lasted. He was a great player, and will be yet another Packer to be enshrined in Canton someday.

[Guiness]

To my untrained eye Woodson clearly slipped in 2011, and, when he finally returned in 2012, all the football intelligence in the world couldn't give his old legs enough of a head start to consistently get him where he needed to be on the football field.

Agreed. Methinks he should devote himself full time to

http://www.twentyfourwines.com/

I think I'm going to swing by there. I wonder if he's around in the offseason?

[pbmax]

It was noted in the press release today that the Packers did not approach Woodson about reducing his pay. It got me to wondering, have the Packers of the TT era ever asked a player to take a pay cut to stay on with the club? I can't recall a single instance where they did.

Darren Sharper was asked to take a cut.

[Smeefers]

AJ Hawk was cut and then resigned.

[Pugger]

I suspect Woodson will be disappointed in the offers he will get from any of the top teams. He is the best FA we ever signed since Reggie. It will be great to have another wonderful Packer in the HOF. He is a shareholder so maybe he'll be invited to the BOD after he retires joining Paup and Johnnie Gray along with Murphy and Al Toon.

[Teamcheez1]

I'm sure there have been plenty of players who have been asked to take pay cuts, but it has not been played out in public. I can see agents informally testing the waters with Packer management to see what their options are. The Packer way is not to bloviate abut contracts and players like the Jets and other organizations. It may seem cold, but that's the nature of this business.