If you could sign only one, would it be Bulaga or Cobb?

[Patler]

Randall Cobb on the formidable Seattle Seahawks is much more intimidating that Bryan Bulaga on the weak Chicago Bears.

That may be, but I don't worry about who the other team has, only who "my" team has. Putting myself in the position of a GM (and I have been involved in player procurement for select teams in the past) I never worried about which players anyone else signed, because I can't control that. If we decided not to pursue a player, I never worried about another team that did. No point in it.

[hoosier]

Let's say the Packers would need to offer Cobb $10M/year and Bulaga $9M/year to have a chance of retaining both. I have no clue what that would mean for their salary cap numbers. Does doing that mean they have to let both Williams and House go? Does it jeopardize their ability to re-sign Sitton next year?

[woodbuck27]

Whoops, I forgot that Avril already got his contract extension about a month ago. Oh, and he's rated in the top 10 in 4-3 DEs in the league. You forgot his 38 QB hurries this season. Incredibly disruptive player.

Yes any discussion RE the ? and Seattle's Cliff Avril is moot but all the same:

38 QB hurries. It looks like you used ROTOWORLD as your reference. I don't see that Stat. ie on NFL.Com.

Salary-cap space was freed up after the trade of WR Percy Harvin to the NY Jets and Seattle locked up K.J. Wright and Cliff Avril in Dec. 2014.

I feel somehow the Green Bay Packers must keep pace with Seattle. Then again it was Seattle and San Francisco and their wheels fell off last season.

Seattle now has RDE Cliff Avril, LDE Michael Bennett, ROLB K.J. Wright, SS Cam Chancellor, LCB Sherman, and FS Earl Thomas all signed long term.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000459443/article/2015-nfl-unrestricted-free-agents-by-team

Seattle 2015 FA's include RCB Byron Maxwell who may be a priority.

I do understand the importance of the OL and RT and protecting Aaron Rodgers on that side. The fact remains that Randall Cobb is a main hookup for Rodgers and I'll be sad it if he leaves via FA.

[woodbuck27]

That may be, but I don't worry about who the other team has, only who "my" team has. Putting myself in the position of a GM (and I have been involved in player procurement for select teams in the past) I never worried about which players anyone else signed, because I can't control that. If we decided not to pursue a player, I never worried about another team that did. No point in it.

Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga are both TT draft picks. Drafted and developed in the Packer system and both have to a more or less extent succeeded. Randal Cobb is a special player and offensive weapon who desires like Bryan Bulaga to remain with the team that drafted him.

We know that based on the past. Ted Thompson (by the channels that exists) will make an offer to them and see how they make out in Free Agency. I see that today TT has some real control and may offer each of these players appreciation. He can choose to make an offer that one/both may very well accept.

TT simply must get in gear and set his priorities..... yesterday. If you were the GM of this team wouldn't you have al that worked out?

[esoxx]

Just as Teddy replaced Greg Jennings with Randall Cobb, and James Jones with Davante Adams, and Jermichael Finley with Richard Rodgers, so he will replace Cobb with Jared Abbrederis or a 4th round draft pick to be named later, like Tyler Lockette of Kansas State.

But that's not really what TT did. He signed Jennings, Jones, and Finley to deals after their rookie contracts were up. Cobb leaving now would break that mold. Draft & develop. Cobb is hitting his prime, not the TT way to let him walk now. He'll get the deal done.

[pbmax]

A scare tactic from me!? Are you serious?

Cliff Avril had 23 Tackles, 5 Sacks and 1 FF.

If I could replace that with Randall Cobb I'm going for it.

If you watch Cliff Avril and you only see those numbers, you are missing most of his game.

[Carolina_Packer]

Easy for me...Cobb. I'm not saying I don't want Bulaga, I just think Cobb is more rare at his position than Bulaga is at his. I hope they are both signed.

[woodbuck27]

If you watch Cliff Avril and you only see those numbers, you are missing most of his game.

I'm not missing much on Cliff Avril when I watch Seattle play. I key on him and on several of the Seattle defenders reviewing recordings.

pbmax:

How would you compare Cliff Avril's contribution to the Seattle defense in terms of his pass and run defense?

[pbmax]

I'm not missing much on Cliff Avril when I watch Seattle play. I key on him and on several of the Seattle defenders reviewing recordings.

pbmax:

How would you compare Cliff Avril's contribution to the Seattle defense in terms of his pass and run defense?

With 30+ pressures, he (and Michael Bennet) are their pass rush, and a four man pass rush makes that defense.

[King Friday]

You have Aaron Rodgers.

That makes the choice easy. You keep Bulaga and ensure having a deep, talented OL to protect him.

While Cobb is a fabulous talent, a QB like Rodgers can make average talents look pretty damn good if he has an OL to protect him.

That said...with $30M+ available to spend if Thompson does the right thing and takes an axe to the deadwood on the roster...there is no need to have to make the choice. You keep both.

[denverYooper]

I choose Cobbulaga!

[KYPack]

It's going to be tough to shoehorn those contracts in our salary structure. Bulaga was at 4 mil last season. What kind of deal will he get on the market that we will have to match?

+ Bulaga was a 1st round pick, Cobb a 2. TT likes to roll his own and keep his roster intact. At least one of his high draft choices will walk. That's gotta be a tough call for Thompson.

My gut says Cobb, but man, it's right down the middle on this one.

[mraynrand]

My gut says Cobb, but man, it's right down the middle on this one.

yep, tough call. Cobb is everything you want in a player in GB. He's passionate and dedicated. Does everything they ask, from anywhere on the field. Makes plays. Is in tune with Rodgers. Bulaga has just made strides where he is no longer troubled all that much by speed rushers. Good anchor on the right side. Willing blocker. Bulaga is a good not great tackle. Cobb is a good, instinctual WR, but is not a guy who gets separation all on his own. Both are security blankets on the O for their own different reasons.

Usually by this time TT would have them signed up. It sounded like for sure they were negotiating with Cobb. I'm betting other teams see Bulaga as a bigger need and Cobb as a fit for the GB offense, and not necessarily the guy for their offense. But there are offenses like Denver and NE who love a guy like Cobb.

I gotta do with Dyoop: Keep Cobbulaga!!!

[ptisme]

I actually don't think declining on Cobb would be the worst thing if.... We used the money to completely shore up ILB and a TE to help our Red Zone offense... Keep Bulaga and Raji. Keep Peppers at more of an incentive laden contract and then take a WR early....

[KYPack]

The semi-scary part of this is those deals are now over. Usually, TT announces a contract extension or new deal before that happens. When our players hit FA, they are pretty much gone. Some guys make it to contract end and resign (Hawk? Neal?), but not many.

That may not hold in these cases, these are big multi-year deals which impact a big part of our salary make-up.

I really think we can only do one of these "big boys". One major deal and we will barely have room to address other players, the rooks (less of a problem now) and Peppers. The "we've got 35 million in room" is more of a phantom than people think.