Official 2017 Packer Free Agency

[pbmax]

From Scout.com: http://gnb.scout.com/story/1528362-p...k-in-road?s=61

Why the change? That’s where you need the binoculars to look ahead two years.
Next offseason should be free of drama. The list of upcoming free agents, which includes Mason Crosby, Nick Perry, Mike Neal, Casey Hayward and Mike Daniels, shouldn’t cause too much heartburn. It’s the following offseason that looks like a fork in the road for the franchise. The list of free agents is led by Sitton and Lang. The 2013 draft class will be up, which means Datone Jones, Eddie Lacy, David Bakhtiari and Micah Hyde. With Sitton, Lang and Bakhtiari — an absolute steal as a fourth-round pick playing a high-priced position on his rookie deal — that’s three-fifths of the offensive line.

Could it be that Thompson is doing his version of “all-in,” knowing what lies ahead financially in two years and that his team might have to do some rebuilding, whether it’s not re-signing some of his top free agents or letting go of guys like Nelson, Shields or Burnett? Or is he saving cap space to be rolled into the 2017 offseason so the team is in position to keep the roster together?

Who knows, but what is certain is the 2017 cap is not a pretty picture. According to OverTheCap.com’s 2017 projections, the Packers have $96.7 million of cap dollars tied up in just 17 players who are under contract. That’s the third-highest figure in the league; and it leaves just $63.3 million (based on a possible cap of $160 million) for the rest of the team. The Packers have 45.0 percent of the projected 2017 cap wrapped up in five players, which is up from 41.2 percent in 2015. Compare those figures to last year’s Super Bowl teams — New England, 26.8 percent in 2015 and 31.4 percent in 2017; Seattle, 31.2 percent in 2015 and 34.9 percent in 2017.

[Fritz]

Ted's banked everything on the next three years. Watch him retire after that 2017 season and having traded his first round pick in 2018 the year before for someone else's.

Damn him. Always thinking of the here and now.

[mraynrand]

look ahead two years. The 2013 draft class will be up, which means Datone Jones, Eddie Lacy, David Bakhtiari and Micah Hyde. With Sitton, Lang and Bakhtiari — an absolute steal as a fourth-round pick playing a high-priced position on his rookie deal — that’s three-fifths of the offensive line

Based on past results, half those guys will be injured anyway. Ted will be drafting this spring and next for their replacements. Or perhaps Eliot will have to deal with it.

[red]

well, unless they pick up their games, shields won't see that 12+ million and burnett won't see his 7 million in 2017

so theres 19 million off that number

and theres gonna be 30 or so players on the team in 2017 on their rookie contracts, so less then 1 million

so 15 under contract (after shields and burnett are cut) for around 77 million

about 30 guys making an averge of 1 million (number might be high) for about 30 million

that gives us 45 guys for 107 million

so 53 million to blow on the other 7 guys we need. or if we keep shields and burnett. 34 million to blow on 5 guys (6.5 millionish each)

plus i'm sure we'll be rolling over 10 or 20 million by then

[red]

the big problem is gonna come in 2019 when we only have rodgers and bulaga under contract for a whopping 30 million combined

[Patler]

2017? 3 NFL years is a long time away in human years.

Several of the high price players today will be gone due to injury, age or declining pay. Nelson will be at an age where his contract could begin to get smaller, not larger. Last years rookies (or this years) could make Nelson expendable. Sitton could be looking at smaller contracts, too. He and or Lange could be gone. There will probably be a younger lineman replacing at least one of the present five. A couple contracts could be reworked.

30 rookies between now and then will make the face of the team look very different. Chances are there will be a number of teams in much worse cap shape then the Packers by the time 2017 rolls around.

[hoosier]

In 2017 Nelson and Matthews will be on the decline, and hopefully they will have a suitable replacement for Lang. Bigger than the worry over how they're going to re-sign all those guys is, how are they going to replace them as they inevitably start to break down?

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

2017? First off, some players will decline and others will emerge. Hopefully we don't have any Nick Collins/J. Finley injuries either but that could happen also. All the players listed to be free agents in 2017 might not even be worth keeping. Detone Jones? What has he done so far? Hyde is good, not great. Even Bakhtiari, he's played well but he still needs to get better before giving him a big contract. And then just like Tramon this year, James Jones before him, and Jennings before him...etc...Some players simply won't get third contracts even if they are still playing at a high level.

Plus I could see TT carrying over 15 million this year. Read somewhere we have 57 players under contract. So with only 51 players counting against the cap they in actuality only need 2-3 million for rookies, not 5-6 million. Who do we have left to sign, Raji? Guion? Kuhn? Our cap number could be as high as 175 million next year.

[vince]

2017? 3 NFL years is a long time away in human years.

Several of the high price players today will be gone due to injury, age or declining pay. Nelson will be at an age where his contract could begin to get smaller, not larger. Last years rookies (or this years) could make Nelson expendable. Sitton could be looking at smaller contracts, too. He and or Lange could be gone. There will probably be a younger lineman replacing at least one of the present five. A couple contracts could be reworked.

30 rookies between now and then will make the face of the team look very different. Chances are there will be a number of teams in much worse cap shape then the Packers by the time 2017 rolls around.

By no means is it time to start going for broke with stupid contracts on aging players, but I'm with you Patler. Keep making good decisions and it'll all will work itself out. The Packers need to continue priming the pump with fresh young talent, and they'll have to count on some of that young talent to develop and step up when unproven.

The tricky spot looks like the o-line. They'd be looking at paying too much on the line if they're all getting big contracts. Tretter might be a guy who they'll need to count on stepping in at one of the guard spots. They'll know a lot more by then but best case they'll be in position to move past both guards. Right now, I'd say pay Bakh and replace Sitton and Lang at that time. Ted's got two years to avoid another Klemm/Whittacker situation (were those the two they plugged in in '05?).

[Joemailman]

2017 will be the year where TT must decide on his offensive line. In addition to Sitton, Lang and Bakhtiari, Tretter will also be a free agent. That is probably 4 of your top 6. By then, health may well decide which player(s) TT will not want to offer an extension to.

List of 2017 free agents:

Josh Sitton
Julius Peppers
T.J. Lang
Datone Jones
Tim Masthay
Eddie Lacy
David Bakhtiari
J.C. Tretter
Micah Hyde
Josh Boyd
Nate Palmer
Sam Barrington
Jayrone Elliot
Mike Pennel
Myles White
Devonta Glover-Wright
Jean Fanor
Adrian Hubbard
Joe Madsen
Rajoin Neal
Joe Thomas
Jeremy Vujnovich
Josh Walker
Cody Mandell

[Teamcheez1]

You can draw up a similar comparison to most of the teams in the NFL. Three years is an eternity in player turnover and contract restructuring. Plus the cap will probably rise at lest another $20M. I wouldn't be too concerned.

[vince]

Hopefully Hyde, Tretter, Bakh, Lacy and Jones make for some tough decisions at that time. Peppers is a big number off the books at that time. Masthay won't cost much.

The rest of the guys are fighting for roster spots.

Next year it's Perry, Neal and Daniels. At least one of those guys will probably be gone. Need to fill that hole quickly. OLB or DL that falls in the first could be BPA over CB or ILB. I'd love to see playmakers at those positions in 4 of the first 5 picks.

Sign Raji and Guion. Draft an OLB and re-up Daniels and Neal or Perry as early as possible. They're practically the same guy (I like em both) so we need some young blood to go with Matthews and one of em.

[sharpe1027]

Mathews will be gone by then, or on a new cap friendly contract. That frees up something like 10 mil alone.

[pbmax]

You can draw up a similar comparison to most of the teams in the NFL. Three years is an eternity in player turnover and contract restructuring. Plus the cap will probably rise at lest another $20M. I wouldn't be too concerned.

This is what Packer Report didn't have any info for. If you look at other teams with big QB contracts, I bet the situation is similar two to three years out.

[Bossman641]

The OL situation probably worries me the most. I think I read somewhere where the Packers are the only team paying both guards top 15 money. The biggest problem will be carrying enough OL where you can groom the younger guys for a year or 2.