Emotions running high at the start of free agency in Packer Nation
The Packers were a busy team on the eve of the new NFL season. Unrestricted free agents cannot officially sign until today, but the Packers scored two players who will help address their major needs.
As the hours were ticking away into Tuesday afternoon, the Packers haven’t announced any deals, frustrating many fans who wondered if they were going to go through more of the same that they did for several years under Ted Thompson, which is getting their hopes up that TT will make a big splash in free agency and then coming up with bread crumbs, and sometimes not even that.
However, this time was different. New GM Brian Gutekunst was able to secure one of the top tight ends in the league in Jimmy Graham, and then a few hours later, they lured defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson to Green Bay.
Not all of the news made the Packer faithful happy though. Not long at all after the Jimmy Graham announcement, reports came out of Green Bay that Jordy Nelson was going to be released. Before the Wilkerson announcement, one of the free agents that would have helped fill a need, cornerback Trumaine Johnson, signed with the New York Jets instead of the Packers.
I can’t speak for any Packer fan except for myself, but I am excited about the Graham signing. Is he the same player he was five years ago? Probably not. Can he still make a huge impact, especially in the red zone? I think so. He is a touchdown machine. He has been blessed with some talented quarterbacks during his career with Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, and now Aaron Rodgers. Two of the three are locks for the Hall of Fame, and Russell Wilson has a very good chance of getting there as well when his career is finally over.
I was disappointed that they couldn’t lock up Trumaine Johnson. When I heard the news, I knew that the Packers had to make a move to settle the Green Bay faithful down a bit, a move like acquiring Wilkerson, which they did a short time later. Wilkerson is a talented player, but he had some disciplinary issues for the Jets, mainly tardiness. The team finally got tired of his act. I am sure that Gutekunst and Mike McCarthy will talk with him and let him know that he has a clean slate in Green Bay. If he keeps his head where it needs to be, he can be a great asset. It’s not the number of sacks that will determine his greatness; it’s his presence. I think of former Packer Ryan Pickett. Pickett didn’t dominate the stat sheet, but his presence made it easier for every other player on the defensive line. In the Super Bowl vs Pittsburgh, Pickett wrapped up Rashard Mendenhall, giving Clay Matthews a chance to make a hit and force a key fumble. Another former Jet, Howard Green, didn’t fill up the stat sheet either, but he made his presence felt at times, none more than when he pressured Ben Roethlisberger in that same game, hitting his arm and causing the ball to be underthrown and intercepted by Nick Collins, who returned it for a touchdown. Will Wilkerson make a key play in a game for Green Bay? Only time will tell.
Good things unfortunately have to come to an end sometimes as Jordy Nelson has been released. The team apparently wanted him to take a huge pay cut and the two sides were unable to come to an agreement. Whether it was the right move or not, this one hurts. Jordy is one of the true good guys in football. I knew when the end was coming for Donald Driver in Green Bay, and that one hurt as well. Could Jordy eventually return for a lower salary? Anything is possible, but until I hear otherwise, it is goodbye for now. He will obviously get inducted into the Packer Hall of Fame someday, and when his career is over, he will always be welcome back in Green Bay. It remains to be seen what will happen with Randall Cobb, who is in the final year of his contract.
Overall, I am excited about the two new players, but the team still has a lot of work to do with the roster before they are ready to make a Super Bowl run this next season. Even if the team doesn’t make any other significant free agent signings, there are still other ways of acquiring good talent such as trades. We now have an aggressive GM who will do what it takes to get players on this team. Whether or not I agree with the moves that Gutekunst made, such as the release of Jordy Nelson, he faced the media and talked about why he did it. I respect the fact that he makes himself available like that. Ted Thompson rarely addressed the media, leaving McCarthy there to answer questions and be the fall guy. Now that Kirk Cousins has agreed to a deal with the Vikings, one of the things the Packers are going to focus on is getting that contract extension done with Aaron Rodgers. Clay Matthews may have to restructure his deal, or he may not last much longer in Green Bay. Once again, it will hurt if he gets released, but sometimes you have to make tough and unpopular decisions in order to achieve success.
There will be many bumps along the way, but it’s going to be quite a ride these next few months. It’s all about putting a team together that is capable of adding another Vince Lombardi Trophy to the collection in Green Bay. Stay tuned because the chase for another Super Bowl Championship has already begun.
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901
