6 Free Agents Packers Wisely Passed On

[Vrill]

While that's true I wonder why the Steelers passed on drafting him four times during the 2012 draft if they had such a great rapport with him, including the pick immediately before Green was selected by the Chargers.

They already had one of the best TE's in team history in Heath Miller.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

They already had one of the best TE's in team history in Heath Miller.

If they liked him that much they could have used him though with David Paulson, Leonard Pope and Jamie McCoy being Miller's backups.

 

[sschind]

Larry Brown was never the player Trevathon already is. He parlayed that one game into a ridiculous contract that he never came close to living up to. I'm finding it amusing that since he signed with the Bears, Trevathon has been morphing into a JAG who was carried by those around him in Denver. I think it much more likely that he contributed to that success. I'll also give you dollars to doughnuts that after the Bears improve on defense next season, Trevathon will be lauded as a big reason why.

face it DNA, if Aaron Rodgers signed with the Bears there are some Packers fans who would say he isn't all he's cracked up to be after all and we are good to be rid of him.

 

[PackerDNA]

Couldn't agree more, sschind. Sometimes fan bases come across as petulant kids looking for anything to put salve on the wound when they don't get what they want.
And thanks for the post! It's been pretty much dead around here for a few days now. (???)

 

[Vrill]

face it DNA, if Aaron Rodgers signed with the Bears there are some Packers fans who would say he isn't all he's cracked up to be after all and we are good to be rid of him.

Somehow, I highly doubt that, LOL. It didn't happen with Brett (at least where I'm from) and it wouldn't happen with Aaron either.

 

[PackerDNA]

In case anyone's interested...
Lauriniatus's deal with the Saints; base value, 3 yrs for $8.5M, $1.55M cap hit this season.

 

[El Guapo]

Let's not forget that Lauriniatus is a Vikings fan who grew up in Wayzata, MN...pretty close to Winter Park. Why would he want to play for the hated Packers at any price?

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Let's not forget that Lauriniatus is a Vikings fan who grew up in Wayzata, MN...pretty close to Winter Park. Why would he want to play for the hated Packers at any price?

Laurinaitis played terrible last season, there was no reason for the Packers to even consider signing him.

 

[Jerellh528]

Let's not forget that Lauriniatus is a Vikings fan who grew up in Wayzata, MN...pretty close to Winter Park. Why would he want to play for the hated Packers at any price?

A high paying job on a great team that's relatively close to home. The real question, is why would the packers want him to play for us haha, he's hardly an upgrade

 

[PackerDNA]

We talk- as do NFL teams- about value. Some thoughts.

-the Packers have yet to address their biggest needs; ILB, TE, OL depth (no, I don't consider Taylor as addressing OL depth).
-here's what they have done, in cap totals;
Perry- $4.875M
Guion-$3.516,666
Crosby-$2.400
Starks-$2.250
Taylor-$1.450

That's a cap total for this season of $14.491,666M.
That gets you- one more year of a former 1st round pick who has 'flashed' here and there, but in 4 seasons has mostly not been much of a factor, has injury issues, and by his playing time is a backup.
A rush before free agency to lock up a career backup, up and down def. lineman who has had off field issues.
A kicker who Captain WIMM and others have made a very good case for him being overpaid.
A career backup RB who wear and tear or not, is still 30 and who's play has been inconsistent.
A backup Off. lineman who hasn't shown much in 3 seasons other than he can't play tackle well enough to be counted on.

No TE, no ILB, not much bang for the buck or value.
In comparison, a young, athletic TE with loads of upside is had for $2.437,500M
A young, highly regarded ILB for $6.35M (the Bears front loaded; on that deal, it could have been structured for a cap hit of 5.5M or less)
A highly regarded veteran ILB for $4M
A young, highly regarded DL with potential in Aikeem Hicks- younger, at least as good, and with more upside than Guion
Anyone really believe that younger better cheaper options, and with more upside than Starks and Taylor couldn't have been found in FA or the draft's later rounds?
I don't believe there are viable options remaining in FA, nor do I believe that all will be 'fixed in the draft'. And while as a Packer fan I hope to be wrong, I believe that Thompson's rigidity will hurt the team in 2016.
Anyways, just some thoughts for a slow Friday.

 

[Poppa San]

Could it be, from the outside looking in, that players may not WANT to come to Green Bay unless TT overpays or they have no other options? Until they are here for a few seasons, all they have to go on is community rep. Doesn't help that the media only concentrates on the 101k sign at the city limits instead of the <almost> 250k in Brown county with another (almost) 250k next door in Appleton.

Edit: GB media market. #69 on the list: http://sportstvjobs.com/resources/local-tv-market-sizes-dma.html

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Could it be, from the outside looking in, that players may not WANT to come to Green Bay unless TT overpays or they have no other options? Until they are here for a few seasons, all they have to go on is community rep. Doesn't help that the media only concentrates on the 101k sign at the city limits instead of the <almost> 250k in Brown county with another (almost) 250k next door in Appleton.

Edit: GB media market. #69 on the list: http://sportstvjobs.com/resources/local-tv-market-sizes-dma.html

The size of and the weather conditions in Green Bay might be a reason for some free agents not wanting to play for the Packers but with those guys first and foremost caring about something else than winning the team shouldn't be interested in them in the first place.

It's tough to make that argument though after hearing the best inside linebacker available this offseason stating he would have liked the Packers to be interested in him but Thompson didn't even care to pick up the phone.

 

[PackerDNA]

Could it be, from the outside looking in, that players may not WANT to come to Green Bay unless TT overpays or they have no other options? Until they are here for a few seasons, all they have to go on is community rep. Doesn't help that the media only concentrates on the 101k sign at the city limits instead of the <almost> 250k in Brown county with another (almost) 250k next door in Appleton.

Edit: GB media market. #69 on the list: http://sportstvjobs.com/resources/local-tv-market-sizes-dma.html

While I see your points, Poppa San, we are really just speculating on such things. What we do know is that Trevathon expressed interest, and disappointment that he never heard from the Packers- after he had signed with the Bears, so it wasn't just talk to drive up his price.
We also know from multiple reports that TT never so much picked up a phone to inquire "what's up?' with any of the aforementioned players. He could have solidly addressed ILB and TE for about $8M vs the cap, but chose to resign mediocre players who have been here. His refusal to step outside his self imposed lines will at some point become problematic.

 

[PikeBadger]

We talk- as do NFL teams- about value. Some thoughts.

-the Packers have yet to address their biggest needs; ILB, TE, OL depth (no, I don't consider Taylor as addressing OL depth).
-here's what they have done, in cap totals;
Perry- $4.875M
Guion-$3.516,666
Crosby-$2.400
Starks-$2.250
Taylor-$1.450

That's a cap total for this season of $14.491,666M.
That gets you- one more year of a former 1st round pick who has 'flashed' here and there, but in 4 seasons has mostly not been much of a factor, has injury issues, and by his playing time is a backup.
A rush before free agency to lock up a career backup, up and down def. lineman who has had off field issues.
A kicker who Captain WIMM and others have made a very good case for him being overpaid.
A career backup RB who wear and tear or not, is still 30 and who's play has been inconsistent.
A backup Off. lineman who hasn't shown much in 3 seasons other than he can't play tackle well enough to be counted on.

No TE, no ILB, not much bang for the buck or value.
In comparison, a young, athletic TE with loads of upside is had for $2.437,500M
A young, highly regarded ILB for $6.35M (the Bears front loaded; on that deal, it could have been structured for a cap hit of 5.5M or less)
A highly regarded veteran ILB for $4M
A young, highly regarded DL with potential in Aikeem Hicks- younger, at least as good, and with more upside than Guion
Anyone really believe that younger better cheaper options, and with more upside than Starks and Taylor couldn't have been found in FA or the draft's later rounds?
I don't believe there are viable options remaining in FA, nor do I believe that all will be 'fixed in the draft'. And while as a Packer fan I hope to be wrong, I believe that Thompson's rigidity will hurt the team in 2016.
Anyways, just some thoughts for a slow Friday.

Yup, the sky is falling. It's over, we're done. I'm going to become a Bears fan .

 

[Mondio]

I think it's more likely that from the outside looking in, most people don't have a clue about running a football team or what a player might actually bring to the table in terms of team fit, scheme, attitude, and actual skill. They know what they've read or what a stat book says.

 

[Mondio]

I have a strong feeling that Trevathan is a lot closer to Sam Barrington than he is to Ray Lewis. Somehow I get the feeling that if that's the case, the same people complaining about spending a million more to retain Mason Crosby, won't utter a peep about 5 extra million being spent on ILB for similar production.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Yup, the sky is falling. It's over, we're done. I'm going to become a Bears fan .

Once again great job on your part addressing a valid point of concern.

I think it's more likely that from the outside looking in, most people don't have a clue about running a football team or what a player might actually bring to the table in terms of team fit, scheme, attitude, and actual skill. They know what they've read or what a stat book says.

Well, taking a look at Thompson's attempts to improve the inside linebacker position over the last four years he doesn't have a clue how to adequately address it and should maybe pick up a stat book for once.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I have a strong feeling that Trevathan is a lot closer to Sam Barrington than he is to Ray Lewis. Somehow I get the feeling that if that's the case, the same people complaining about spending a million more to retain Mason Crosby, won't utter a peep about 5 extra million being spent on ILB for similar production.

A rookie kicker would have saved the Packers $13 million in cap space over the next four years. That money would have been way better spent on different positions.

 

[PackerDNA]

Yup, the sky is falling. It's over, we're done. I'm going to become a Bears fan .

I think it's more likely that from the outside looking in, most people don't have a clue about running a football team or what a player might actually bring to the table in terms of team fit, scheme, attitude, and actual skill. They know what they've read or what a stat book says.

I expect a lot better counterpoints from you guys than dismissive "the sky is falling" or basically anything posted critical of TT is invalid because you don't work at 1265. He can stay true to his system- a very solid one, BTW- and still be more aggressive when the opportunity presents itself. His refusal to do so- his rigidity- is a bug, not a feature.

 

[Mondio]

I've given my counter points 30 times over. My motivation to do it all again is low this morning. ANyone not know how I feel about the TE position? or Crosby? I'd love a fast thumping ILB. I only watched a couple Bronco's games and what I saw of Trevathan was that of a guy running free downhill to maul a runner. I did NOT see a guy good in coverage. If he happened to be standing in the right area someone was running thru, yes, if he had to actually cover, he was beaten every time, sometimes badly. It's a stark contradiciton to everything I've read about him. It's not that I think he's terrible, he's just not everything we need, and I'd much rather spend that 6-7 million on a few more Dlinemen. Or take a chance in the draft. My guess is they didn't pick up the phone and call is because they had no interest because of all the evaluation they did on him before FA even started.

Guion was a decent signing, if we didn't we'd have to sign someone else, and it would probably cost us just as much for the same or less production. Perry, I'd give the guy a chance too. When healthy, he holds the edge as good as anybody and he's a pocket collapser in the pass rush. he can walk anyone back into the QB and when you have slashing rushers like Peppers and Matthews coming from other areas, pass rushers like him are important. Is it a bit much? maybe a tad, but who else were you bringing in? I don't think Starks or Taylor are anything to champion as great signings or get upset about.

 

[PackerDNA]

I have a strong feeling that Trevathan is a lot closer to Sam Barrington than he is to Ray Lewis. Somehow I get the feeling that if that's the case, the same people complaining about spending a million more to retain Mason Crosby, won't utter a peep about 5 extra million being spent on ILB for similar production.

Based on his performance and assessments from around the league- even after a serious knee injury- it's far more likely Trevathon is, and will continue to be, a very, very good LB. He also hasn't turned 26 yet, and still has upside.
I've never been that impressed with Barrington. He's also coming off missing a year with a foot injury that required surgery. Foot injuries tend to be problematic longterm.

 

[PackerDNA]

Fair enough , Mondio. The odd thing is that we're not much at all in disagreement, except perhaps when we go more in depth.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I've given my counter points 30 times over. My motivation to do it all again is low this morning. ANyone not know how I feel about the TE position? or Crosby? I'd love a fast thumping ILB. I only watched a couple Bronco's games and what I saw of Trevathan was that of a guy running free downhill to maul a runner. I did NOT see a guy good in coverage. If he happened to be standing in the right area someone was running thru, yes, if he had to actually cover, he was beaten every time, sometimes badly. It's a stark contradiciton to everything I've read about him. It's not that I think he's terrible, he's just not everything we need, and I'd much rather spend that 6-7 million on a few more Dlinemen. Or take a chance in the draft. My guess is they didn't pick up the phone and call is because they had no interest because of all the evaluation they did on him before FA even started. .

I know you don't think a whole lot of Pro Football Focus but other than you they watch every single snap of all players in the league before coming up with their rankings.

According to them Trevathan was the 12 th-best coverage linebacker in the NFL (ahead of his teammate Brandon Marshall) last season with only five ahead of him in that category being decent run defenders as well.

I know you will immediately dismiss it once again because PFF is garbage according to you but I'd rather trust their analysis than yours after you watched him for some snaps.

 

[Half Empty]

Yup, the sky is falling. It's over, we're done. I'm going to become a Bears fan .

That does mean you won't be posting here any more, right?

 

[Mondio]

Based on his performance and assessments from around the league- even after a serious knee injury- it's far more likely Trevathon is, and will continue to be, a very, very good LB. He also hasn't turned 26 yet, and still has upside.
I've never been that impressed with Barrington. He's also coming off missing a year with a foot injury that required surgery. Foot injuries tend to be problematic longterm.

He's a pretty good run defender, especially without lineman coming out on him to block him. I saw him running free a lot of times to get a big hit, will he have that benefit in Chicago? Would it be that way in GB? and I've read all about his pass coverage, and then I saw what I saw. I guess we'll all be able to know at the end of this year. My guess, he looked a lot better behind all those guys in Denver and with an all pro defensive backfield behind him, than he will in Chicago.

If he looks more like a 2 million dollar a year linebacker then what? Should we have still signed him for 7 million or 6 or whatever it was?