The Green Bay Packers let defensive back Micah Hyde walk in free agency on Thursday. We’re not surprised, but plenty of people are.
Those people will certainly be more surprised that the Packers didn’t even make Hyde an offer. He made sure to post that on Twitter after signing with the Buffalo Bills.
A HUGE thank you to Packernation for the last 4 years. Although GB didn't make an offer, I'm so EXCITED to become a Bill. Thank you Buffalo!
— Micah Hyde (@micah_hyde) March 9, 2017
This is not out of the ordinary at all. The Packers completely ignored cornerback Casey Hayward in free agency last year. They didn’t even contact him and Hayward was on the market for quite a bit longer than Hyde was.
Several things are going on here.
First, Hyde wasn’t a priority for the Packers. That list goes something like this: 1. Nick Perry, 2. Jared Cook, 3. T.J. Lang… and we’ll live with losing the rest of these guys if that happens.
Second, the Packers were not going to pay the amount of money Hyde received (five years, $30 million) for a player, while nice, is essentially a backup in Green Bay.
Third, it isn’t as if the Packers don’t watch film on their guys. Much like Hayward, there are limitations to Hyde’s game (especially as a corner) and the Packers are fully aware of what those limitations are. That means they feel they can find a similar player elsewhere for much less money.
So before you get too bent out of shape here, let me just point out that the Packers need a No. 1 corner more than anything. Micah Hyde was not going to be that guy. He wasn’t going to be a No. 1 safety in Green Bay either. He’s being paid like a No. 1 safety in Buffalo, so let’s just be happy for the guy and not curse the Packers too much for doing the right thing.
Yes, for once, I will be the voice of reason.