It looks like the Green Bay Packers have decided they’re done paying guys this offseason. Even though cornerback Sam Shields expected, and the team was reportedly working on, a long-term deal, that isn’t happening.
Shields signed his one-year restricted free agent tender on Monday after his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, showed up at Packers HQ. As Tyler Dunne tells it, good ol’ Stonewall Thompson gave Shields and Rosenhaus the old “this is my offer and you will take it and like it,” deal.
By the sounds of it, the Packers and Shields’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, were not seriously close to reaching a long-term deal. Shields said there was “a little progress” when Rosenhaus met with the Packers Monday but “it didn’t happen.” An extension “was getting there, then it wasn’t.” Eventually, Shields decided it was best to sign his tender and start practicing after skipping voluntary organized team activities.
So, Shields will probably join B.J. Raji in playing out his contract and becoming a free agent after the season. The Packers have decided not to negotiate a new, long-term with Raji either. We haven’t even mentioned James Jones, Jermichael Finley and Ryan Pickett. Those guys are in the final year of their current contracts as well.
Apparently the Packers strategy was 1. pay Aaron Rodgers, 2. pay Clay Matthews, 3. force everyone else to play for peanuts and like it.
Now, these guys aren’t actually playing for peanuts, but we’ve discussed it several times. If any one of these 2014 free agents has a huge season, their price tag just gets higher.
Our bet is at least three of those five guys won’t be on the 2014 roster.
On the positive side, these guys will all be hungry for a payday. When you couple that with the added competition, the Packers will probably end up back in the Super Bowl.
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