2017 Free Agents

[Great Dayne]

A.J. Bouye

FA's for GB for 2017 include Peppers, Lang, Perry, Cook, Jones, Goode, Lacy, Michael, Barclay, Tretter, Hyde.

I say we keep Michael as he will be very cheap and is one of the quickest backs in the NFL. I think he can be a solid change of pace RB.

Cook has to get a 3-4 year deal. I know he's had injuries and inconsistencies in terms of production but even when he's not catching the ball he draws so much attention due to the mismatches he presents every time he steps on the field. I think we can get him for peanuts and for a long term contract.

Tretter: Played very well at Center and I believe he can play at G as well. He's young and only going to improve. We should be able to keep him for about the same contract as Taylor received maybe slightly more.

Perry: He was a bust mainly due to injuries. This year he can in at a much lighter weight around 265 lbs and switched to OLB. Until he sustained his injury the dude was the leader in sacks still is actually and was a beast in the run game. I think we can keep him for about 7-8 mil for a 4 year contract.

Hyde: He seems to make many game saving plays. He's very versatile and if he does give up the pass it's an underneath throw and not deep and he almost always makes the tackle. I think was should keep him and give him 4 years and 3 mil a year since he's still a backup.

Letting go of Lang, Peppers and Lacy should give us a ton of cap space. The biggest concern should be acquiring a CB. We lost Shields now so we will have no true veteran elite CB type player plus Randall and Rollins both have taken drastic steps back. Not only will we need to draft a CB in either the first or second round but we must acquire one through free agency which TT only does in desperation mode or once in a 4 year span like with Woodson, Peppers, then Cook.

One guy I think might be worth looking at is A.J Bouye. Dude will be 26 next year and is only making a little over a 1 mil this season and he was rated by pro football focus as the best CB in the NFL up until last week with a 91 ranking that's higher than any other player on the Packers this season. He didn't make the pro bowl and doesn't have the splash plays with a ton of int's or sacks but he's like Revis (2010 version) and just completely shuts his man down. He's only allowing 50.3% comp% for balls thrown against him and when he does allow a completion it's a quick tackle for a short 6-7 yard gain on average. I believe his market value will be slightly less than Shields and we can potentially acquire him for 4-5 years for 8-9 mil a year.


If we do all this and pickup nobody else in free agency then the top priority for the draft will still be

OLB: Matthews can't ever stay healthy and appears washed up and Perry can't stay healthy either
CB: Randall and Rollins can't be completely trusted
DE: Jones will be released Clark has been a bust.
G: Need backup in case of injury. No lang and Barclay will be released.
RB: Much will depend on how Ty does the last couple games and what we decide to do with Feast Mode
TE: Rogers is a practice squad player at best and Cook hasn't proven to stay healthy. A young stud TE would be nice.
WR: Janis can't run a route, Abbrederis is gone, Adams is still drop prone, Jordy is aging, and Cobb is always hurt. Davis wasn't good enough to even make the field.

 

[Vegas]

Here's how I see the UFAs playing out:

Peppers -- time to retire unless he comes back with a pay cut that corresponds to reduced playing time. Reduced even from this year.

Lang -- I think the only way he comes back is if he accepts a one or two year contract. There are other teams out there that will offer multiple years at more money. Odds are he moves on.

Perry -- I think he'll be back with a longer contract for more money. I just hope he stays healthy.

Cook -- He'll be back with a 2 or 3 year deal.

Datone Jones -- He'll probably move on. He's never lived up to his draft position and could probably use a fresh start.

Goode -- He'll be back. The fact that they signed him as soon as his leg was sound even when they appeared to have an adequate, cheaper replacement means they like him. Crosby would probably appreciate the continuity.

Lacy -- His market will be limited and it probably makes more sense for both sides if he comes back with a one year, incentive heavy deal. I used the word "heavy" there on purpose.

C. Michael -- I doubt he comes back unless he goes to camp with a one year minimum contract.

Barclay -- He'll probably move on and be another of those OL who really don't make it in Green Bay but turn out well for another team. He's never been the same since the knee injury. He was an adequate back prior to that.

Tretter -- Someone will open the bank for him and he'll start at C somewhere. I could be wrong and they may want to plug him in at RG assuming I'm right that Lang moves on, but I still can't see Spriggs sitting on the bench for another year.

Hyde -- He'll be back with a decent contract that will work out for both sides. He's a good Packer and his value in GB is probably haigher than it would be elsewhere.