Donald Driver has two years left on the contract that he had redone both in 2006 and in 2007. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , Driver is scheduled to make $6.1-million this season and $7-million in 2010 between base salary and bonuses. Now there's word that Driver wants a new deal! What's next?
Driver's average salary per year for the length of his existing deal ranks second on the team behind only Aaron Rodgers. At 34 years of age, Driver caught 74 passes for 1,012 yards, his lowest totals since the 2003 season. He's fallen to #2 in the receiver rotation behind Greg Jennings and Jennings is set to get a big deal soon.
Any new contract activity between the Packers and Driver should be performance based only. Driver is still plenty talented and his ability to make catches in traffic over the middle is still impressive. But any future guaranteed money given to Driver would be a risk by the Packers.
And Driver needs to get back to Green Bay for OTA's. His agent, Jordan Woy told the Journal Sentinel that Driver is training in Texas. He said it's not a mandatory camp and the Packers understand this.
But it is the time that foundations are built. The Packers defense is learning a new defensive system, the team as a whole is under a new strength and conditioning program. It's a time that players bond and prepare for the upcoming season. Driver should be a part of that. Players shouldn't be going through all of the work as a unit and thinking that Driver thinks he's too good to be a part of that group.
Driver's image is that of a player that wouldn't hold out, that would always put the team first. I don't care if he's working out at home under the Packers supervision, he's one of the leaders on this team and leaders don't work out at home, they're going through OTA's with the rest of their teammates, preparing for what everyone hopes is a championship season.