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Raji made his bed, now he has to sleep in it (Audio)

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Defensive lineman B.J. Raji had an offer from the Green Bay Packers early last season that would have paid him $8-million dollars.  But Raji

B.J. Raji

B.J. Raji

decided to wait, then went on to post the worst statistical season of his career.  Before the season ended, the offer was off the table.

Raji finished with 17 tackles (12 solo) and no sacks for the second straight season.  That was last among defensive lineman.

Raji hit the free agent trail and while he claimed he had better offers elsewhere, decided Green Bay was the best fit for him and he returned for $4-million, half of the teams original offer.

Raji said returning to Green Bay wasn’t a deal of having to settle for what’s left.  He said its a situation of taking the best situation for him and that’s with the Packers.

Raji will return to the true nose tackle position this season. [Read more…]

Report: Raji closing in on deal with Packers

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According to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report, the Green Bay Packers

B.J. Raji

B.J. Raji

are close to resigning defensive lineman B.J. Raji to a one-year deal.

Last season, Raji turned down the teams long-term offer averaging $8-million with guaranteed money in the $20-million neighborhood.

ESPN’s Adam Shefter reported today that Raji was close to a one-year deal with the Packers.  That deal is thought to be worth $4-million.

Raji had a disappointing season last year, ranking last on the defensive line in tackles per snap.

Taking a one-year deal with the Packers gives him a chance to put up better numbers in 2014 and seeking a bigger deal in 2015 with the Packers or another NFL team.

Packers don’t use tags again

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For the fourth straight year and seventh time in the last nine, the Green

B.J. Raji

B.J. Raji

Bay Packers let the deadline pass to place a franchise or transition tag on a free agent.

Barring any last-minute negotiations, there’s a good chance Sam Shields and B.J. Raji will be free to negotiate with any team starting at 3pm Saturday and sign with a team shortly there-after.

It’s always possible both players could negotiate with other teams and not get any more value than the Packers were offering.  If that scenario unfolds, one or both could wind up back in Green Bay, playing with the Packers.

The last time the Packers used the franchise tag was in 2010 when they used it on Ryan Pickett.  The last use of the transition tag by the Packers came back on 2005 with TE Bubba Franks.

WRN Sports Daily (Packer first rounders have had tough luck) (Video)

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Green Bay Packers first round draft pick Datone Jones left the practice field this

Datone Jones

Datone Jones

afternoon with a left ankle injury.  He left the first preseason game against Arizona with the same injury, just one play into his first game.

There’s certainly no indication that Jones will miss any regular season time, but just think about the bad luck the Packers have had with their first round picks.

You have to go back to 2009 when they picked both B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews.  2012 top pick Nick Perry missed most of his rookie season with an injury.  Derek Sherrod (2011) broke his leg in his rookie season and is still fighting to return nearly two years later.  And 2010 top pick Bryan Bulaga has made significant contributions to the team, yet missed the second half of last season (HIP) and is out all of this year (ACL).

My thoughts on this topic and the latest on the Packers follow in today’s WRN Sports Daily.

Packers back to work Tuesday

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TJ Lang

TJ Lang

After Monday’s scheduled off day, the Green Bay Packers return to the practice field Tuesday morning.

Before the start of camp, Head Coach Mike McCarthy talked about changing the schedule around to help with the health of the team.  The obvious change was the consistency of starting times for practice.  In past years, McCarthy mixed-in morning, afternoon and night sessions with the idea of getting use to the ever changing regular season schedule.  This year, all but one practice will start in the morning. Guard T.J Lang is among the players who likes the early start times…

AUDIO: T.J Lang loves the early practice times :19

[Read more…]

Packers still have plenty of cap room

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After Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews signed their blockbuster extensions, the

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers

Green Bay Packers still have plenty of salary cap space.

Rodgers’ five-year, $110-million extension gives him $54-million in guaranteed money, including a $35-million signing bonus.  Rodgers will also earn $9.5-million roster bonuses in both 2014 and 2015.

The Packers have just over $13.5-million in cap room.  They’ll need somewhere between $5-million and $6-million to sign their draft choices and undrafted free agents.  That gives them roughly $7-million to use on contract extensions for players like B.J. Raji, James Jones and Sam Shields if they wish.  They can also hold on to some cash in the event they would need to sign a player(s) to fill in for any players that might suffer long-term or season ending injuries.

 

Aaron Rodgers contract extension could be nearing, Matthews also (Updated)

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Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Aaron Rodgers will some day be the highest paid player in the NFL.  That day could be coming soon.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Packers and Rodgers are closing in on the contract extension.  In his story, Schefter throws out the numbers of 4-years and near $25 million a year.

In 2008, Rodgers signed a 6-year $60-million deal which has put the MVP signal caller in the middle of the QB pay scale despite his success.  Although, at the time, that was the standard deal for a QB of his caliber.  That contract expires in 2014.

Earlier this off-season, Ravens QB Joe Flacco became the highest paid player in the league by signing a 6-year, $120.6 million deal with $52 million guaranteed.  This deal for Rodgers would blow that out of the water.

Along with Rodgers, the Packers will have big decisions to make with Clay Matthews and B.J Raji who are entering the final years of their rookie deals.

***UPDATE:  Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel added to the topic this morning say the Packers are close on a Matthews extension as well.***

Three Packers voted to NFC Pro Bowl squad

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Three Green Bay Packers players have been selected to the NFC Pro Bowl squad.

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers was voted as the NFC starter at quarterback.  It’s his third Pro Bowl selection.

AUDIO: Aaron Rodgers on 2012-13 Pro Bowl selection :10

Linebacker Clay Matthews has been selected to his fourth Pro Bowl.  He’s in as a reserve.  And the surprise selection comes with the naming of veteran center Jeff Saturday to the squad.  It’s Saturday’s 6th Pro Bowl selection and it comes one week after he was benched in favor of Evan Dietrich-Smith at Center. 

Kick returner Randall Cobb and guard Josh Sitton were named first alternates. 

Additional alternates include fullback John Kuhn, cornerback Tramon Williams, defensive tackle B.J. Raji and safety Charles Woodson.

Raji and Packer defense recapturing 2010 form

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B.J. Raji looks to lead the Packers defense to another strong performance against Tennessee

A year ago the Green Bay Packer defense was ranked last in the NFL.  They vowed to improve, using the first 6 draft picks on defense players.  The improvement has been substantial.   Against the pass, they’re currently ranked 14th.

One major improvement from last season to this season is the play of nose guard B.J. Raji.  In 2010, Raji had 29 solo tackles, 6.5 sacks, and had that famous interception in the NFC Championship game against Chicago which led to his nickname, “The Freezer.”

However, the following season, Raji’s production fell off, totaling 14 solo tackles, and three sacks.  Fast-forward to 2012 and Raji is playing much more like the Raji of 2010.  His numbers (11 solo tackles with 10 assisted tackles) aren’t what they were two years ago, but numbers don’t always tell the whole story.  Raji has been a force in the middle, getting good push and taking up blockers that make life easier for his teammates on the outside.

While B.J. admits everything isn’t perfect, he feels like things are starting to peak at the right time.

AUDIO: Raji on his and team’s form :10

He credits his big play-making ability as of late to playing outside of the normal defensive schemes.  According to Raji, sometimes to make an impact, players must play outside of the traditional defensive schemes. [Read more…]