Ron Robinsons Beard

Because Fuller's $9.5 million will be $9.5 million, while King's $6 million will be more like $2 million. Do you have a link for this? I concede that it's a lot different if the contract is really for 2M instead of 6M. The terms haven't been released yet. I think most are simply assuming that the cap hit will be substantially less than $6 million, simply because investing a $6 million hit in Kevin King would seem like a pretty massive overpay in this environment.

He comes off sometimes as trying way too hard. But he does have some natural ability in front of the camera and certainly has a plethora of baseball experience to draw from. I'm looking forward to seeing how he does in a longer dose format, where he isn't trying to go over the top in a 1-minute video or in a limited guest appearance.

Who's to say they didn't try? Just because there was no scuttlebutt out there that they were interested in Fuller, doesn't mean they didn't make a play for him. He had the chance to go play for a coach who made him a star as the D-coordinator with the Bears. I personally think it is a little more than a coincidence that the King deal was announced less than 24 hours after Fuller signed with the Broncos and Adoree Jackson signed with the Giants. I would be willing to bet that the Packers made calls to both.

Yeah, at this point, unless you are going to sign a CB who is over 30 (which really isn't in the current GM's wheelhouse at all), the best of what's left are Brain Poole, who is more of a slot guy; Mackenzie Alexander, the former Vikings washout; Quentin Dunbar or Gareon Conley. All are pretty comparable to King as extremely inconsistent guys with some upside.

Will be a very interesting comparison to see if Patrick Peterson at $10 million has that much better of a season with the Vikings than what King will do at whatever minor cap hit he'll have.

I guess I see a couple too many holes to feel confident of where they're at. They'll fill some legitimately through the draft, but you've got two holes at DE (one literally, as your starter is gone despite being not very good) that seem unfillable in Cleveland in a few weeks. Add in OT/O-line depth, DB depth, and ILB depth, and that starts to become a list. I would think they can find a way to replace the roughly 20-25 plays per game that Lancaster played, and the 15 per game that Adams played before getting hurt. I don't see those holes as huge detriments. They need Keke to step up. It probably means they are going to have to look closer at filling roster holes in the 2021 draft, rather than drafting luxury positions like they did last year. I agree that right now, DL, OL, CB and ILB appear to be the biggest depth needs.

It's probably my fault that I let the idea that the Packers would make an external market splash this month creep into my head (Jones was a huge re-signing, but was internal). Instead they are playing this out with the belief that they have a Super Bowl-caliber team in place, and are going to run close to the same team back this year with the idea that hopeful improvements to the defense and special teams schemes will be enough to push them over the top. I think we'll see some small depth signings over the next couple weeks, but it appears that they simply don't have the financial flexibility to make large wholesale moves. Any big improvements are going to have to come internally or through the draft. And that's fine. This is a legit team coming off a 13-3 year and a NFC Championship appearance, who has only lost one big-ticket piece to free agency. That is rare in the NFL.

Boring and mildly disappointing but as I said pages and pages ago, if you're not bringing in Fuller or some clear major upgrade, this was likely to happen. Just signing another middling guy because he's someone else is what fans like to see, but it rarely helps. Draft one early to take his job or someone who can play the slot better to make the overall defense better and negate King's weaknesses. I don't think there is any redemption coming. He's not a good player, but nobody has good players everywhere. I generally agree with this. If he can just be league average, the secondary as a whole has a chance to be elite. I expect them to draft a DB early as well, as well as continue to develop Sullivan, who showed some great flashes in 2019 before falling off a bit last year. Like you said, this is boring, but after the Packers sat out the bidding for the top CBs on the market last week, and didn't make a play for Fuller, this started to make a lot more sense. It'll be interesting to see how the contract is actually structured, and what the cap hit will be.

I get that Cain is getting up there in age, but they aren't going to eat 2 years of that contract simply to get Tyrone Taylor on the field more. I think the JBJ signing was a much bigger indication of where the team sees Taylor's future. I like Taylor and it would be fun to see a guy with his sort of athleticism break out at the MLB level, but I think at this point the chance of him being anything more than a 5th OFer/AAAA type is probably slim.

Packers are re-signing Kevin King. 1-year, $6 million deal. Chance for a little redemption for him, then hit the market again next year.

We both want the same things for this team, but have some differences of opinion on how to accomplish it. I am skeptical that Aaron Rodgers will continue to be able to perform at a high level for 4-5 more years. I think the Packers are as well, or they wouldn't have spent a 1st round pick on a QB. Now if Love never leaves the bench during his time as a Packer, that is the best case scenario, because that means Rodgers not only stayed healthy, he performed at a high level. That would certainly be my preference. I just think that Packer fans should probably prepare themselves for the idea of the Rodgers era coming to a conclusion in the next few years. Hopefully it will have a storybook finish.

Right, but I'm arguing they should invest more while they have the historically great QB and you seem concerned about dead cap space that may hinder their chances after the QB leaves...when a significant drop off is virtually inevitable(Even if Love is a great QB). So I'm advocating they act more aggressively now...like pretty much every other contender in the NFC(though not even AS aggressively, and you're talking about dead cap space after Rodgers retires...which somehow infers you love the Packers more I guess? Ok. I never once tried to say that I love the Packers more than you or anyone else. I said I love the TEAM more than I love a player who plays on the team. That is my way of being a fan. Everyone is entitled to their own fandom. I just still have a sour spot for the 2008 offseason when a huge majority of Packers fans decided they loved Brett Favre more than the team, and treated Aaron Rodgers like crap. I agree with you on getting more aggressive. I'd love to see an all-in year. I thought they'd be active this offseason in acquiring players. Unfortunately that hasn't been the case, and its to the point where, while there are still solid NFL players available, the true difference makers are gone. I thought they would have done something with Rodgers contract by now, but for whatever reason, that hasn't happened. It is unfortunate that a little bit of that 2008 deja vu is starting to creep into this situation. I don't want to see a Rodgers/Packer divorce. That would be an ugly, terrible thing. But the longer these little games of chicken between him and the organization go on, the more the chances of a divorce are inevitable. You are correct that they can afford to carry some dead cap after Rodgers is gone, because Love (or whatever young QB they have) will likely be on a cheap contract. I'm just really leery about a long extension and hitching the wagon to a guy entering his 40s. While you are correct that QB careers are lasting longer than ever, Father Time will catch up with Rodgers, and I'd hate to see it happen sooner rather than later, and have the Packers on the hook for a huge extension.

Yeah, I guess I do have a difference of opinion. I loved Favre then, and I love Rodgers now. But I love the Packers more. The team is more important than any one player. Also, I disagree that the Packers haven't put talent around Rodgers. The 2020 team had arguably the best WR in the game, a top 3 RB, a top 5 TE, and the best offensive line in football. I can think of perhaps one or two seasons or so where the talent was substantially subpar and Rodgers had to play hero ball to get them to the playoffs. Otherwise he's had plenty of talent on offense. Defense has been this team's biggest downfall since 2010, but even then, they've had defenses good enough to win a Super Bowl. But for various reasons, Rodgers included, they haven't been able to take that last necessary step. But don't misconstrue that just because I'm not all-in on Aaron Rodgers being the QB of this team into his mid-40s that I don't long for this team to win a Super Bowl. I'd love for them to go out and acquire the talent needed to shore up the roster. But I just see them having a hard time doing that as long as Rodgers is at the huge cap hit that he's at. Hopefully the rumors from today are correct and they are coming up with a way to get that cap hit lower, whether it means they extend him or add dummy years or whatever. It's going to be hard for them to be competitive with the QB taking up more than 20% of their cap.

That would be the common sense conclusion. But nothing about this situation has seemingly followed logic so far, so I'm losing hope that logic will ever prevail. Sinclair is simply a very poorly-run company, and local sports fans are being forced to suffer the consequences of their ineptitude.

Peyton Manning was completely washed at that point. Brock Osweiler was the better QB that year. He threw 17 picks and just 9 TD's and literally got benched in the middle of the season in favor of Brock Osweiler. Big Ben...the Steelers were stuck with him. He didn't take a pay cut to help the team out, he took one because it was the only way he'd be back with the Steelers this year. Brees last year? I don't recall him taking pay cuts. He was an aging QB who took more bonus money so that his cap hit would only be 25 million. That's not really taking a pay cut for the team. And that's also more similar to what Brady has done. They give him a signing bonus regularly and he tacks on a couple years to spread it out, but the actual cash is more important than the hit when giving these guys credit for how much they're giving up for the team. As for McNabb, I don't recall him taking Pay-Cuts. I know he signed the richest contract in NFL history at the time. A 12 year deal. So for the most part, these are all guys who signed at the end of their career, still got paid a lot. Not the best comp for Rodgers who just threw 48 TD's last season and was the runaway MVP. Manning was playing his age 39 season. Rodgers is entering his age 38 season. They are apt comparisons. So what's the answer? Keep paying Rodgers a huge sum, and not have the resources to surround him with ideal talent? Keep kicking the can down the road so that you are still paying him a huge amount after he's retired? No, you lay it out there. You tell him "Aaron, we can get you talent, but we need you to accept $20 million instead of $30 million." Aaron Rodgers has made hundreds of millions in his career between salary and endorsements. If he wants to go out on top, he should want the team to get the best talent to help him do that. Not be stubborn and refuse to work with the team out of spite. Aaron Rodgers is a great player. I hope he continues to perform at a high level for several years. But if and when he loses it, they cannot be afraid to move on. And at his age, that fall is likely to happen fast, and it could happen at any time.

I'm probably as high on Love as anyone. But I think the BEST you can hope for is that he puts it together and he becomes a franchise QB. When you have an MVP caliber QB still playing at that level and you can reasonably predict he will still play at a high level for 4-6 more years, then I'm just not a fan of hedging your bets like that. 4-6 more years? 2021 will be Rodgers age 38 season. I think you are looking at this through some serious Rodgers-tinted green-and-gold glasses if you think Rodgers is still going to be slinging it at an MVP level in his age 42-44 years. That just doesn't happen. I know .... but, but Tom brady! Tom Brady is the outlier of outliers. Please don't think that just because Brady played well as a 43-year-old (after having some down years that led many to believe he was near done) that Rodgers is going to do the same thing. It simply hasn't worked that way. Tom Brady is a robot. The Packers are going to have to make the decision to move on from Rodgers at some point. Hopefully it is before he becomes a shell of the great player he was, and still is. He's already defying science and history. The chances of him continuing to do that get longer with each passing year.

Yup, but actually, it's a choice you are making. I'll see all the games with Spectrum cable, no way I can go without, so I keep forking over the cash. A summer without Brewers baseball just isn't in the cards. Not if you live somewhere where Spectrum (or any cable service) doesn't offer service. For me, its AT&T TV ... until they drop the Sinclair stations too. It's just a matter of time.

For what it's worth: Michael Silver @MikeSilver The @packers are trying to negotiate a restructured contract with Aaron Rodgers that could free up cap space... the deal (if it happens) might also inform us about how they view his future in Green Bay.

To play devil's advocate, it is sort of a two-way street, though, especially when we've seen plenty of other QBs around the NFL accept substantial pay cuts over the last few years to allow their teams to fit weapons in around them. Not saying Rodgers would or should do that, just that it is another way of looking at the situation. Plenty of others? Who? Not saying you're wrong, I'm just not aware of any other than Tom Brady. Well, Roethlisberger just recently for one. Peyton Manning famously did in 2015. Donovan McNabb did during his career. Brees did last year. But if Brady's longevity is going to be the standard that fans hold Rodgers to, should they also hold him to Brady's salary structure. I don't know? Brady accepting less for MVP level play almost definitely led to all of his late Patriots career Super Bowl wins.

To play devil's advocate, it is sort of a two-way street, though, especially when we've seen plenty of other QBs around the NFL accept substantial pay cuts over the last few years to allow their teams to fit weapons in around them. Not saying Rodgers would or should do that, just that it is another way of looking at the situation.

Exactly. A great number of Packer fans are going to have to eventually accept that the team is probably going to decide to move on from Rodgers before they are comfortable with it. He played at a legit MVP level last year, but is also going to be playing this season at 38, and 99.9% of QBs are either done, or close to it, by that age. If I had to guess right now, I'd say Rodgers is the QB in 2021 and 2022, with 2023 as the transition year. Of course, that could go in either direction, as there are a lot of variables in play. For instance, if Rodgers shows decline this season, I could see them moving on for 2022. Also, if he is great, I could foresee Love being traded with the idea that Rodgers is the Packers' QB in 2023 and perhaps 2024. In any case, having Jordan Love – a young, extremely talented QB on a rookie contract – around for the next several seasons is far from a bad thing, whether its as the backup or perhaps more.

Pretty sure they announced that Cain is playing his first game tomorrow, along with Devin Williams. I'm less worried about Williams. He threw a lot last year and relievers really only need 3-4 outings to get ready. Cain didnt play last year and I fear will need more AB's to get ready. Maybe the team isnt worried as he is a veteran. Who knows. He could be getting work in the "B" games too.

The problem with that line of thinking is that Rodgers knows he is occupying a huge part of the cap, and that makes it difficult for the team to bring in the pieces that could theoretically get them over the hump. If he truly wants to make it back to the Super Bowl, you'd think he'd be willing to work with the team to give them the best chance of making that happen.

Pretty sure they announced that Cain is playing his first game tomorrow, along with Devin Williams.

I dunno. Jones was a home run and Williams a serviceable RB. King as much as I've bemoaned him did some nice things at times over his tenure. Adams is an OK contributor against the run. Biegel was starting to become a solid NFL contributor before getting hurt last year, albeit not with us. I guess the thing that hurts the most about this draft is that it was the "we passed on TJ Watt" draft, but pound for pound I would guess it's a similar hit to miss ratio to most drafts. it would have been a homerun draft if they just drafted Watt, Williams and Jones. You can't expect perfection, but 2 pro-bowlers is more than one can expect in any draft. Josh Jones started 13 games for the Jags last year, and if I remember right from the few games I watched the Jags, he was OK.