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[Green Bay Packers]

A 3rd NFL 2nd-round rookie has finally signed

Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images

Alfred Collins received $9 million in guarantees from the San Francisco 49ers months after the last second-round rookie inked a deal.

Up until Wednesday night, only 2 of the NFL’s 32 second-round rookies had signed contracts with their teams, due to the changing market in guarantees. While rookie contracts operate under a wage scale based on draft position, per the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, that only legislates the overall money in the deal. Other aspects of contracts, like how much is guaranteed or the types of clauses in these deals, are still fully up for negotiation.

Shortly after the draft, the top two picks in the second round, Cleveland linebacker Carson Schwesigner and Houston receiver Jayden Higgins, signed fully guaranteed contracts with their teams — the first of their kind for NFL second-round picks. But then the market came to a screeching halt, as every second-rounder behind them had still yet to sign going into Wednesday night.

The Los Angeles Chargers, who are participating in the Hall of Fame Game, already had their rookies report to training camp, which led to their second-round pick, receiver Tre Harris, officially holding out after participating with the team in voluntary organized team activities and mandatory minicamp. The fear, from the NFL’s side, was that this lack of movement in the second-round market going into training camp would mean that many of their teams’ high draft selections would not be suiting up for training camp, which starts next week for the clubs who aren’t scheduled to play in the Hall of Fame Game.

Then, a deal finally got done. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday night that the San Francisco 49ers signed their second-round pick, Alfred Collins, to a four-year, $10.3 million deal that fully guarantees him 88 percent of his deal. For perspective, Collins was the 43rd overall pick in the draft. Last year’s 43rd overall pick was Arizona Cardinals cornerback Max Melton, who received just $6.9 million in guarantees at signing compared to Collins’ over $9 million. So, at minimum, Collins and his team negotiated an increase in guarantees of around 30 percent over the lifetime of his contract.

This means that the unsigned second-rounders ahead of Collins — Nick Emmanwori, Quinshon Judkins, Jonah Savaiinaea, TreVeyon Henderson, Luther Burden III, Tyler Shough, T.J. Sanders and Mason Taylor — will all likely receive 88 percent or more in guarantees in their contracts. That’s not great news for clubs that tried to stretch this out with the hopes of someone else signing their pick to a lower number, but at least there’s clarity on the market as we approach training camp.

For reference, the Green Bay Packers’ second-round pick, tackle Anthony Belton, was picked 54th overall, so there’s still a good bit of difference between Collins and Belton, but players in between the two should begin to sign deals and fill out the gulf between them over the next couple of days. Any movement is seen as a good development, considering that the market completely froze for over two months.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...act-update-san-francisco-49ers-alfred-collins

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers All-Quarter Century Team: Who is safety #2?

Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Nick Collins ran away with the top safety spot, so who will join him?

In our continuing series on the Packers All-Quarter Century Team, let’s take a look at the last line of defense from a surprisingly strong crop of candidates!

Unsurprisingly, Nick Collins sprinted away with the vote yesterday as we looked to confirm who was the Green Bay Packers’ best safety of the last 25 years. Collins’ incredible stretch from 2008 to 2010 made him a no-brainer choice, getting more than 75 percent of the votes.

Now we get to a much tougher question: who should join him at the other safety position? The Packers have some great candidates (and some names who were less exciting but solid players nonetheless), so this should make for a very interesting decision.

Here are your options!

Safety Nominees​

Note: All stats shown are as a member of the Green Bay Packers only, from the 2000 through 2024 seasons only.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (2014-2018)​

1x Pro Bowl, 1x Second Team All Pro

Regular season stats: 71 Games, 14 INT for 116 yards, 25 PDs, 3 FF, 1 FR, 378 Tackles (299 Solo), 5.5 Sacks

Postseason stats: 7 Games, 3 INT, 53 yards, 11 PDs, 31 Tackles (25 Solo).

The statistics on Clinton-Dix are so much better than the player, so much so that when I see a quarterback overthrow a receiver into the waiting arms of a safety who was playing too far back, I think of it as a “Ha Ha Special” to this day.

Clinton-Dix was an opportunist, and we should at least acknowledge that hey, when someone threw the ball to him, the man caught it. Taking advantage of your opportunities is a skill, and given the leverage implications of a turnover, it’s a pretty useful one! That said, we should consider the degree of difficulty on his 14 Packer picks, as the only reason a better safety may have had fewer interceptions is because they were actually playing better coverage, closer to the intended target.

Clinton-Dix was also far from a sure tackler, though occasionally he would have his moments, but he was actually a decent pass-rusher when called on to do so. While certainly not a great player, I do think that history has done him dirty a bit. HHCD was a first rounder, and that first round pedigree will dog you forever if you’re not above average, but the fact is that he never should have been a first rounder, and it will always be weird that the analytically-minded Packers grabbed a 4.86 RAS safety that high. HHCD’s 7.16 3-cone converts to a 2.89 RAS, and the Packers took him in THE FIRST. He ran a 4.58 with a bottom third vert! Just, what were we doing here?

And so it’s not really his fault that he was picked this high, and for the tools that he did possess, hey, he wasn’t terrible.

He also had three playoff picks, and in a different universe is likely something of a playoff hero! Except, two of those picks came in the damned 2014 NFC Championship game against Seattle, and so have been memory-holed by most. The other came in the 2015 overtime loss to the Cardinals (the Jeff Janis game) and led directly to their first touchdown of the game. If they win both of those games, Ha Ha is likely remembered as a clutch player.

HHCD left a complicated legacy, and there is plenty of subjective wiggle-room here.

Darnell Savage (2019-2023)​

Regular season stats: 72 Games, 9 INTs, 125 yards, 1 TD, 32 PDs, 2 FF, 2 FR, 302 Tackles (225 Solo), 1 Sack

Postseason stats: 7 Games, 1 INT, 64 yards, 1 TD, 2 PDs, 25 Tackles (18 Solo)

Like HHCD, Savage brings some first round baggage to the party that serves to skew perception a bit. Unlike HHCD, Savage is an athletic phenom who ran a blistering 4.36 40 to complement elite explosion and agility grades. Also, unlike HHCD, Savage was almost never standing in the correct place and could not be counted on by his safety-mates to perform his responsibilities competently. While Nick Collins made everyone around him better by always being where he was supposed to be and always tackling who he was supposed to tackle, Savage was an extreme freelancer and kept everyone guessing.

Sometimes that gambling did pay off, and Savage has a few undeniably great moments, like his playoff pick-six of Dak Prescott. The Packers went 9-1 in games where he had at least one pick, which seems nifty until you remember the existence of “selection bias” and that Savages picks came against Mitch Trubisky (twice), the corpse of Joe Flacco (now entering it’s 7th season), Justin Fields, Daniel Jones, late-career Ryan Tannehill, etc. You know, bad QBs. He did get Kirk Cousins and Jalen Hurts, so it’s not all bad, but Savage’s great, exciting moments are not balanced out by his lack of fundamentals in the boring moments.

Adrian Amos (2019-2022)​

Regular season stats: 66 Games, 7 INT, 85 Yards, 30 PDs, 1 FR, 362 Tackles (281 Solo), 4 Sacks

Postseason stats: 5 Games, 2 INTs, 3 PDs, 22 Tackles (14 Solo)

Speaking of Darnell Savage, the man most tortured by the freelancing wunderkind is likely Amos, who was incredibly adept and likely underrated for his ability to compensate for all of the nonsense going on in the secondary during his tenure. While he did have some time with Jaire Alexander, there’s also a lot of Kevin King and Eric Stokes here, and Amos’ steady hand kept everything from spiraling out of control.

While never a star, he was underrated in his first stint with the Bears, which allowed the Packers to grab him in free agency, and his incredible versatility was a godsend. Though the fact that he is so well-rounded means he doesn’t stand out in any one category, and so is sometimes forgotten.

In addition to incredibly steady play in the regular season, Amos picked off Tom GD Brady in the NFC Championship Game leading directly to a 2-yard Davante Adams touchdown, AND he picked off Jimmy Garoppolo in the 2021 divisional round at the Green Bay 4-yard line, preventing sure points from the 49ers in a narrow 13-10 loss that the Packers really should have won.

Amos was low-key, and low-key great.

Atari Bigby (2005-2010)​

Regular season stats: 45 Games, 10 INT, 71 Yards, 19 PDs, 3 FF, 1 FR, 164 Tackles (125 Solo)

Postseason stats: 5 Games, 2 PDs, 21 Tackles (17 Solo)

Atari had his breakout in 2007 and another nice season in 2009, but nagging injuries robbed him of some of his athleticism over time. After a decent, if brief peak, he had trouble fighting off the competition at safety. His career had some Pitfalls and was a bit of an Adventure, but he mostly came out on top as one of the Vanguards of the position.

For a former undrafted free agent, Bigby had about as good of a career as you could possibly Fathom. He made a tackle in the 2010 Super Bowl and got himself a ring, his bone-crushing Joust with Marcus Pollard in the snow globe game, forcing a crucial fumble, was the catalyst that turned that game around for the Packers, and his 5 pick, 3 FF, 86 tackle 2007 campaign is one of the best individual safety seasons of the century so far.

He was always ready for Combat, and a well above-average Defender.

Morgan Burnett (2010 – 2017)​

Regular season stats: 102 Games, 9 INT, 52 Yards, 44 PDs, 8 FF, 9 FR, 93 Yards, 1 TD, 698 Tackles (497 Solo), 7.5 Sacks

Postseason stats: 11 Games, 2 INTs, 16 Yards, 5 PDs, 1 FR, 67 Tackles (49 Solo), 2 Sacks

The former third rounder is in some ways the answer to the questions of “what if Adrian Amos was with the Packers for a bit longer.” A similarly well-rounded strong safety, Burnett was equally adept in coverage as he was in run support or as a blitzer. More than anything, he is one of the surest tacklers on this list, with 497 solo tackles and 27 TFLs (22 as a Packer).

Burnett was also a solid playoff performer, with a pick and a fumble recovery in the cursed 2014 NFC Championship game, and a pick of Eli Manning in the 2011 loss to the Giants. Burnett was a fun thumper with unusual ball skills given his physicality. He rarely had a bad game, and he allowed the defense to play lighter without sacrificing anything in run defense.

Xavier McKinney (2024)​

1x Pro Bowler, 1x First Team All Pro

Regular season stats: 17 Games, 8 INT, 128 Yards, 11 PDs, 1 FR, 7 Yards, 88 Tackles (60 Solo), 1 Sack

Postseason stats: 1 Game, 2 INTs, 5 Tackles (2 Solo)

It’s just one season, but what a season. In McKinney’s inaugural season with the Packers, he recorded eight picks and 11 passes defended while providing solid work in run support. If it’s presumptuous to include McKinney here after one season, I would argue that no one else has looked so much like Nick Collins since Nick Collins. The switch from Joe Barry to Jeff Hafley makes a world of difference, but it’s also not a coincidence that the Packer secondary was able to survive many injuries, frequent missed games and weirdness from Jaire Alexander, injuries to safety-mate Evan Williams, and a bunch of different Alentines all because of McKinney’s steady hand in the back.

And this is clearly not a fluke. While we’re not using time spent with other teams officially here, McKinney was brilliant for the Giants when healthy and should remain a force for the duration of his prime. Still a few days shy of 27 years old, the Packers have a great one here. Is one great season enough to vote for him? That’s up to you.

LeRoy Butler (2000-2001)​

Regular season stats: 25 Games, 2 INTs, 25 Yards, 9 PDs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 132 Tackles (97 Solo), 3 Sack

Postseason stats: None

Butler isn’t just an all-time great Packer safety, he’s an all-time great safety, a Super Bowl champion, a Hall of Famer, and a Packer legend. But most of Butler’s truly outstanding work occurred in the 90s, and so here all was have to consider is an injury-plagued final season in 2001 and a still pretty great 2000 season at age 32, where Butler had a typical Butlerian season with 2 picks, 7 PDs, 1 FF, 1 FR, and 2 sacks, in addition to a ton of rock-solid tackling.

Butler definitely started to taper off in his 30s, as almost all players do, but even his diminished 30s are still better than like 90% of Packer safety play. Butler probably didn’t do enough or play long enough this century to warrant votes, but his swan song season was still outstanding.

Darren Sharper (1997-2004)​

2x Pro Bowl, 1x First Team All-Pro, 1x Second Team All-Pro

Regular season stats: 75 games, 31 INTs for 595 yards, 64 PDs, 3 TDS, 5 FF, 2 FR, 1 TD, 411 tackles (324 solo), 5 sacks.

Postseason stats: 6 Games, 2 INTs, 5 PDs, 1 FF, 47 tackles (38 solo), 2 sacks.

Sharper would be an NFL Hall of Famer except of course for the elephant in the room: Sharper is a serial rapist, currently incarcerated in Miami serving a 20-year sentence. Sharper raped and/or sexually assaulted at least nine women, although per US District Judge Jane Milazzo the total victim count was likely 16. In nearly every allegation, Sharper drugged and raped his victims, often with the help of accomplices Brandon Licciardi and Erik Nunez.

There are many great players with “off the field” issues and in some instances — where there is contrition, where there is some doubt as to the accusations, or where the person made a true mistake — separating football accomplishments from off-field issues may be warranted. This is not that. Sharper should be viewed as we view OJ Simpson, as a truly bad person who ruined many lives, and none of you should vote for him. In fact, we’re not including him in the poll.

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Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-amos-clinton-dix-bigby-butler-burnett-savage

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers All-Quarter Century Team: Let’s select one more front seven defender

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

To try to accommodate multiple schemes, we’re looking for one more player to help on the front seven.

In our continuing series on the Packers All-Quarter Century Team, we’re picking one more player to help out in the box on defense.

Earlier this week, you helped us define the Green Bay Packers’ top two players from the last 25 years at each of the defensive tackle, edge, and linebacker positions. Accounting for schematic changes on defense makes this exercise a bit challenging, so today we’re adding one more flex player on the front seven to complete our lineup.

In other words, it’s time to pick from the remaining top choices at those spots to fill out our defensive front. Here’s a quick reminder about who has already been selected:

DT: Kenny Clark, B.J. Raji
EDGE: Clay Matthews, Aaron Kampman
LB: Nick Barnett, A.J. Hawk

Let’s get to the remaining nominees, pulled from the top vote-getters at each of those three positions in the original polls.

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Front Seven Flex Nominees​

Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (EDGE, 2000-08)​

1x Pro Bowl

Regular season stats: 124 games played, 74 starts; 302 total tackles (225 solo, 77 assisted), 74 TFLs, 74.5 sacks, 11 pass defenses, 17 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries, 1 interception (returned for a touchdown)

Postseason stats: 8 games played, 4 starts; 23 total tackles (15 solo, 8 assisted), 7 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble

Few players in the entire NFL over the last 25 years can match the ability and production that KGB had as a pure speed rusher. The 5th-round pick out of San Diego State was a menace to tackles and quarterbacks off the edge with his incredibly quick get-off, bend, and closing ability. He recorded four straight double-digit sack seasons starting in 2001, when he was just a rotational player in his second year. He also posted multiple forced fumbles every year from 2001 to 2007 and missed only two games in that span.

Of course, Gbaja-Biamila gave up quite a bit in run defense. He was lean, measuring in at a shade under 6-foot-4 and weighing in the mid-240s for most of his career, quite undersized for a 4-3 end. Had the Packers played a 3-4 defense during his career, perhaps he could have had an even more impressive set of statistics. Instead, when his speed and elite athleticism (9.41 RAS at DE, despite his small size) started to wane, he was relegated to a situational pass-rusher role.

All told, KGB was a full-time player for the middle five years of his career, flanked by two years each of situational work on the front and back ends. But those years were still productive in the limited role, and even with places like Pro Football Reference going back to credit players for sacks prior to that statistic becoming official in 1982, he still ranks fourth on the Packers’ all-time franchise leaderboard.

Julius Peppers (EDGE, 2014-2016)​

1x Pro Bowl

Regular season stats: 48 games played, 43 starts; 103 total tackles (69 solo, 34 assisted), 21 TFLs, 25.0 sacks, 14 pass defenses, 8 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions (both returned for touchdowns)

Postseason stats: 7 games played/started; 21 total tackles (11 solo, 10 assisted), 5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, 2 pass defenses, 2 forced fumbles

Few could have predicted after Peppers’ Hall of Fame-worthy career with the Panthers and Bears that he would sign with the Packers as a 34-year-old free agent in 2014. In fact, his arrival in Green Bay was perhaps the best-kept secret in recent Packers free agency history, with nobody knowing about it until the team posted on social media that he was at Lambeau Field signing his contract.

Peppers had never played in a 3-4 system before signing in Green Bay, and there were plenty of questions about whether he would fit at outside linebacker, but he answered them quickly. His first season saw him serve as a do-it-all player, posting 7 sacks, 11 pass breakups, 4 forced fumbles, and two pick-sixes. He earned a Pro Bowl in 2015 with 10.5 sacks, then followed it up with another 7.5 in 2016 before finishing his career back in Carolina for two more seasons.

A member of the Hall of Fame class of 2004, Peppers provided the 2014 Packers with a much-needed defensive spark that nearly took them back to the Super Bowl.

Za’Darius Smith (EDGE, 2019-21)​

2x Pro Bowl, 1x second-team All-Pro

Regular season stats: 33 games played, 32 starts; 108 total tackles (77 solo, 31 assisted), 29 TFLs, 26.0 sacks, 2 pass defenses, 5 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries

Postseason stats: 5 games played, 4 starts; 13 total tackles (9 solo, 4 assisted), 3 TFLs, 4.0 sacks

Another big free agent addition, Za’Darius Smith came over from Baltimore and ripped off two exceptional seasons in 2019 and 2020. The big edge rusher posted 26 sacks in 32 games over those two years, menacing quarterbacks from outside on base downs before shifting to an interior position in passing situations.

Smith’s tenure may be best remembered for the chaos of 2021, however, when injuries and his frustration with not being named a team captain led him to play just one game. The Packers released him the following offseason with one year left on his contract, and he signed with the Vikings seemingly to try to spite Green Bay. He finished 2024 with another NFC North team, the Lions, but currently remains a free agent.

Mike Daniels (DT, 2012-18)​

1x Pro Bowl

Regular season stats: 102 games played, 72 starts; 225 total tackles (154 solo, 71 assisted), 47 TFLs, 29.0 sacks, 5 pass defenses, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries (1 returned for a TD), 1 interception

Postseason stats: 10 games played, 8 starts; 27 total tackles (17 solo, 10 assisted), 2 TFLs, 2.5 sacks

The Packers had a remarkable run of success with 4th-round draft picks under Ted Thompson, and Daniels was perhaps the best of those who played on the defensive side of the football. An undersized pass-rushing tackle out of Iowa, the 6-foot Daniels made a splash as a rookie with a long fumble return for a touchdown, then broke out with 6.5 sacks in a rotational role as a second-year pro in 2013.

With Raji on the shelf and Pickett departed in 2014, Daniels took over a starting job and posted another 5.5 sacks while bringing a hard-nosed, tough-guy attitude to the Packers’ defensive front. Daniels posted at least four sacks in five straight seasons with the Packers and earned a Pro Bowl appearance in 2017.

He dealt with some injuries in 2018 that limited him to ten games, but that would be the end of his Packers tenure. After reportedly trying to trade him during the 2019 offseason, Green Bay ended up releasing him just before the start of training camp. He quickly signed with the Detroit Lions, but in three more seasons with Detroit and CIncinnati, he recorded just one sack in 22 games.

Cullen Jenkins (DT, 2004-10)​

Regular season stats: 93 games played, 66 starts; 194 total tackles (130 solo, 64 assisted), 40 TFLs, 29.0 sacks, 16 pass defenses, 5 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 1 interception

Postseason stats: 8 games played, 3 starts; 15 total tackles (11 solo, 4 assisted), 5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, 1 pass defensed

The lesser-known Jenkins brother (Kris was a 2nd-round pick in 2001 and a two-time All-Pro), Cullen signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He did not make the team out of training camp, but re-signed after that season and was on the roster to start the 2004 campaign. That season, he played every game, starting six contests and recording 4.5 sacks.

Jenkins bounced in and out of the starting lineup for a few seasons while moving back and forth from tackle to end, but he remained an important piece of the defensive line rotation. In 2007, he started 15 games at defensive end in base defenses with Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila relegated to a designated pass-rusher role, but often he would shift in to tackle in passing situations. An injury cost him all but four games of the Packers’ 2008 season, but he returned in 2009 to a new position in Dom Capers’ 3-4 defense.

As a 3-4 end, Jenkins was a rare force as a pass-rusher. He started every game in 2009, recording 4.5 sacks, then set a career-high with 7 sacks in 2010 despite playing only 11 games. He missed the final four games of the regular season with a calf injury, but returned in time for the postseason and a long Super Bowl run. Jenkins did not start any of the four playoff games that year but he still made a major impact, recording a half-sack (in the NFC Championship Game against Chicago) and three total TFLs in that playoff run. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent in the 2011 offseason and bounced around the NFC East for another six seasons before retiring after the 2016 season.

Ryan Pickett (DT, 2006-13)​

Regular season stats: 119 games played, 113 starts; 319 total tackles (198 solo, 121 assisted), 18 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 18 pass defenses, 2 fumble recoveries

Postseason stats: 11 games played, 10 starts; 33 total tackles (28 solo, 5 assisted), 2 TFLs

One of the Packers’ two big free agent acquisitions during the 2006 offseason, Pickett came in to replace Grady Jackson at nose tackle and bolster the interior of the defensive line. He was a solid player for five seasons with the St. Louis Rams prior to signing a 4-year, $14 million deal with the Packers early on in free agency, and he continued that type of play for the Packers, first as a 4-3 tackle, then as a 3-4 nose tackle and later as a 3-4 end.

Pickett was never a big-play type of tackle for the Packers, as his sack and TFL numbers show, instead serving as an excellent anchor against the run who could occupy multiple gaps. However, he helped provide a critical momentum-changing play in Super Bowl XLV when he combined with Clay Matthews to force a fumble out of Reshard Mendenhall on the first play of the fourth quarter. He responded to Matthews’ alert “Spill it, Pickett!” call before the play, penetrating into the backfield and getting a hand on the running back just as Matthews came in from the edge and helping to deliver a huge turnover at a critical juncture in the game.

Pickett played three more seasons in Green Bay after that, then signed with the Texans for one season in 2014 before retiring.

Desmond Bishop (LB, 2007-12)​

294 tackles (16 for loss), nine sacks, one interception

69 games played (26 starts)

Dubbed Mr. August early in his career for his outstanding preseason play, Bishop finally ascended to the starting lineup in 2010. He immediately paid back the Packers’ faith, recording a season-high 13 tackles and a sack in his first start and returning his only career interception 32 yards for a touchdown two weeks later — spoiling Brett Favre’s second trip to Lambeau Field in a Vikings uniform in the process. That same season, Bishop would recover a fumble forced by Clay Matthews on the famous “spill it!” play in Super Bowl XLV. Bishop would return to the starting lineup in 2011, recording a team-leading 115 tackles, but a bad hamstring injury prior to the 2012 season scuttled that season and ended his Packers career.

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Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...eam-lets-select-one-more-front-seven-defender

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers All-Quarter Century Team: Pick the top kicker and punter since 2000

Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

Who was best at putting the foot in football over the past 25 years?

Although we have one more position left to decide on the defense for our Green Bay Packers All-Quarter Century Team, we’re going to let some voting finish up at the safety position before putting that last spot up for vote. Instead, this morning we will start examining the specialists, starting with the kickers and punters.

Both of those groups are here together in this post, so we’ll ask you to vote twice today on who the best players are at each position.

Without further ado, let’s get to the place-kickers.

Kicker Nominees​

Ryan Longwell (2000-2005)​

Regular season stats: 96 games; 148-184 field goals (80.4%), 249-251 PATs (99.2%), 11-18 from 50+ (61.1%)
Postseason stats: 6 games; 7-11 field goals (63.6%), 11-12 PATs (91.7%)

Longwell was a long shot to earn the Packers’ kicking job as a rookie in 1997 after the team moved on from Chris Jacke, signing with the team as an undrafted free agent after Ron Wolf selected Brett Conway in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft. But win the job he did, and he would go on to be Green Bay’s kicker for the next 9 seasons. Six of those came in the 2000s, and when Longwell was good, he was very good.

In three of those years, Longwell had a field goal hit rate of greater than 85 percent, and he was in the NFL’s top ten in field goal rate in four of those six seasons. However, the 2001 season was a rough one, as he went just 20-31 (64.5%), and his final season in Green Bay saw him fail to clear 75% (20-27 for 74.1%).

Longwell would leave after that 2005 campaign and sign with the Minnesota Vikings, presumably in part because the Twin Cities had some fancier restaurants than Applebee’s. But jokes about small towns aside, Longwell would return and retire as a Packer in 2013 after six seasons in purple, having held the Packers’ record for total field goals made (226), points (1,054), and field goal percentage (81.6%) at the time of his retirement.

However, one player would eclipse him in the totals and finished 0.2% off on career hit rate, but he wouldn’t arrive for another year.

Mason Crosby (2007-2022)​

Packers’ all-time franchise scoring leader (1,918 points)

Regular season stats: 258 games; 395-485 field goals (81.4%), 733-753 PATs (97.3%), 43-78 from 50+ (55.1%)
Postseason stats: 23 games; 31-35 field goals (88.6%), 70-70 PATs (100%)

Quick, can you remember who the Packers’ place-kicker was in 2006? (Please? Because I can’t.)

*Furiously googles*

Dave Rayner? Really? Sure, okay.

Anyway, the Packers had one season of true kicking uncertainty from 2000 to 2022, coming in that one year between Longwell’s departure and the draft selection of Mason Crosby in the 6th round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Crosby had his ups and downs, to be sure, but he finished his Packers career with an 81.4% field goal hit rate.

Early in his career, Crosby had a reputation for having a big leg, which drove head coach Mike McCarthy to trot him out on attempts of 50-plus yards with regularity. He attempted 78 such field goals in the regular season, hitting 43 of them; that’s three times more attempts than the kicker with the next-most in Packers history (Chris Jacke, 26). In fact, in the 9-year span from 2007 through 2015, Crosby attempted at least three from 50 or longer ever year and had five or more such attempts in all but two seasons.

Crosby nearly lost his job after a disastrous 2012 season that saw him hit just 64% of his attempts, but he bounced back with arguably his finest season in 2013, going 33-for-37 on field goals and a perfect 42-42 on PATs. That year, he missed just twice from inside of 50 and was perfect from inside 40.

Although Crosby had his scary moments in the regular season, he was always clutch, particularly in the postseason. In particular, he had a few truly memorable hits: nailing an attempt from 48 in the 2014 NFC Championship Game to send that game to overtime and hitting two go-ahead kicks inside the last two minutes from 50-plus against the Cowboys in 2016. The second of those followed Jared Cook’s miracle catch on the sideline and sent the Packers to another NFC title game.

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Punter Nominees​

Josh Bidwell (2000-2003)​

Regular season stats: 64 games; 308 punts, 41.1 gross average, 35.5 net average, 9.1% touchback rate, 27.6% inside-20 rate
Postseason stats: 4 games, 18 punts, 42.2 gross average

The Packers were willing to use early draft picks on specialists for a decade or so; three years after picking Conway in the third round they grabbed Bidwell out of Oregon in the 4th round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He was solid if unspectacular in Green Bay, then signed with Tampa Bay after his rookie contract expired. Bidwell was a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro for the Buccaneers in 2005, punting in better conditions.

Jon Ryan (2006-07)​

Regular season stats: 32 games; 144 punts, 44.5 gross average, 36.5 net average, 16.0% touchback rate, 24.3% inside 20 rate, 2 punts blocked
Postseason stats: 2 games; 9 punts, 33.1 gross average

A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, Ryan started his pro career in the CFL, where he led that league in punting as a rookie in 2005. That led the Packers to sign him the following February, was at home punting in the cold and played his entire career in Green Bay or Seattle. He got his career underway with two years for the Packers, where he put up some pretty solid numbers.

Perhaps a pair of blocks by the Bears in a game late in 2007 were on the Packers’ mind in 2008, as they went with Derrick Frost over Ryan after a lengthy training camp battle. Green Bay released Ryan at final cuts, and he immediately landed with the Seahawks. That’s where he would play ten seasons, and he would get payback for his release in the 2014 NFC Championship Game (the less said about that game the better).

Tim Masthay (2010-2015)​

3-time NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Regular season stats: 96 games; 390 punts, 44.2 gross average, 38.7 net average, 7.4% touchback rate, 33.8% inside-20 rate, 3 punts blocked; 1-2 passing, 27 yards, 1 TD
Postseason stats: 11 games; 52 punts, 40.1 gross average

After dealing with a bit of punter roulette for two years — Frost didn’t make it through 2008 and Jeremy Kapinos took over for the next year-plus — the Packers signed Masthay to a futures contract in early 2010 after he had spent part of training camp in 2009 with the Colts. Kapinos left in free agency that year and Masthay won the job in training camp.

He immediately became a solid weapon for the Packers’ special teams unit, posting good numbers and earning a player of the week award early in his first year with the team. Masthay’s field position flipping helped the Packers go on to win Super Bowl XLV in his first year with the team, and he would spend six years in Green Bay, the longest tenure of any punter this century.

Masthay also added a fantastic highlight in 2012, when he completed a shovel pass to Tom Crabtree on a fake field goal that the tight end took in for a touchdown.

JK Scott (2018-2020)​

Regular season stats: 48 games; 194 punts, 44.6 gross average, 38.8 net average, 8.2% touchback rate, 32.5% inside-20 rate, 2 punts blocked
Postseason stats: 4 games; 13 punts, 43.6 gross average

Another draft pick, Scott heard his name called in the 6th round of Brian Gutekunst’s first draft as GM of the Packers. The lanky Alabama product’s family had a cabin in Wisconsin and it seemed like a great fit.

Although Scott’s overall numbers look solid, he was known for his inconsistency as a Packer and eventually the team moved on from him after training camp in 2021 after trading for Corey Bojorquez. He spent one season looking for a job but signed with the Chargers for the 2022 season, where he has been ever since and where he just signed another two-year contract extension this offseason.

Daniel Whelan (2023-2024)​

Regular season stats: 34 games; 113 punts, 46.2 gross average, 39.5 net average, 8.8% touchbacks, 35.4% inside-20 rate
Postseason stats: 3 games; 6 punts, 42.5 gross average, 40.7 net average, 50% inside-20 rate

A native of Ireland, Whelan played college football at UC-Davis and tried out for the Saints in 2022 but was unable to land a job. Green Bay signed him during the 2023 offseason, and he beat out veteran Pat O’Donnell for the punting job in training camp that summer. All he has done since is set new career highs for a Packers punter in both gross and net average among players with at least 100 punts, while avoiding the shanks that Scott was occasionally known for.

Whelan signed an exclusive-rights free agent deal to remain with the Packers for 2025, and he is scheduled to be a restricted free agent next offseason.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...eam-pick-the-top-kicker-and-punter-since-2000

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers place 8 players on injury lists ahead of training camp

Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images

Three rookie draft picks will start training camp on the PUP list in Green Bay.

According to the NFL’s transaction log, the Green Bay Packers have placed eight of their players on injury lists ahead of training camp.

Three of them are currently on the non-football injury list, which just means that they were injured outside of the facility:

• RB Amar Johnson
• OL Elgton Jenkins
• K Alex Hale

Notably, Elgton Jenkins, who is moving from guard to center this year, has been holding out this offseason. Jenkins is attempting to renegotiate a multi-year contract extension with the team, despite the Packers having him under contract for two more years. It was not previously reported that Jenkins has been dealing with an injury.

The other five players are on the physically unable to perform list, which means that they were hurt while on the job:

• WR Christian Watson
• OL John Williams
• DE Collin Oliver
• LB Quay Walker
• CB Micah Robinson

Christian Watson is coming off of an ACL tear, so that name is hardly a shock on this list. Linebacker Quay Walker had previously been practicing off and on with the team due to an undisclosed injury. The remaining three players, Williams, Oliver and Robinson are all rookie draft picks, which means that fans might have to wait a while to get their first in-person look at them this summer.

The Packers released two players today, defensive tackles Nesta Jade Silvera and Cameron Young, which means they have three open roster spots going into training camp. Don’t be surprised if replacements for injured players come in next week.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...layers-on-injury-lists-ahead-of-training-camp

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Green Bay Packers sign rookie Anthony Belton

Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Packers also released two defensive tackles on Friday.

Rookies reported to training camp in Green Bay today. After nearly four months of negotiations, the Packers announced that the team has avoided a holdout situation and has signed second-round tackle Anthony Belton to a four-year contract — right before camp.

Along with the signing of Belton, Green Bay also announced that they have released two defensive tackles in Nesta Jade Silvera and Cameron Young. At the moment, the Packers’ defensive tackle room is now comprised of Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden, James Ester, Keith Randolph, sixth-round rookie Warren Brinson and undrafted rookie Nazir Stackhouse.

After Friday’s transactions, Green Bay has three open roster spots to play with on its 91-man offseason roster. Veterans will report on Tuesday and training camp practices will officially begin on Wednesday, so we’ll just have to wait and see if the Packers plan on using those roster spots at the start of camp.

On the Belton front, the reason this contract took so long to ink is because of the rising guarantees that second-round picks are receiving. So far, three picks, Carson Schwesinger, Jayden Higgins and Nick Emmanwori, have all received fully guaranteed deals. They were also the first three picks selected in the second round of April’s draft. Both Schwesinger and Higgins were signed shortly after the draft, but Emmanwori just signed yesterday.

Up until Wednesday, 30 of the NFL’s 32 second-round rookies had remained unsigned, until the San Francisco 49ers and defensive tackle Alfred Collins reached a deal that guaranteed him $8.3 million. Roughly, second-round rookies are receiving about $2 million more guaranteed on their rookie contracts than players who were picked in the same draft slot in 2024.

Once Collins signed, the floodgates opened, leading to nine players coming to agreements on Thursday. Notably, the two players picked behind Belton in the 2025 draft, Los Angeles Chargers receiver Tre Harris and Chicago Bears offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo, signed contracts yesterday. That likely helped the Packers and Belton’s representation feel more secure about what a reasonable market for the rookie is, leading to today’s deal.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...kers-news-sign-rookie-anthony-belton-contract

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Friday Cheese Curds: Packers training camp battles to watch

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

This might be the most competitive Green Bay Packers training camp in years.

Jordan Love is your quarterback. Josh Jacobs is locked in at running back. Tucker Kraft is your primary tight end. Beyond that, and a few defensive positions, much of the Packers' depth chart remains somewhat fluid.

As such, it’s worth keeping an eye on several key position battles as the Green Bay Packers prepare to kick off their 2025 training camp. SI recently reported on the key battles they are watching, including their predictions for who will win out.

One of the highest-stakes battles will take place on the edge, where 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness looks to finally claim a starting role opposite Rashan Gary. Despite limited production so far, Van Ness’s athletic upside gives him the edge over competitors like Kingsley Enagbare and Brenton Cox. But as we’ve seen, you can only take pure athleticism so far in the NFL.

On the offensive line, Rasheed Walker will try to fend off 2024 first-rounder Jordan Morgan at left tackle. Walker started all 17 games last year and brings continuity and experience to a critical role, making him the early favorite to protect Love’s blind side, though he’s by no means “a lock.”

At wide receiver, the spotlight is on rookie Matthew Golden, who will compete with returning starters Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks. With Christian Watson sidelined, Golden’s explosive potential could fast-track him into the lineup alongside Reed and Doubs. Meanwhile, Wicks, whose specialty seems to be getting open, will need to prove he can actually, you know, catch the ball consistently.

Snaps also appear to be up for grabs in the secondary and interior defensive line, with second-year safeties Javon Bullard and Evan Williams locked in a tight battle and veteran Kenny Clark looking to shake off an injury-hampered 2024 campaign and reestablish himself as a force up front.

Competition is always the name of the game, but it does appear that this training camp is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory.

Five biggest battles of Packers training camp (and who will win) - Who will be the Packers’ starting left tackle? Who will be the primary receivers? Those will be among the hottest battles when training camp opens next week.

All eyes on Matthew Golden - Zach Kruse previews Packers training camp, where all eyes will be on the first-round pick Matthew Golden.

Most important Packers rookies to watch - The Green Bay Packers will practice for the first time during training camp next Wednesday. Here are the five most important rookies to watch.

Packers ‘look like’ the bet for NFC North champion - Analyst Drew Dinsick makes his case for why he likes the Green Bay Packers over the Detroit Lions as 2025 division champs.

Why did the chicken cross the road? - A woman who’d stopped her car to let a chicken cross the road attacked a driver that sped up, hit, and killed the chicken (per police).

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-curds-packers-training-camp-battles-to-watch

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Cornerback, nose tackle depth are Packers’ biggest questions heading into camp

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

You might be Kenny Clark’s backup in 2025. Yes, you!

With training camp starting next week, let’s take a snapshot of where the Green Bay Packers’ roster is right now. After turning in 43 draft choices over the last four years, an average of nearly 11 a class, general manager Brian Gutekunst has a pretty deep squad.

The exceptions are at cornerback and nose tackle.

At cornerback, the team has lost three contributors this offseason: Jaire Alexander, Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell. The loss of Alexander has been supplemented by the signing of free agent Nate Hobbs, who, along with Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine, is expected to contribute as an outside cornerback.

Beyond those three players, though, it’s anyone’s guess who makes the team at the position. Both Ballentine and Rochell were significant special-teams contributors, playing more snaps in that phase of football than place kicker Brandon McManus in 2024. That will only stress the depth of the position even more.

Aside from Hobbs, Nixon and Valentine, the Packers’ current options at cornerback are 2024 seventh-round pick Kalen King, 2024 sixth-round pick Kamal Hadden, 2025 seventh-round pick Micah Robinson, offseason signing Gregory Junior, undrafted rookie Tyron Herring, two-way player Bo Melton and reserves/future player Isaiah Dunn. Virtually none of these players have playing experience at the NFL, aside from Junior’s time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the couple of games that Hadden was used as a game-day active from the practice squad to play teams and Melton’s time on the offensive side of the ball.

Ultimately, two of the players from that group will likely make the Packers’ roster, as it’s tough to have fewer than five players on your roster at cornerback at the NFL level.

At nose tackle, Kenny Clark is finally moving back to his ideal position after spending most of 2024 as a run-down three-technique defender. This is happening because T.J. Slaton, who was previously Green Bay’s run-down nose tackle, signed a multi-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency.

Besides Clark (314 pounds), though, there’s limited size on the Packers’ defensive line. The only other tackles who weigh more than Devonte Wyatt (304), the team’s starting three-technique, are Georgia rookies Nazir Stackhouse (327) and Warren Brinson (315). Brinson was picked 198th overall in the sixth round in April. Stackhouse is an undrafted free agent, though, he received $165,000 in guarantees in his contract with the Packers — the most of any of their undrafted rookie signings.

Neither of them has really made a splash with the team as of yet, but it’s worth mentioning that the pads don’t even come on until training camp. Historically, Green Bay has slow-played giving rookies premier playing time in practice, which is why there’s hype building around first-round receiver Matthew Golden, who is already receiving consistent burn with the first-team unit.

So, who is the backup nose tackle behind Clark in practice if it’s not Stackhouse or Brinson? 2023 fourth-round pick Colby Wooden, who measured in at 273 pounds at the NFL combine and is still listed at that weight on Packers.com.

I don’t think that Wooden is actually playing at 273 pounds anymore, but I also don’t think anyone would mistake him for an NFL nose tackle, either. I’ll be surprised if Green Bay’s coaching staff actually goes into the 2025 regular season with Wooden as their second option at nose tackle, the bigger of the two defensive tackle positions.

If you want to take in all the training camp news this offseason, be my guest. I’m going to, too. How the depth chart shakes out with this much competition will be fun to watch. If you’re really trying to pin down the roster bubble, though, the two most important positions I would focus on are cornerback and nose tackle. That’s where there’s the most opportunity for anyone to step up and contribute, due to the team’s lack of proven depth.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ornerback-nose-tackle-depth-biggest-questions

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers All-Quarter Century Team: We need a long snapper

Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Come give us your opinion on who the Packers’ best long snapper of the 2000s was.

On Friday, we began looking at the Green Bay Packers’ best special teams contributors since 2000 as we wind down our All-Quarter Century Team. We picked a kicker and punter on Friday, with Mason Crosby and Tim Masthay getting those nods, and now we look at the players who deliver the football on plays when those two take the field.

That’s right, it’s time to pick the most exciting position of all: long snapper! Thankfully, Green Bay has largely had good luck with long-term snappers over the last 25 years, so there are only a few options to choose from.

Here are the nominees!

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Long Snapper Nominees​

Rob Davis (2000-2007)​

Regular season: 112 games played, 30 total tackles (19 solo, 11 assisted), 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
Playoffs: 8 games played

Davis was one of the most consistent long snappers in the NFL during his lengthy tenure in Green Bay. After playing college ball at Shippensburg University, Davis snapped for the Bears during the 1996 season, then signed with the Packers midway through 1997. He would have a ten-year career in Green Bay, during which time he served a lengthy tenure as one of the team’s representatives with the NFLPA.

Davis is the only Packers long snapper to force a fumble this century, popping the ball out of the hands of Wisconsin native and then-Bills safety/punt returner Jim Leonhard during a game in 2006.

After retiring from football, Davis joined the Packers’ front office in a player-focused role, initially serving as Director of Player Development. He worked for the Dallas Cowboys under Mike McCarthy for three years, then returned to Green Bay as Director of Organizational Development and DE&I for 2023-24 before joining the Raiders this offseason as VP of Player Engagement.

Brett Goode (2008-2017)​

Regular season: 152 games played; 14 total tackles (12 solo, 2 assisted), 1 fumble recovery
Playoffs: 14 games played; 1 solo tackle

After Davis retired, the Packers signed rookie J.J. Jansen to take over snapping duties, but he suffered a torn ACL in training camp. In came Goode, who would win a three-way battle for the job and went on to take every snap for the next several years. Goode would not miss a game until late in 2015, when he tore his own ACL in a late-season contest.

Notably, Goode won jobs over multiple Pro Bowlers. He held on in 2009 and the Packers traded Jansen to Carolina, where he would make the 2013 Pro Bowl. Goode then returned quickly from his own injury in 2016, beating replacement Rick Lovato to get his job back. Lovato ended up with the Eagles, where he remains to this day and was a Pro Bowler in 2019.

Goode’s final season came in 2017, and he dealt with hamstring injuries that limited him to 10 games. The Packers would draft a replacement the following season, and he retired prior to the 2018 season.

Hunter Bradley (2018-2021)​

Regular season: 56 games played; 3 total tackles (1 solo, 2 assisted)
Playoffs: 4 games played

Goode’s replacement was Bradley, whom the Packers drafted in the 7th round in 2018 out of Mississippi State. He was okay for three-plus seasons, but ended up being released midway through the 2021 campaign and replaced by free agent Steven Wirtel.

Matt Orzech (2023-2024)​

Regular season: 34 games played, 1 solo tackle
Playoffs: 3 games played

After one season of Jack Coco handling snapping duties, the Packers signed Orzech to compete with Coco for the job in 2023. Orzech had previously spent one year in Jacksonville and two with the Los Angeles Rams, and the veteran won the job and has snapped in Green Bay for the last two years. He signed a two-year contract prior to the 2024 season.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...eed-a-long-snapper-davis-goode-bradley-orzech