GREEN BAY PACKERS

Green Bay Packers. Lets talk.........................

See Musgrave was riding a bike yesterday but as usual MLF would not elaborate on the injury. Really thought he was going to be a good pick but he has been a disappointment.   Saw an Interview with Kraft and he is progressing well. He thinks he will be ready week 1 but of course that might be too optimistic.   

I read that he suffered some sort of undisclosed ailment and is working with the rehab group.

Is Musgrave hurt? Don’t know yet. He went to sideline recently that was reported, but no other info.

Hendrickson is about the only outlier you can compare to LVN.  It's a long, long shot that he follows that path.  And?  Their games and athletic abilities are very similar.

Micah speaks highly about him, so there is that.
Last year they put his hand in the dirt, a lot.  Feeling like they will do that again so they can get reps to DDS, Oliver and Sorrel.  Not to mention the vet EDGE rusher that we need to trade for or sign.

Either way, tis the summer of camp hype and feel good stories.  Might as well start with LVN.  Betcha we get one on Valentine soon.  They've already hyped up Lloyd, which is hilarious.

I am not down on Van Ness. Would you hope for more that the team has gotten so far considering their draft investment? Sure. But the guy had starter quality numbers last year for his position. I read he finished as the 26th ranked edge in the league last year, per PFF (minimum of 300 snaps)? That was in limited games, with the foot injury and a big, expensive roadblock ahead of him in Gary. With him and Engabare gone he has no excuses; now he gets a chance to play full time and not situationally. Hopefully his performance in that playoff loss against the Bears is a sign of what's coming with him fully healthy, and not just a flash in the pan. The guy is 24 years old and picking up his option cost the team 15 million. Trey Hendickson had a slow start to his NFL career, too. I know he wasn't a first round pick, but if LVN turns out like him none of us will be complaining. 

I like the hype, it sure beats hearing the opposite.

Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things...

Vegas.   Play hard during OTAs, gain a spot/ contract with the team and then the old JOHN BROCKINGTON syndrome sets in ( lackluster play during the season).

Some chatter out there concerning the OTA's....

Nixon isn't happy and wants a new deal.  Speculation that he could hold out.  My take?  Let him.  If it were me, I'd tell him he gets no more money, no new contract and he needs to compete, hard, to win a job this year.  And?  He's on the kickoff return team.  The goal would be to convince him that he needs to compete to gain snaps going into free agency, and that returning kickoffs can increase his free agent value.  If he decides to hold out, I'm probably keeping him and not paying him.  But I'd also listen to trade offers, which likely would be a late, late round pick for him.

Tis the season for Lukas Van Ness hype.  Apparently he had two quick pressures and a "sack" in action yesterday.  Seems like we hear this most every year from him.  Let's hope it's real this time.

Agree.  There's 18.5M of incentives in that deal that was reported.  I'll bet a lot have to do with snaps played and personal production/awards.  Probably some built around team success.  In other words, if he doesn't play, he loses incentives.

I feel like if you remove the incentives, he's around a 20M AAV player, which is WR2 money in the NFL right now.

Watson deal looks really good now that the details are out. Cap hit of 10.5m this year and 11.5m next with an easy out after that if they choose. More availble with incentives.

The mere fact that GB has Watson, Reed and Golden together for at least 3 more years is excellent.  

And I just dig what the front office has done this off-season, besides extending MLF.

Used FA to fill holes, and brought in guys who wouldn't count much against the comp picks.
Nailed the draft.
Freed up money on June 1, promptly spent some of it on Watson.

No doubt they have their sites set on locking up Kraft and hopefully Wyatt for the future.

I know Vegas bought this up already but just look at what other WR's from the 2022 class got in contracts the last couple of months. Drake London was a top 10 pick and has had some good years, but the Falcons gave him $140m-$150m year deal with $100m guaranteed (makes him a top-5 paid WR).. He is more of a possession/Red Zone guy and has avg 76 catches per year. He has avg's 12.8 yds per reception (Watson over 17) and has 20 total TD's.. Watson has 22 total TD's in his 4 years.  Watson/London are two different WR's but I would say Watson was a better value at $31m in guarantee vs $100m (imo).

Look at what Alec Pierce got.. $114m deal with $84 guarantee.  More of a home run threat like Watson (over 18 yds per reception) but has only avg'd 39 receptions per year with 17 total TD's. Only missed a couple games in 4 years so that is an advantage over Watson but once again i think the Packers got a good value with $31m vs $84m in guarantees. Last example is Jameson Williams for the Lions. Similar to Watson, Williams has dealt with injuries and has played in 50 total games in 4 years. Very similar numbers in Receptions/TD's over 4 years. Like Watson I would consider Williams the deep threat (17 yd per catch) for the Lions. The Lions gave Williams a 3yr/$83m deal with $67m guarantee. 

I am sure I missed some guys but I would say the Watson deal actually looks pretty favorable to guys from the 2022 class. Production wise Watson has been right there with Pierce and Williams and London is just a higher volume/possession type WR. Agree 100% about the injury concern/history with Watson. I am sure we will continue to see the WR/ $ numbers go up as other guys from 2022/2023 come up for deals.

I agree.  I think they need that veteran safety outlet more than ever.  When he was played his best his first year he used Aaron Jones a bunch.  Hasn’t really had that since.  Maybe Kraft a bit.

I don't have an issue with the Watson deal, but I'm a self professed fan of Watson.
That being said....I do have a little issue with how GB has developed Jordan Love.  A lot of young QB's get their team to trade for a proven NFL talent at WR, then their careers seem to take off.
GB hasn't done that.  They really never have done that.  Instead GB drafts receivers and hopes to grow them WITH the quarterback.
So really, I'm actually more excited about Golden right now than Watson.  I'm not down on Watson, but Golden also has WR1 characteristics.  And I hope he sees a lot of balls go his way.

I hope for the best!  He does come with a little drama with his father though.  

Good insights and it's hard not be be a little excited for the coming season. 

Regarding the Watson contract and his injury history, we all know a player's biggest ability is availability. Considering what he is capable of being when healthy and the money other clubs are giving to top tier receivers, it seems well worth the gamble. If he can stay healthy it will be a really good deal both ways. Let's hope for that. If not, then at least the club can cut bait down the line without eating big money. 

What would the team have to pay a premier first round pick at that position who could just as easily end up being a bust, or a character risk? All guaranteed money, right? They have a huge, known weapon in Watson if, again if, they can figure out how to keep him healthy. I find it easier to pay and cheer for a quality player/person with an injury history than a drama queen with questionable character.