HEADLINES

B.J. Raji

B.J. Raji, Packers Close To One-Year Deal?

March 6th, 2014 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

11:01am: Jason Wilde passes along a report from his ESPN colleague Steven Haywood, who hears from a source that Green Bay’s offer to Raji could be worth up to $6.5MM with incentives (Twitter link). It sounds as if Raji plans to sign with the Packers, though nothing is official yet.

8:50am: According to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers have made one- and two-year offers to Raji. The one-year offer is worth about $4MM.

7:47am: The Packers and B.J. Raji are close to reaching a one-year agreement that will keep the defensive tackle in Green Bay, reports ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Raji is coming off a down year, and is hoping to bounce back in 2014 before potentially hitting the open market a year from now, according to Schefter.

However, a pair of sources have told Aaron Nagler of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) “not so fast” on Raji, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears that all options continue to be in play for the former ninth overall pick. The Packers continue to have exclusive negotiating rights with Raji until Saturday, and Green Bay is the only club that can sign him before Tuesday, so we’ll have to wait and see if the two sides get anything finalized by then.

Raji, 27, reportedly rejected a contract offer from the Packers in 2013 that would have been worth $8MM per year, and his new deal figures to be worth less than that. The big defensive lineman failed to record a sack for the second straight season in 2013, and ranked 43rd out of 45 qualified 3-4 defensive ends, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

As Schefter notes, Raji’s role in Green Bay’s defense often involves eating up blockers rather than actually making plays, and there were question marks about his fit going forward when a February report suggested the Packers would be seeking smaller, more athletic linemen. Head coach Mike McCarthy threw cold water on that idea at the combine in Indianapolis, so we’ll see if the front office backs up his comments by locking up Raji for another year. If he does return to Green Bay, Raji figures to return to his old nose tackle position, tweets Rapoport.

Free Agent Rumors: Strief, Carroll, Woodson

February 24th, 2014 at 5:51pm CST by Ben Levine

The hot stove is slowly starting to heat up. Here are some rumors regarding free agents from around the league…

  • The Saints and offensive tackle Zach Strief have “mutual interest” on a signing a new deal, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett says (via Twitter). The player’s agent says that initial conversations have been good.
  • The Dolphins have interest in bringing back cornerback Nolan Carroll and have met with his agent, tweets CBSSports.com’s Jason La Confora. La Confora notes that Carroll will test the open market and see where the best offers are.
  • Charles Woodson is going to play in 2014 and the Raiders want him back, writes Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin. When asked about a reunion with the Packers, Woodson didn’t express much optimism.
  • Packers coach Mike McCarthy expressed interest in bringing back B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett and his other free agent defenders, writes Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. McCarthy also acknowledged that it “wasn’t realistic” to bring back all of the players.

NFC North Notes: Raji, Vikings, Harper

February 16th, 2014 at 12:15pm CST by Rory Parks

ESPN Wisconsin’s Jason Wilde continues his position-by-position outlook of the Packers by delving into Green Bay’s defensive line and linebackers. With regards to the defensive line, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport recently reported that the Packers would try to remake the unit with smaller and more athletic players, which DC Dom Capers has historically preferred. If the team does go in that direction, it could simply let unrestricted free agents B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett, Johnny Jolly, and C.J. Wilson–all of whom offer more size than speed or athleticism–find a new employer. The biggest name of that group, of course, is Raji, whose rejection of an $8MM/year offer last fall suggests that he is unhappy with his role in the Packers’ scheme and that he is ready to move on. In any event, Green Bay is looking at a great deal of turnover on the defensive line, and it remains to be seen if they will add depth to the unit via free agency, the draft–the Packers have used a high pick on a defensive lineman in each of the past two years–or both.

As far as their linebackers are concerned, the big question the Packers face is what to do with Mike Neal. Neal was a revelation in 2013, moving from defensive end to outside linebacker and thriving in that role. While that was good news for Green Bay last season, Neal, an unrestricted free agent, is well-positioned to receive a significant offer from another club this season. With 2012 first-round pick Nick Perry still an unproven commodity at this point–injuries have shrouded each of his first two years in the league–the Packers may have no other choice but to retain Neal, lest they face another season with Clay Matthews as the only legitimate play-maker in the linebacking corps.

More notes from the NFC North:

  • As noted by our own Rob DiRe last week, Vikings GM Rick Spielman wants to add another two picks to the team’s 2014 draft. ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling thinks the best way to do that would be for Minnesota to trade back from its No. 8 overall selection. Such a move would be especially tempting if the draft’s top quarterbacks are off the board at that point. Goessling adds that, even if the Vikings could not get a top-flight QB with the eighth overall pick, they would be wise to grab Clemson’s Sammy Watkins if he’s still available. Watkins could team with Cordarrelle Patterson, Greg Jennings, and Adrian Peterson to form a formidable group of offensive weapons.
  • ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein believes the top priority for the Lions this offseason is at wide receiver, a belief reinforced by the recent release of Nate Burleson. Tight end would also be a high priority, particularly if the Lions cannot re-sign Brandon Pettigrew. As noted last week, Detroit’s outlook at tight end beyond Pettigrew is uninspiring.
  • Although ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright opined last week that the recently-released Roman Harper would probably cost too much for the Bears to sign, he does note that Harper would still be a viable option if another team does not spend big on him.

Packers Rumors: Finley, Raji, Pickett

February 12th, 2014 at 9:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest on the Packers..

  • Free agent tight end Jermichael Finley and his agent are optimistic that he’ll be cleared to play soon, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Meanwhile, Finley’s future with Green Bay remains uncertain. The Packers’ medical staff is conservative by league standards and did not clear safety Nick Collins after his C3/C4 neck fusion, a procedure that he is also believed to have also undergone. Given his past success and age (still only 26), Finley should pick up considerable interest around the league if he can show that he’s healthy.
  • The Packers want an athletic, Dom Capers-style defense, tweets Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. With a push towards athleticism and versatile personnel, that could mean the end of B.J. Raji‘s time in Green Bay. Don’t be surprised if the Packers’ defensive linemen are closer to 290 lbs than the 330 that Raji and Ryan Pickett weigh, Rapoport tweets.
  • The Packers could be getting ready to spend more on the open market than they have in recent years with about $30MM of cap room to burn, Rapoport tweets.

Extra Points: Packers, Muamba, Polian

February 3rd, 2014 at 10:45pm CST by David Kipke

Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette thinks that the Packers will be forced to lean heavily on a cadre of young defensive lineman that will step into starting roles next season. Defensive linemen Mike Daniels, Datone Jones, and Jerel Worthy will likely replace departing free agents B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett, and Johnny Jolly on the defensive front of the Packers’ base 3-4 defense. Defensive line coach Mike Trgovac expects Jones and Worthy to mimic Daniels’ 2013 campaign with breakout performances next year.

A few more Monday night notes: