I love the articles this time of year, anything for a hook. I see Tyler Dunne changed the title of his article from something like "TT OLINE DISASTER WHILE HAVING SEX WITH GOAT" to "Packers must weight value of cohesion on Oline".
Sounds credible.
@CharlesRobinson: Per Randall Cobb, a return to #Packers would likely be for $1-2 mil less per yr than elsewhere (not counting non-personal income tax states).
@CharlesRobinson: I would not pin the Randall Cobb situation solely on the #Packers. Cobb's camp wants to see what the market is. There's a ton of $ out there.
EDIT: @jasonjwilde: #NFL source confirms @CharlesRobinson's report on @rcobb18: Based on early interest, he'd be taking $1-2M/year less to stay with #Packers.
Woo-hoo! (hoping)
@PackerUpdate: Same source who told me Shields would re-sign prior to start of free agency last year has told me Bulaga will do the same. Stay tuned.
@PackerUpdate: I'm not guaranteeing anything, but this person has given me 3 or 4 really good tips in the past few years. Hopefully he'll be right again.
@PackerUpdate: I have nothing on any of the other free agents, including Cobb.
@PackerUpdate: Cowboys RT Doug Free, a far inferior and much older player than Bryan Bulaga, just signed a 3-year deal worth $15M with $6M guaranteed.
@PackerUpdate: Don't know how much Bulaga will get, but I projected $38M for 5 years in November and I'll stick with that.
And makes sense. I would bet the Packers offer is very solid, possibly around 10 mil, but in comparison to the same stupidity that happens every year I'm sure Cobb's agent is seeing bonanza. Agents must love the likes of Oakland, Minnesota, Jacksonville and Tampa Bay. Idiots.
That kind of money for an oft injured Bulaga is just plain crazy
It'll happen. He's the kind of player who obviously came back from those injuries and played at a high level. He's going to get paid and those numbers aren't that bad for a above average starting RT.
The close to 8 mil a year Henry, or the deal Doug Free signed?
Didn't the OL go to rot once Bulaga got injured in the Seattle game?quote:Disagree. The team plugged in an undrafted Don Barclay and managed fairly well.
Any deal that Bulaga gets has to be structured so that the team can easily escape after the first two years while taking a minimal cap hit. Bulaga has missed 28 of the last 64 Packer regular season games. 5 years, 38 million would make Bulaga the highest paid right tackle in the league according to overthecap.com.
I don't understand the disdain for Bulaga. After sitton, he is the best OL on the team. He's a freak athlete, plays penalty free and keeps his nose clean. (Packer People)
Sounds like the kind of guy you want long term to me.
It is not disdain, it is concern. Bulaga has missed 28 of the team's last 64 regular season games.
Originally Posted by Packy:
I think resigning Bulaga should be TT's priority to keep the line intact. I would love to have Cobb back also but losing Bulaga would be more disruptive than losing Cobb.
I agree. The line was as good as it has been in a long time last year and continuity goes a long way. I think Rodgers can help replace Cobb, if needed, by making WRs better. That can't be said about RT.
Originally Posted by YooperPackfan:
The close to 8 mil a year Henry, or the deal Doug Free signed?
8 mil. He's a tackle, he's going to bank, just the way it is. Sitton pulled in roughly 6.75 mil in 2011 as a guard.
Originally Posted by PackerJoe:
It is not disdain, it is concern. Bulaga has missed 28 of the team's last 64 regular season games.
And came back and played excellent. He's the best in the market and one of the better tackles in the league. I'm sure the Packers will have some injury protection in the contract but that's the market plain and simple.
I would still rather bring back Cobb, he made some huge catches at criticle moments
Cobb doesn't do anything for you if Rodgers is on his ass or running for his life. I'm pretty sure everyone wants both of them back and it's not impossible but protect the franchise first.
Pete Dougherty at the GBPG with a good article about the issues regarding Cobb.
http://www.greenbaypressgazett...ndall-cobb/24541381/
Excerpts:
...The aforementioned agent said that if Sexton is driving the process, Cobb likely will end up with another team because he'll go after the biggest offer. Sexton also represents Julio Jones, who is one of the handful of best receivers in the league, and will want to show he can get maximum value for a receiver. Agents also don't like doing a deal perceived as undervalued because other agents use it against them in recruiting.
..."In terms of marketability, if you're one of the premier guys, Green Bay is one of the most marketable teams to play with around the nation," the agent said. "So even off-field income for him will have a lot of potential, just because he's with that quarterback with that team and playing at the level he's already shown in that system.
"Go to other places you may get a little more money contractually, but you're going to give up a lot on the back end. And if you don't produce, what's it really get you? If two years into the deal they're already looking to trade or cut you, your career is over."
The key numbers to look at wherever Cobb signs is the money that's fully guaranteed and that he'll receive in the first two years, which often are the same. The agent predicted that Cobb will command at least $20 million fully guaranteed and more likely around $25 million.
..."I'd advise (Cobb) to take very close consideration of the environment he's in and his best opportunity to produce at the level he has," the agent said. "Because to a large degree wide receivers are a dime a dozen. If you get into a situation where all of a sudden you're not a dime-a-dozen guy, you might want to give credence to sticking in that system. But I don't know what his motivations are."
$20 million fully guaranteed or 12 guys for a dime? I'll never understand contract negotiations.
I have a question in to Andrew Brandt as to whether guaranteed money is treated differently under the cap than non-guaranteed. Seems to me there would be no cap difference save what happens if a guy gets cut, but don't know for sure.
IMO it is really more of a franchise managing its cash issues. Last time I looked they were still running the printing presses at the mint under the Lambeau Atrium.
It's not bagging on Bulaga, it's a fact. He's injury prone. That doesn't diminish his value, but the team has to protect themselves. He will get fair value from GB and I think they will protect themselves like they always do.
Wait a second, where is all this "he is injury prone" stuff coming from regarding Bulaga?
oh, cause he's missed lots of games with different injuries, That makes sense.
Originally Posted by Fedya:
Didn't the OL go to rot once Bulaga got injured in the Seattle game?quote:Disagree. The team plugged in an undrafted Don Barclay and managed fairly well.
That is true but Bulaga was replaced by Sherrod, I bet Barclay would have done much better.
Our line is excellent but thin, I think we need Bulaga and Barclay back to remain elite on the offensive line otherwise just one injury could spoil it.
Ah yes, how could I forget the Sherrod disaster? 
packers sign cobb - 4 year $40 mil
per schefty
Sportscentrr tweet Cobb signs with pack 4 yrs 40 million
Originally Posted by BartManDude:
Originally Posted by Fedya:
Didn't the OL go to rot once Bulaga got injured in the Seattle game?quote:Disagree. The team plugged in an undrafted Don Barclay and managed fairly well.
That is true but Bulaga was replaced by Sherrod, I bet Barclay would have done much better.
Our line is excellent but thin, I think we need Bulaga and Barclay back to remain elite on the offensive line otherwise just one injury could spoil it.
Barclay's just a guy and pretty much roster chum. He's a not very big or very athletic, but he has marginal NFL talent. I like the guy, but he is what he is.
Just got an NFL mobile alert - Cobb Signs! Staying in GB, 17m guaranteed, 10m per year, 4 years!
Randall Cobb had 6-7 offers today, I’m told. He turned down considerably more money elsewhere to sign with the #Packers.
Randall Cobb and the #Packers have reached a 4-year deal worth $40M, source said (as @AdamSchefter said 1st). Has $17M guaranteed
Nope. Not possible. I still have a feeling Cobb is gone.
Is this some sort of Daylight Savings Day joke?
Bulaga watch cranks up in earnest.
Green Bay - The Packers may have gotten a deal done with WR Randall Cobb, but things aren't looking as promising with RT Bryan Bulaga.
Two league sources familiar with the offensive tackle market said that they have been told that Bulaga is seeking a deal worth between $7 million and $8 million and has a good chance of receiving it.
Bulaga, an unrestricted free agent, is considered the top tackle in free agency and may reach his number because there are teams who believe he can start at left tackle. The teams most often mentioned in agent circles who have interest in Bulaga are Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and Washington.
If one of those teams, or someone else, offers Bulaga $7.5-$8 million, the Packers would have to make a decision whether they want to pay their veteran tackle that much more than the $6.8 million left guard Josh Sitton is making. Sitton is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and widely regarded as the team's best lineman.
One source said the Packers were deadset against paying $7 million per year for Bulaga and were prepared to let him walk if that occurred.
But as often is the case, when the loss of a free agent starter gets closer to reality, teams are known to move their ceiling and do what it takes to get a deal done. The Packers didn't want to pay Cobb more than Jordy Nelson, but they had to give him a slightly higher average in order to get the deal done.
With third-year pro Don Barclay a solid prospect and $7 million to $8 million a year a lot to pay for a right tackle, it's likely the Packers would allow Bulaga go if his number doesn't come in closer to what Sitton's deal is worth.
If they pay Bulaga between $7.5- $8 million per year, they're going to have an enormous amount of money invested in their offensive line in two years. General manager Ted Thompson's style is to not invest too much money at any one position and rely on the draft to fill holes created by free agency.
The market, however, may dictate that the price for Bulaga reaches more than $7 million. The salary cap has gone up more than $20 million over the last two years and contracts that were signed two years ago are going to pale in comparison with some of the deals signed this year...
A lot of dumb in that article. Bulaga's young, he's at his first contract. Sitton was signed years ago and is a guard not a tackle, who cares about his number. Barclay was a turnstile for speed rushers (a mauler in the run game) and he has a somewhat mended knee, he cannot be counted upon to protect the QB that has been injured in both of the last two years.
I would like to have Bulaga back, but the defense needs some love this offseason, too. I think all of this can be achieved.
More media games. Cobb got 10 mil per year and turned down 1-2 mil more from another team yet he supposedly was offered 15 mil from the Raiders. So either the Raiders didn't offer that and his agent floated that rumor or Cobb downplayed how much he turned down for whatever reason. No reason to think Bulaga's camp isn't pulling the same thing. I believe those teams have interest, but this sounds like another number floated by an agent. Believe nothing.
Poor Bob McGinn. They didn't even give him the honor of writing this Negative Nelly drivel. :toobad:quote:Green Bay - The Packers may have gotten a deal done with WR Randall Cobb, but things aren't looking as promising with RT Bryan Bulaga.
