Green Bay Packers’ safety Atari Bigby, one of the team’s three unsigned restricted free agents, appears to be the most likely to hold out, according to Greg Bedard, via Cheesehead TV.
Two sources said he had designs on staying away to get a contract extension, perhaps even into training camp after signing his tender.
But that was before the draft. With the Packers trading up in the third round to pick safety Morgan Burnett of Georgia Tech, the thinking of Bigby and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, might well have changed. Burnett is expected to challenge Bigby for the starting spot opposite Nick Collins regardless of when Bigby reports.
We’d hope the thinking has changed.
Bigby is seemingly always injured – he’s missed 12 games over the past two seasons – and when he has played, he hasn’t been terribly effective.
Bigby’s best season was two years ago, when he racked up 86 tackles, 5 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. He hasn’t performed close to that level since. So, if he really wants to hold out, well… that would be a pretty fucking stupid move in my eyes.
Unfortunately for the Packers, there really isn’t much depth beyond Burnett, Collins and Bigby. Derrick Martin is known more for his special teams play than for anything he’s done on defense and Jarrett Bush is… Jarrett Bush.
The Packers re-signed Charlie Peprah, who they thought enough of to cut before the 2009 season, and after that have a bunch of undrafted free agents.
If Bigby doesn’t show and Burnett takes a long time to develop, the Packers could be in a bind, but for Bigby, that’s a dangerous game to play.
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