Update: Scott Wells’ deal is for four years and is worth $25.5 million, with $13 million guaranteed. That’s $6.3 million per season, which puts Wells among the highest-paid centers in the league and is about $1 million more per season than the Packers wanted to pay.
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We figured this day would be coming soon and today it did. The Green Bay Packers starting center in 2011, Scott Wells, signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis Rams.
No details were immediately available, but it’s known Wells wanted to be paid as one of the top five centers in the NFL. That means a deal in the $5-7 million neighborhood. The last we heard, Wells was asking for around $7 million and the Packers were offering around $5 million.
The team seemingly made little to no effort to re-sign Wells when free agency began and will now have to make a move to find his replacement. Green Bay has been linked to Houston free agent Chris Myers, but there’s no sign they’ve made any contact with him.
What we do know is this. The Packers wouldn’t have let Wells walk if they didn’t have a plan to replace him.
Now that Meyers has resigned with the Texans, who is the next best possible center out there? Do we sign an old vet and draft one in the middle rounds to develop?
It’s Sampson time!
David Molk. All else fails, grab the interior lineman with the craziest bench press numbers At the combine that won’t cost much.
I could see them moving Dietrick-Smith to center if they don’t want to spend on one. He’s though and has the dirtiness of a frank winters.
Richard, I like what Molk can bring to the table, but he can he go from day 1? Will EDS take us through the year and give way to Molk or another center next season?
I’m thinking TT won’t sign any big name free agents and take the third (comp pick for Flynn) and fourth (possible comp pick for Wells).
“The Packers wouldn’t have let Wells walk if they didn’t have a plan to replace him.”
Let’s hope this plan is better than the one that involved replacing Cullen Junkins.
I like the idea of Sampson Satele now that Myers is off the board. They also could draft a center in Round #2 if they don’t value Konz in the first round.
They will not pick Molk because he’s too small. If they draft a Center it would likely be one of these guys – Peter Konz, Kevin Zeitler (who TT loves and could learn the Center position), Philip Blake from Baylor, Michael Brewster from OSU or Ben Jones from Georgia.
The smart money is on Zeitler or Jones but signing a FA wouldn’t surprise me either.
I’d rather have the Packers snatch up Cameron Wimbley and Kendall Langford…but I’m dreaming. They could then draft a Center anywhere and have Evan Dietrich-Smith compete to start against the new rookie.
Didn’t TJ Lang play some center at one point? I hate the idea of sliding guys around again, but doesn’t that smell like a TT/MM move?
I wonder how confident the Packers are in Sampson Genus.
And another NFL player proves that winning indeed means NOTHING.
Enjoy your yearly double digit loss seasons.
The ironic thing is that I think Wells struggles more in domes against speedy LBs than on grass.
A good option now for the Packers is to sign a veteran C like Jeff Saturday or Matt Burke for one or two years. Draft a C in a late round to eventually replace. Wells himself was a 7th round pick.
The Packers will be getting some compensatory picks this year for losing Jenkins and others last year. It has been estimated that the Packers will get a 4th rounder and a 6th. That extra 6th pick could be our next long term C.
I like the idea of waiting for the market on a few of the older FAs to soften and then picking one up. They’ll be good for a season or two, not overly expensive, and will allow us to develop a younger guy.