Now that the Green Bay Packers have gone and wowed us all by re-signing Letroy Guion and B.J. Raji, there’s little business left to conduct until the draft.
The Packers have just four remaining unrestricted free agents left. Some they’ll re-sign and others they won’t. They also have a couple restricted free agents and one exclusive rights free agent. Realistically, the only question with those guys is whether the Packers will offer them long-term deal (not likely) or if they’ll play the 2015 season on their tender offers.
Here’s how this is going to go down.
John Kuhn
Sure, he hardly plays anymore. No doubt he’s getting up there in age (32). You could argue the Packers would be just fine without him. But John Kuhn is getting re-signed. He’s not getting re-signed for much. We’d be surprised if he does better than the one-year, $1 million deal he got last offseason, but every indication is he’ll be back. And why the hell not? There’s something to be said for veteran leadership, which Kuhn provides. There’s also something to be said for a guy who still gives his all on special teams in the twilight of his career, which Kuhn does. And besides that, you love to yell Kuuuuuuuuuhn! the one time he touches the ball every game. The Packers wouldn’t deprive you of that just yet.
Jarrett Bush
Bush is also getting up there in age. He’ll be 31 next month. He’s never been anything more than a spot starter at cornerback. Like Kuhn, the Packers could probably get by without him. That being said, Bush is still arguably the team’s best special teams player. He won’t be expensive. He can even be a solid fill-in on defense if it comes to that. Why wouldn’t the Packers bring him back?
Jamari Lattimore
Every indication is the Packers gave up on Lattimore last season. After replacing the totally inept Brad Jones in the starting lineup in week 2, Lattimore was slowly phased out in favor of Sam Barrington. Then he got hurt. Then he got put on injured reserve, even though his injury wasn’t of the season-ending variety. Basically, the Packers said, “We’ll let you hang around for the rest of the year, but we don’t want you stepping on the football field for us again.” There’s been nothing to suggest that tune has changed and there’s really no reason it should. Lattimore makes plays from time to time, but he blows assignments far too often. He’ll most likely get a shot to make a roster somewhere, but we doubt it will be in Green Bay.
Matt Flynn
We’ve discussed this before. Flynn’s reign as Aaron Rodgers’ caddy is over. It was a nice run. We had some good times, but it’s time to move on. The Packers moved to re-sign their other backup, Scott Tolzien, before free agency began. Until further notice, he’s the No. 2. If the Packers end up with a third quarterback, it’s going to be someone they draft. Unfortunately for Flynn, his NFL career is probably over.
Don Barclay and Sean Richardson
Both guys are restricted free agents. Both guys provide value. Barclay is the team’s top backup offensive lineman. He’s been a pretty good starter for long stretches when given the opportunity. He could start for a lot of teams in the league. Richardson, on the other hand, probably won’t be seeing the starting lineup. He’s locked in behind Morgan Burnett and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. However, the Packers used Richardson more toward the end of the 2014 season in the nickel and dime because he’s much stronger against the run than, say, awful-tackling Casey Hayward. So there’s certainly a role for him. We’d be surprised if the Packers do anything other than let either guy play out their one-year tender, though.
Chris Banjo
Banjo is an exclusive rights free agent. Signing his tender is a formality. He’ll take what the Packers have offered and like it because he doesn’t have another choice.