The Green Bay Packers have most of their internal free agency business done. We’d say signing outside linebacker Nick Perry is next in line and we know the Packers have interest in bringing fullback John Kuhn back for another season.
The Packers also have decisions to make on two restricted free agents — linebacker Andy Mulumba and guard Lane Taylor, although those decisions might not be too tough.
Both players are due one-year qualifying offers or they become unrestricted free agents.
Why would the Packers give either guy up?
Because those qualifying offers $1.671 million.
The Packers have already decided to pass on Mulumba, according to Tom Silverstein, and there’s good reason for that. Mulumba has played in just eight games (six in 2015) over the past two seasons and has a total of five tackles.
That doesn’t exactly warrant a million-dollar salary.
Taylor, on the other hand, is a valuable backup at a positional group where the Packers lack just that — offensive line.
Taylor started two games for the Packers in 2015 and played well enough that no one got killed. The same couldn’t be said for, say, Don Barclay or Josh Walker.
However, that doesn’t necessarily make Taylor worth that qualifying offer.
It’s unlikely another team is going give Taylor a shot to start and the market for backup offensive linemen isn’t exactly robust. The Packers should be able to take a chance and get Taylor back at a salary lesser than the qualifying offer.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve seen the last of Child Warrior Andy Mulumba, either. He could and probably will return for whatever scraps the Packers throw his way.
The Packers have until March 9 to make a decision on whether to tender the qualifying offers.