Nate Palmer Already Has a New Home
Just like Brad Jones and A.J. Hawk last year, former Green Bay Packers inside linebacker Nate Palmer wasn’t out of work long.
Palmer was released by the Packers on Friday and didn’t even clear waivers. He was awarded to the Tennessee Titans on Monday.
Somehow, teams are really interested in the Packers’ inside linebacker rejects.
Jones quickly landed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles last year after the Packers axed him, only to get released three months into the season. Hawk got a similar two-year deal from the Cincinnati Bengals and actually managed to stick around for the entire season, but not as a starter.
The difference with Palmer is he was claimed on waivers and that’s most likely because of his contract.
By claiming him, the Titans will have to pick up what was left on Palmer’s contract with the Packers. That’s actually a modest number compared to what teams would have had to pay Jones or Hawk last year.
Palmer is in the final year of a deal that will pay him $675,000 this season.
The teams interested in Jones and Hawk waited for them to clear waivers and become free agents in order to negotiate more team-friendly deals.
Palmer’s deal is already team-friendly.
But really, we fail to see the fascination by other NFL teams with the Packers’ inside linebacker failures.
Maybe the Titans’ staff can actually coach Palmer up and get something out of him, but the last two guys who fit this bill actually got worse after leaving Green Bay, where they weren’t any good to begin with.
Jones couldn’t even crack the starting lineup for the Eagles. He recorded just five tackles before being released in November.
Hawk started 11 games for the Bengals, but managed just 24 tackles and a sack.
So, good luck with Nate Palmer, Tennessee.
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I thought for sure the queens
And if Palmer has success as a Titan, Total Packers will make sure to blame Thompson for cutting him.
….and you will make sure to cry about it.
Yep . . .
^ true that. I wish him well, but I don’t think he has it. Might be a fit as a weakside LB in a 4-3 team. It’s too bad, I am an ISU alum and was really rooting for him, would have been awesome to see a player from my alma mater become a solid player for the pack.
He’s just a body, slow and lost. He’s not going to become Ray Lewis overnight.
Talk about how your genius leadership started a guy for ten games last year, added no one to the roster and yet still felt he was expendable to just cut. Let me reiterate the talent evaluators thought process again.
Start Nate Palmer for ten games. Add no one to replace him. Cut him in the offseason thus saying he’s incapable of contributing on any level.
lol…Hey now….No need to hurt anyones feelings here.
Wish him well. He could not be a solid contributor within this system, but maybe he can still make a case somewhere else, as Kato said, in a 4-3. Odds are he might be at most a rotational player, but still surviving in the league as long as he doesn’t price himself too high.
And if he turns out to be a stud there… since most of us agree with the release, I guess we lose “complaining rights” about the coaching staff.
Packers LBs in general have done fine in free agency for the past decade at least: Barnett, Zombo, Bishop, Walden etc.
Good point…I always liked Walden, i’ll never forget that monster game he had against the Bears.
Worse case scenario we could put Jeff Janis as inside linebacker
That is Chaka’s line . . .
“Hawk got a similar two-year deal from the Cincinnati Bengals and actually managed to stick around for the entire season, but not as a starter.”
“Hawk started 11 games for the Bengals, but managed just 24 tackles and a sack.”
Hmmm.
I didn’t love Palmer, but question the timing of the move. Clearly it didn’t hurt him in terms of getting a new team, but why now?
I say this is pretty much painting the picture that the packers are drafting an ILB this year, and high. I agree with at hombre, it is unusual that you cut a starter of ten games that didn’t cost much money.