A day after we got news that the Green Bay Packers had released veteran running back James Starks, we get news that another veteran is gone. This time, a starter, in cornerback Sam Shields.
Or perhaps we should say a former starter. Shields played in just one game in 2016. He suffered the fifth concussion of his football career in week 1 and didn’t play for the Packers again during the 2016 season.
Like the Starks move, this one comes as no surprise to us.
Although Shields said he wants to keep playing, he’s still suffering symptoms from that concussion. Even if he does get healthy enough to clear protocol, what are the chances he suffers another concussion the next time he bangs his head against the ground or another player?
The chances of that are obviously high.
It’s in Shields’ and the Packers’ best interests to call this the end of the line, whether Shields likes it or not. There is, of course, additional incentive for the Packers here.
Shields was to have a $12.125 million cap hit in 2017. The Packers will take on $3.125 million in dead money with this move, but gain $9 million in cap room.
When you couple that with the Starks’ move, the Packers have gained around $11 million in cap room since the season ended.
As for Shields, he was perhaps one of GM Ted Thompson’s great success stories. An undrafted free agent out of Miami in 2010, Shields became a contributor his rookie season. He was a full-time starter by 2013 and ascended to the Packers’ No. 1 cornerback not long after that.
The Packers sorely missed Shields’ combination of speed and intelligence in 2016. He’ll finish his Packers’ career with 18 interceptions.
5 Comments
Best thing for both parties at this point considering he played in 2 out of 23 games in the last 2 years. Now TT can sit on that money and carry it over to the 2018 season…because you know, why sign someone else’s castoffs? Over / Under on how many UFAs TT jumps on to lead the secondary to the promise land this year?
4-5 from the team.
0-1 outside the team.
Considering the cornerback situation, i thought there would be a slight chance they keep him, redo his contract paying him about 3-4 million, with games played incentive.
Thompson will have to have his best year of player acquisition to reload this defense.
I say this because we will no longer have the cushiest schedule next year.
Lets be real….at certain points each season in the last 6 years. Our defense has been a laughing stock of NFL fans nationwide. I could go through them all, but you should already know what i’m talking about. I mean fuck…Look no further than the NFL Honors show with Keegan Michael Key, he sure as fuck wasn’t talking about the offense, as the Nation got a big laugh over the anger translator. I’m sure Packer fans like me also laughed, because it was funny. But it was funny, like in a “fuck you Ted Thompson” kind of way.
probably more like his 15th concussion. he will be missed but it’s past time for him to retire
Holy shit…Disregard my last post as i totally forgot about our favorite cornerbacks penchant for smoking weed while he answers the doorbell when the drug force police come a knockin.
Well, i should go back for another CTE scan.