The decision is in and it’s the one I thought was least likely. Guard T.J. Lang has officially gone home and signed with the Detroit Lions.
He gets a three-year deal.
G T.J. Lang received a three-year, $28.5 million deal with $19M fully guaranteed, according to source.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) March 12, 2017
This is certainly a blow to the Green Bay Packers, but not completely unexpected.
The Packers seemed to prepare themselves for this possibility when they re-signed backup guard Don Barclay on Thursday.
As far as the future is concerned, Barclay would be the presumed starter at right guard at the moment.
While he has had his issues playing tackle in the past, Barclay seems to be able to hold his own at guard. He played there without much issue in 2016.
Surely, the Packers will work to acquire some bodies — whether to start or be backups — in the 2017 draft.
Perhaps the best news out of this is Lang didn’t sign with the Seattle Seahawks, who are much more of a threat to the Packers than the Lions.
We know the Packers don’t value the guard position. We knew that when they released Josh Sitton and replaced him withe Lane Taylor. This decision — which ultimately came down to money — can be viewed in exactly the same fashion.
Postscript: Here are the numbers, which, quite frankly, I am surprised the Packers didn’t match.
The #Lions deal for former #Packers G TJ Lang: $9.5M average for 3 years with $19M fully guaranteed, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2017
I respectfully disagree about Barclay at guard. My recollection was Barclay was beaten like a rented mule in the first half of the redskins game. Yes, the team said he hurt his shoulder. I say bullshit a real guard like Lang or Sitton would have played through it and produced, if there was even an injury. Barclay right now is the backup center and emergency guard if not off the team before game 1 2017.
The only current options are moving Bulaga to guard, or Lucas Patrick has shown in practice he can do it (doubtful without regular game experience). Murphy is not a possibility, he is to tall and must change his appearance. The guy looks like that gomer pile dude from full metal jacket that blew his brains out after killing his drill Sargent. He needs to get in NFL shape.
The team was trying to get Spriggs on the field last year. At times Spriggs struggled, but with some added strength, and maybe weight I think he is the next right tackle. That is until the music chairs happen then who knows what happens.
Completely agreed on all points
Sad day. Although acquring a number one corner would be key
As long as this article is about losing guards Lane Taylor’s contract is up after this year.
They can’t start Barclay, he is horrible. They have to draft a guard or 2.
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
So far we have depleted the 0 line, and weakened the defense. No, signing Perry was not improving the defense, he was already here.
I guess for every decent move (Bennett) Ted has to fuck the pooch 5 times.
Lets not get this twisted people, we kept Perry…overpaid, but kept him…we replaced a good tight end with another good tight end. That’s not a high degree of upgrade, except Bennett can block.
Sitton is gone, Tretter is gone, Lang is gone….slowly, Ted takes off the layers of protection concerning Rodgers. God help #12 if we have injuries on the 0 line.
Nice move Ted on punking Jared Cook’s ass, well played…other than that……go fuck yourself.
Ok, i read the article.
1) Don’t be so sure Detroit isn’t a threat.
2) Every time Barclay plays he’s an issue, he gets help, same with Taylor, but at the expense of exposing rushing lanes. Does anyone think….. maybe the reason Barclay didn’t receive any action in free agency and that he signed for a pittance is because he’s not a good fucking lineman? DUH!!
Watch the Atlanta game, you’ll have Linsley and Taylor standing up a def. lineman(together)….while a linebacker strolls through and sacks Rodgers…..Yes, i watch the games and the details of a play with dvr rewind.
We FINALLY…get the 0 line fixed to the point Rodgers can operate, then what does Ted do, he dismantles it and we have 0 depth and we have back up players starting…..NICE!!
BTW Monty….there is NO best news out of this……………….I’m so pissed.
I’m sure Lang has a bitter taste in his mouth over what happened to Sitton. Maybe he doesn’t and no one will probabaly admit it publicly anyway, but how can you not be pissed when your best friend and one of the main leaders of the locker room immediately gets shipped away in hush hush fashion for no reason other than McFatty saying “Josh Sitton needs to play guard.” “Don’t question me, I’m a highly successful coach. Nothing I do is ever deserving of critcism. The whole locker room is starting turn on me because Sitton is stating the obvious, better get rid of him.”
I thought the exact same thing cheese.
Reports were Sitton and Lang were best friends. Sometimes in life, Karma has a way of biting people in the ass.
Unfortunately, it’s Rodgers and Packer fans who have to pay the price.
I don’t think this is what Rodgers envisioned when he said the Packers need to go all in.
Well, my friend 2017 may be the year your wish comes true…..
TT letting good players go, sitting on his hands while good defensive FAs get snapped up, and NFC North rivals making obvious moves to improve…
Unless TT awakens from the dead…..
……. a post-season run for this team is not gonna happen
PF4L — “… it’s Rodgers and Packer fans who have to pay the price.” Yes, but that is ALSO karma!
Did i put a nickle in you? Ok, then stfu.
You might just be blind, or a bandwagon fan, no clue. Janis has done big things when given the chance (ex: 2 hail Mary catches, 1 for a td, to throw the cardinals playoff game into ot), and doesn’t get nearly as much playing time as the other receivers. Davis and Janis are both great returners and special teams players, but they both are very good and have great wheels when given the chance. Davis caught his first td pass after a 42 (?) Yard punt return, then caught the ball on a falling toetap a play later in the endzone. Janis puts up good numbers when he’s the one being thrown to, which is rarely.
This article is about Lang. WTF does Janis have to do with anything?
I didn’t know a 19.8 yard kick return average qualifys as “great”.
I also didn’t know that a kick returner who does dumb shit on special teams that hurts his team qualifys as a great special teams players.
“…but not completely unexpected.” ?????
Yeah, man, I’ve been telling you since in season that Lang would not be back. Where is the trust, Monty? Am I not always correct? Do ye doubteth me?
Sure, I have mystical abilities but you hardly needed tea leaves or chicken intestines or thrown bones to know this would happen. (Little know but actual best practice when utilizing magical prognostication is to feed the chicken tea leaves and THEN throw the intestines. On a wall. Then foretell the future via the spatterings left on said wall. When I did it for Lang I saw a muscular man {Lang} giving the finger to a short scarecrow figure {TT}.)
Lions pretty much a got a steal with that contract. I’d say it is worse for the Packers that he signed with the Lions as the the Packers face the Lions twice a year every year, so, at least 6 games next 3 years, and face the Seahawks about every other year, so 1 or 2 times in those coming 3 years.
Barclay? (quiet chuckle followed by amused sigh)
The Lions face the Packers twice a year? Seriously?
WOW…..What other highly intelligent information can you bestow on us? lol
How about…Explain to us, how a team can start 6-0, and 5-0 and STILL miss the playoffs. Riddle me that Nancy.
We’ll wait……..