Linebacker Nick Perry has once again become an injury story for the Green Bay Packers. Perry has been injured regularly during his time with the Packers. His 2018 production was more or less nonexistent and then he went on injured reserve.
There were excuses before that, however. Perry’s lack of production was supposedly the result of offseason ankle surgery. Perry finished his season with 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Not exactly what you’re looking for from a guy you’re paying $11.8 million annually.
The contract, at this point, is an albatross.
Perry, who has been oft-criticized, pointed out that his latest injury — the one that ended his season — was a fluke. And it would be hard to say that it wasn’t. Or that it wasn’t severe. It happened against Miami.
Yes, Nick Perry has had a lot of injuries and his days in Green Bay might be over given his contract, but he told @jasonjwilde and me to go back and look at the play vs. Miami where he got hurt. So here it is. Not sure what he could’ve done to prevent it. pic.twitter.com/E3miDsofWS
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) November 30, 2018
That being as it may, the contract.
Perry has a cap hit of $14.7 million in 2019. There’s the $4.8 million roster bonus… in March, which is key.
According to USA Today, the Packers would save $3.6 million in cap space if they ditched Perry before June 1. They would save $11 million if it were after June 1. They can designate him as a post-June 1 cut — each team gets two such designations — and cut him before June 1 and still reap the same savings. Unfortunately, that money doesn’t become available until June 1.
If that scenario plays out, it makes for a real interesting outside linebacker group going into 2019. Clay Matthews’ contract expires after the season. The only other outside linebackers on the roster are Kyler Fackrell and Reggie Gilbert.
Fackrell has come on in his third season, with eight sacks thus far. Gilbert hasn’t really been what we hoped for — 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks thus far.
But the Packers will need some bodies at the position, regardless. There is no guarantee they re-sign Matthews. He only has 2.5 sacks this season and appears to be near the end of the line.
So then what?
The Packers would have to bring in reinforcements from outside, either through free agency or the draft. Probably at least three of them.
All we know at this point is the Packers can’t count on Perry. Whether it’s a fluke play or not, the guy can’t stay on the field. This is going to be an interesting offseason.
Did USA Today get that info from this site? :-).
Just remember the Packers will have a dead cap hit of 3.7 mil in 2019 and a 7.4 mil dead cap hit in 2020 if they designate Perry a post June 1 cut.
If you cut Perry as a pre June cut the team saves 3.6 mil. from what they are going to overpay Perry on his contract. The question is can the team sign a player for 3.6 mil that can put up better production than Perry in 2019. I believe the answer is yes. So cut Perry take the 11.1 million dollar lose for next year, or the next two years and move on with a player or players that can produce.
Does anyone think the ankle issue and now the knee issue is going to make Perry a better, faster player next year or the year after? Broken hands is one thing. Having your wheels damaged is a whole different problem in a game we’re speed counts.
Yea..it’s somewhat humorous how things we discuss come out in the mainstream media weeks, months, sometimes even years after we’ve discussed it in here.
Go figure.
Broken….did he say broken? And to think i do it for free.
You’re welcome people.
mike freeman
✔
@mikefreemanNFL
The Packers are broken. Blow it all up. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2807801-the-packers-are-broken-and-its-time-to-make-major-changes?share=twitter …
343
12:38 AM – Nov 26, 2018
Horrible overpaid signing, driven by TT’s inability to draft pass rushers. TJ Watt, anyone? Not sure which was the worst FA signing: Perry or Joe Johnson.
Packers are saddled with too many underperforming 8 figure contracts- I say, suck it up and get rid of Cobb, Mathews, and Perry. The dearth of playmakers, when was the last turnover the defense forced?, mandates the team go against their usual Russ Ball bottomfeeding ways. Pay the money to bring in an impact player.
Hang on here…..Lets not pretend we don’t have any high priced impact players and playmakers.
We have Mike Daniels, in the last 3 seasons alone, he has 11 sacks, one forced fumble, 2 passes defended, 69 solo tackles.
That’s a lot of production for only 33.9 million dollars. Some may even call that a “bargain”.
Broken
Remember Thompson also failed to even Offer Peppers a new deal and then panicked and Overpaid Brooks for 1.5 sacks while. Julius 11 sacks and FF, Int for Less Money from the Cats.
But hey instead of TJ Watt they got Kevin King. The only player injured more than Perry. Who needs LBs anyway. Maybe resign Matthews for $1.98 and some hair gel.
You dont use hair gel in hair like that do you?
“……………………if they want me back, i’ll be back, i’m not concerned.”…….”My conscience is clear and my bank account is full, the Packers have already paid me 27 million for playing in what, 27 games? I’m good to go baby” – Nick Perry
“In case i’m not back…Thank you Ted, thank you Russ!!” – Nick Perry
BROKEN
*21 games
For the peeps who originally referred to the Nick Perry signing as a “bargain” please feel free to chime in.
Perry was never an OLB anyway. I said from the beginning that he is a DE
in a 4-3. You have to get the big things right, like what position a man is
meant to play. Are you listening, Ted Thompson?
I’ve considered the same thought awhile back Ted of making Perry a Def. end. But it dawned on me, would he have been any less injured? IDK.
Cobb and Matthews should have been shown the door with Jordy Nelson. It was a terrible mistake to keep them and waste all that incredible cap space. We also never should have signed Graham and Lewis. Blown cash–all that gorgeous cap space could have been moved forward to 2019.
Perry just has too much time on his contract to be released. We can’t allow that much dead money. But burning through $50 million in cap space for a lost year has dramatically set back our rebuild. Now 2019 will be a full-blown rebuilding year, and with $50 million less to work with.
What a disaster.
Not sure where you are getting $50 million in blown cap space for 2019. Cobb and Mathews don’t cost a penny as their contracts are up. From what I’ve read the Packers have an option after 2018 to cut their losses with Perry. For what little Perry contributes year in and year out, they may as well release him as they are getting zero return on their investment when he isn’t contributing due to his China doll status (inactive or IR designations). Rip that band aid off and move on rather than Perry wasting a roster spot for another year of wasted potential that will never be realized.
He’s talking about if we would have released Cobb and Mathews and Jordy while not signing Graham and Lewis before this season. He forgot about Wilkerson.
His math is fuzzy, but i get his point, and agree with him.
I was calling for Gute to make serious decisions concerning cuts like that. He opted to keep those players but get rid of Nelson. If he had done the opposite, we’d be in better shape and here’s why….
Keeping Mathews. Cobb delayed the inevitable, when you could have advanced that area. They had no impact this season to keep them for their cash payout. His delay…. delayed this teams growth for one yer concerning the overpaid, imo.
Signing T Willy, Graham, Lewis, Wilkerson to me, and just my opinion, was a total waste of cash. I get that it’s hindsight, but i expressed my opinions about Grahams contract, along with Wilkerson well before the season.
He is dead wrong about Perry, we can, and should eat that dead cap money. Gain a ton of cash, and get rid of dead weight and he’s probably not exactly a leader in the locker room. What players can look up to a guy making so much money, and producing so little? Why worry about a little dead cap money, when you’ve been overpaying guys in the tens of millions? Priorities fucked up
if Gute keeps him, i lose some serious faith in him building this team.
Time for Perry to go. As i said in a previous article…No more free rides…from the top down. Get serious about this fucking team for once. STOP living with expensive dead weight!!