Comments on: James Jones re-signs with Packers

By: DaveK

DaveK — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:27:05 +0000

Jones contract: three year deal worth $9.4 million and includes $3.75 million in first-year pay. So, about $3.1 million a year. Very Packer friendly deal in my opinion. Maybe Jones took a home town discount but I’m surprised the Vikings or Bears wouldn’t pay more then that for Jones.

By: DaveK

DaveK — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:53:27 +0000

My hunch was correct. The Kuhn contract was not the $3 million per year that his agent was touting. (Why do we ever listen to player agents?) It averages $2.5 million per year. Only $2 million is guaranteed and a good chunk of each year’s salary is tied up in per game roster bonuses and workout bonuses. So, the Packers are protected if he gets hurt or they cut him after this season.

No word yet on Jones contract numbers. I’ll post when I see something.

By: RayMidge

RayMidge — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:19:30 +0000

Funny, I had the opposite reaction to Rodgers’ lobbying- I thought it would only serve to increase his stature on the team and increase the cohesion of the offense.

The NFL is a passing efficiency league these days. Jones and Kuhn, along with the rest of the weapons, help maintain the strength of this team. The only way in which this offense is potentially weaker than last year is third-down blitz pickup. so many big plays come from protecting the QB in those situations and Brandon Jackson did a great job at that and the screen game, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kuhn fill that role if Alex Green isn’t up to it right away.

As for Jenkins, I think that TT simply decided it was time to move on from Jenkins at any price. He looked at age, position depth and injury history and made up his mind. I hate to see him go, especially because he was a guy we watched grow from an undrafted FA into a difference maker. Neal has to prove he can stay healthy, but the DL as a whole played great last year even without Jenkins and Neal for long stretches. A full year of Howard Green, another year of experience for CJ Wilson and BJ Raji, and another potential late-round contributor in Guy are as much a part of this decision as Neal. I think we may even see a late FA signing as the market slows down and TT likes the price of someone we’re not even thinking of. Would also like to see a vet LB with Chillar-esque skills brought in through FA.

By: Higsby

Higsby — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:17:18 +0000

Loosing multiple receivers for multiple games, if not an entire season, is not unusual. So having Jones gives us an excellent insurance policy via additional depth. Can’t be unhappy about that.

By: CindyV

CindyV — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:05:00 +0000

Randy Moss retired today. One less receiver to worry about.

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:14:31 +0000

I’m not sure I would hitch my wagon to Neal just yet. He has looked fantastic at times but what we have seen is a pretty limited sample.

If Jones is getting 3 million and Kuhn is getting 3 million it seems like it might have been possible to keep Jones and Jenkins. I love Kuhn but finding a fullback for our system is not that hard to do.

By: Packers Blog Roundup: Nick Barnett Signs With Bills | Cheesehead TV

Packers Blog Roundup: Nick Barnett Signs With Bills | Cheesehead TV — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:59:48 +0000

[...] Additional commentary on James Jones come from Lombardi Ave., Acme Packing Company and packergeeks. [...]

By: DaveK

DaveK — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:56:03 +0000

Top FB’s make about $3 million per year. Kuhn’s agent said the deal would make Kuhn one of the top paid FB’s in the league. I guess they like Kuhn’s versatility. He can play RB in a pinch and a good special teamer. But, $3 million per year for Kuhn if that is the # would surprise me. I’m hoping Kuhn’s agent is exaggerating a bit and the contract is the $2-$2.5 million range.

Jones will get at least $3 million per year. So yes, between the Jones and Kuhn contracts they would have had more then enough to resign Jenkins. It just seems they never had any interest in resigning Jenkins. You just can’t resign all these guys and his age, injury history, Mike Neal, position in the 3-4 just doesn’t justify $5 million per year that the 4-3 defensive teams were willing to pay him.

By: awhayes

awhayes — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:44:40 +0000

I too am interested to see the terms of Jones’ deal (as well as the terms for Kuhn). I could see some folks being ticked if between Kuhn and Jones, the Pack paid more than the $5 million Jenkins will be getting – considering Jenkins was at a higher need position. Though I do think it’s possible that TT thinks Jenkins may have been on the decline anyway and that someone like Mike Neal is ready to step up. In fact, as important as Jenkins was to us down the stretch, I’m pretty sure that was TT’s take on Jenkins because it seems like he didn’t both initiating any contract talks.

I also hope that Rodgers was not Favre-like in his lobbying for a player.

Meanwhile, watch out for Philly. They were already good – now they will be really tough to beat.

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:36:16 +0000

I am glad Jones is back. I am not glad to read that Rodgers apparently got himself involved. The linked article makes it sound like he was pretty actively pressing TT to bring JJ back. I don’t mind if a player wants to put his two cents in behind the scenes but I don’t want to see a player get too invested in the decisions. And I certainly don’t want to read statements in the press. Not their job and not good for the team.

Again, glad to see James Jones back but he better not be making anything close to what Jenkins got from Philly. D-line is a bigger need than WR for this team. Jenkins got 5 million a year and it was reported that he offered to take less to stay in GB. So Jones better be under 4 million a year.