The Green Bay Packers have always built their team through the NFL draft and re-signed their own talented, home-grown players. But, at some point, you have to stop rewarding your own players for the good of the team in the long run. It is somewhere in that realm where the Packers currently stand with free agent cornerback Tramon Williams.
Green Bay is most certainly interested in re-signing Williams. He's spent his entire eight-year career with the Packers and played in 140 of a possible 141 games. However, he turns 32 today and is drawing interest from other teams. Williams has visited with both the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints (though the Saints signed CB Brandon Browner). The Packers want to bring Williams back, but only on their terms. ESPN's Rob Demovsky has floated two-years for $4 million to $5 million per year as the most likely ceiling for Green Bay.
"Everybody looks at that number 32, and it's based strictly on whether you're going to start breaking down and missing games," Rodney Williams said last month at the combine. "You're talking about a guy who's played in 140 out of 141 games, so if there's any player on that team that's going to show up every day, it's Tramon Williams, so I think that's going to be the exception to that age number that some people are putting out."
The Packers have already re-signed wide receiver Randall Cobb (four-years, $40 million) and offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga (five-years, $33.75 million) to rich deals. The team still has upwards of $21 million in salary cap space.
Will Williams accept that short-term deal or will the Packers up their offer? The team has already lost cornerback Davon House to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. How willing is General Manager Ted Thompson to lose another member of his tenth-ranked passing defense?
Only time will tell.
