Jan 08 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Atlanta Falcons guard Justin Blalock (63) defends against New York Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty (99) during the second half of the 2011 NFC wild card playoff game at the MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alan Maglaque-USA TODAY Sports
A couple of items that came across my desk this morning that were shoved to the back burner because I thought they were kinda crazy and still do – the Green Bay Packers might have an interest in DL Chris Canty AND may consider slapping the franchise tag on free agent WR Greg Jennings.
Say I'm not seeing and hearing things … the interest in Canty I can understand. The Packers went after him hard four years ago when he came free of his contract with the Dallas Cowboys. Instead he signed with the New York Giants where he had four pedestrian seasons. In 2009, he played in eight games and had eight tackles and five assists. In 2010, he started all 16 games, registered 28 tackles, 11 assists and had one-half of a sack; in 2011, he was a bit more productive in 16 games – he had four sacks, 32 tackles and 16 assists. Last season, he had three sacks, 20 tackles and five assists before being let go as a salary cap casualty.
Those are certainly far from Hall of Fame numbers, so why would the Packers have an interest in him. After all, he is going to be 31, has played eight seasons already int he NFL and is probably on the way out within the next couple of seasons. Well, the Packers have to find a way to improve their defensive line. If Canty were brought in, he would compete for the defensive end position played the last few years by Ryan Pickett. Would Canty be an improvement over Pickett? That's debatable, but competition on the line would be a good thing.
Canty is said to have scheduled a visit with the Packers and the Jaguars and is also said to have an offer on the table from the Titans. He may visit, but may also shun the Packers once again, which wouldn't be a huge surprise or disappointment in my eyes.
Dec 30, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings (85) against the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the Packers 37-34. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Jennings
However, the "holy cow" moment this morning came from a report attributed to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. He said that it was "interesting to hear the #Packers are still considering franchising Greg Jennings. Thought that ship had sailed. Apparently not."
I thought that ship had been long gone out of port, but could it be that the Packers have sent an SOS to bring it back?
I hope not. I love Greg Jennings, but his days with the Packers are and should be done. Jennings had an opportunity to sign an extension last year, turned it down and then said recently that he had a want for a $14 million contract. If the Packers were to slap the franchise tag on him, it would cost them $10 million for a single season. Jennings could refuse it, but then he wouldn't be allowed to go anywhere and would be unpaid.
However, I can't see Ted Thompson committing $10 million to a single player for a single season. He doesn't operate that way. The Packers are right around $20 million over the cap. They will have to sign their draft choices and restricted free agents, which will cover about half the $20 million – then they are supposed to give the other $10 million to a 30-year-old receiver who has missed more than 10 games the past two seasons with injuries?
I don't think so. Rapoports sources are simply out of their mind or vastly misinformed.
But then again there are some reports that this could be a sign and trade situation, which wouldn't be all that bad … would certainly keep Jennings out of a Vikings uniform …
So, back to the backburner go these stories. And I hope to keep them there.
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