Pete Dougherty at the Press-Gazette wrote an article saying that it's unlikely the Green Bay Packers will use either the franchise or transition tags on their unrestricted free agents. His main point was about the risk of using either tag on LB Aaron Kampman, but I'm not sure GM Ted Thompson wouldn't use one on NT Ryan Pickett. I posted the tag amounts earlier this week, and the cost of a defensive tackle for one year is around $7 million. That's a lot for a part-time starter, Pickett comes out on passing downs, but Thompson placed a franchise tag on DT Corey Williams two years ago. Williams's tag amount was just over $6 million, and he had been on the bench until injuries moved him into the starting lineup.
But the best part of Dougherty's article was the tender contract amounts for restricted free agents, of which the Packers have several. Here's the breakdown:
| 5 Seasons | 4 Seasons | |
|---|---|---|
| First and Third Round Tender | $3.268 million | $3.168 million |
| First Round Tender | $2.621 million | $2.521 million |
| Second Round Tender | $1.809 million | $1.759 million |
| Low Tender (Original Pick) | $1.226 million | $1.176 million |
S Nick Collins will get the 1st and 3rd round tender, S Atari Bigby received a 2nd round tender last season, and I don't know about the others. I posted the full list here on Wednesday. The only other player who might get as high as a 2nd round tender is DE Johnny Jolly. They can lowball G Daryn Colledge because he was originally a 2nd round pick, and they might do the same with C/G Jason Spitz (a former 3rd round pick).