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Donald Driver is currently under contract with the Green Bay Packers. Because of his age and the large volume of quality wide receivers under contract with the team, he is unlikely to produce at a level that justifies his current salary. Because he's currently on a popular television show and his roster bonus isn't due until the start of the season, the Packers have no reason to let him go or restructure his contract at the moment.
That didn't stop Donald Driver from sending a tweet that freaked everyone out, caused people to read way too much into a nice gesture, and give his agent some unnecessary work to do.
Hello everyone: I'm a packer for life. It will never change. Go Pack Go!!!!
— Donald Driver (@Donald_Driver80) May 17, 2012
ZOMG IS THIS A GOODBYE MESSAGE?!?
No, not really. Driver's marketing agent, Brian Lammi says that the message was not a goodbye message, but in fact, the polar opposite of a goodbye message. Via Lori Nickel at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Lammi said "It was reassuring fans that he's looking forward to playing with the Packers this season."
It seems pretty safe to assume that based on the number of receivers on the team at the moment and the number of key guys who need to be extended, Driver's looking forward to playing with the Packers this season after he negotiates a pay cut and signs a restructured contract, right? We can't know that for sure, but it's more or less implied.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk chatted with Driver's football agent, Jordan Woy. He's not saying a deal is done, but it sounds like both sides want to figure out a way to get Driver to play in Green Bay this season. Here's what Woy had to say, from PFT:
"The Packers have always wanted Donald back and we have always planned on him playing there," Woy told PFT via email. "He has been busy with the DWTS show and the team knows that. I discussed deal structure with the team a while ago and we will work out the details once Donald returns to Green Bay."
Driver intends to play with Green Bay this season, and the Packers intend to keep him around if it makes financial sense. Driver's going to always feel some connection to the team on the slim chance it doesn't work out. It sounds like we can expect to see Driver back in 2012.