Packers Interested in Ahmad Bradshaw, Says Adam Schefter

In all of the craziness over the first few days of free agency, one of the biggest targets for the Green Bay Packers was free agent running back Steven Jackson. Amid reports of Jackson being interested in Green Bay, signing a contract with the Packers, and everything in between, he ended up in Atlanta leaving Ted Thompson and company in the same place they were a week ago. But wait! There is a free agent running back who we've all forgotten about, and who just might be on the Packers' radar:

Packers and Steelers have expressed interest in former Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2013

That's right, former Giant Ahmad Bradshaw is a potential target for the Packers in free agency. Think about it - this has been Ted's M.O. The few times he has made a splash in free agency (Charles Woodson and Ryan Pickett) have gone similarly to this. Let the other teams fight over free agents and drive prices up over the initial few days and weeks, then sneak in with a signing of a big name player who fits a need and whose contract is much more in line with his value than if he had signed early.

There's no question that Bradshaw has durability concerns, but the fact remains that over his six-year career he has played on average 14 games per season. Furthermore, he has taken a fraction of the workload that Jackson has, with only 921 career carries going back to his rookie year of 2007, compared to 1,667 rushes for Jackson over the same time period. And if you're concerned about him helping out in the passing game? He's averaged 30 receptions and over 250 receiving yards over the past four years. Oh, and he'll be 27 in 2013, compared to Jackson who turns 30 this summer.

If Ted can sign Bradshaw for a relatively small contract with little money guaranteed, I'll count that as a win. Time will tell how serious this reported interest is, but I for one am encouraged and hope to see Bradshaw in Green and Gold on the cheap soon.