Packers Looking to Sign S Morgan Burnett to Extension, Say Reports

I will make no secret of this: I am a fan of Morgan Burnett. I think he is going to take a big leap this year and become one of the top safeties in the NFL. With that in mind, you can imagine that I was pleased when I saw a report today that the Green Bay Packers are in talks to sign the starting free safety to a contract extension.

I first saw the report on Cheesehead TV, which quoted NFL insider Jason La Canfora with this report:

Packers are trying to hammer out a new deal with safety Morgan Burnett.

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) July 11, 2013

This is great news for the future of the safety position. With Jerron McMillian and M.D. Jennings likely fighting it out for the starting strong safety spot next to Burnett in 2013, locking up the veteran for the long term is a prudent and necessary move.

A while back, we looked at the career trajectories of past Packers safeties, and noticed that they tend to explode for big seasons during their fourth year in the league. Guess what: 2013 will be Burnett's fourth season, and he has been arguably the best of any of those players in that article over his first three seasons. Obviously the ideal situation would be similar to Jordy Nelson's before the 2011 season - signing the player to a team-friendly contract extension just prior to him having a breakout year..

What are your thoughts? Should the Packers be focusing more on extending a different player, perhaps a James Jones or B.J. Raji? Or is Burnett the next deserving Packer to get locked up for the long term? One thing is certain: Ted Thompson and company aren't going to let their $13 million in cap room go to waste this season, and Burnett looks like he is set to be the next beneficiary.

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