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Cheese Curds: Green Bay Packers News and Links for March 17, 2015

Chris Borland's retirement is sending some minor shockwaves through the NFL community.

By Evan "Tex" Western

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Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Monday's news items have left the Green Bay Packers and the NFL in general with some big questions to answer. For the Packers, it's how to rebuild a secondary that suddenly is depleted thanks to the departures of Davon House and Tramon Williams in free agency. For the league, the questions revolve around how to maintain the health of their players when yet another young star retires due to long-term health concerns.

Then again, maybe those concerns aren't as widespread as they seemed in the immediate aftermath of Chris Borland's retirement announcement yesterday. Packers executive Eliot Wolf puts a little perspective on it:

We'll examine those issues and more in today's curds.

Packers' offensive line among NFL's best bargains | Packersnews.com
Green Bay's line will cost just $22.7 million against the salary cap in 2015, the 16th-highest number in the NFL. Much of that is due to having a starting left tackle and center on their rookie contracts, however.

Cornerback craziness: A look at the money paid in NFL free agency - JSOnline
If you're wondering why the Packers haven't signed a cornerback in this year's free agent market, just take a look at this page, which shows the top deals for corners. THat's monopoly money folks, and we all know Ted Thompson doesn't spend exorbitantly.

Thorp Trophy preceded Super Bowl-era Lombardi Trophy | Packers.com
Packers historian Cliff Christl discusses championships and why it is important to remember each and every one of the Packers' 13 titles instead of just the four Super Bowl wins.

And now to the big NFL news item from last night:

Chris Borland retiring due to concerns about head trauma - Niners Nation
While we poked a little fun at the 49ers this weekend, this decision is shocking on many levels. On a personal level as a Wisconsin alumnus, I will be disappointed to never again see one of my alma mater's great football prospects play the game. But at the same time, I commend Borland for making this decision and taking a stand for what he believes is best for him and his familiy.

It's Eerie How At Least One Prominent Figure In The NFL Universe Kind Of Predicted Borland's retirement
This article from a Bay Area newspaper columnist hearkens back to a discussion with former NFL agent Leigh Steinberg just over a year ago. The agent predicted that football was at risk of losing a large portion of its player base in the future because potential players will refuse to participate in the sport either by their own decision or by their parents'.

NFL Community Reacts to Chris Borland's Retirement | 49ers.com
Current and former players, media, and others weighed in to support Borland's decision, Current Packers wideout and Borland's Badger teammate Jared Abbrederis said the following:

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