Packers Picks

The Green Bay Packers last signed an unrestricted free agent on March 30, 2012. That player was defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove. It was a terrific signing. He was released in August of that very same year. Hargrove never played a single regular season snap for the Packers. I seriously doubt that a free agency failure of two years ago is the reason that Packers general manager Ted Thompson stays away from the unrestricted free agency pool. I also doubt that Thompson stays away from that pool, as the website Pro Football Talk suggests, to collect compensatory draft picks. He's just careful. At least, I'd like to think that's his reason. There are countless examples of high-priced free agent signings that have pretty much zero impact on a team's success on the field. There are far more free agency failures than there are success stories. Actually, two of the most successful free agency signings in the history of NFL free agency are Reggie White and Charles Woodson. Both signings by the Packers. Both done with Ted Thompson in that Packers front office. As general manager, he made the decision to sign Woodson. Pro Football Talk backs up it's claim that Thompson signs or doesn't sign players with compensatory picks in mind by his team's additions of defensive linemen Julius Peppers and Letroy Guion. Both players were released by their former teams so they don't factor into the compensatory pick equation. That's a very valid point by Pro Football Talk. Unfortunately, we can't know for certain whether Thompson would have signed either player if they were unrestricted free agents. I'm not saying that Thompson isn't going about his business with compensatory picks in mind. I couldn't possibly know why he does anything because he rarely says anything. I don't think that he enjoys talking to anybody. He always looks on the verge of tears or a nap. I just think that relying on compensatory picks is a foolish way to build a team. You're always starting over. These picks were meant to compensate teams for the loss of players. They weren't meant to be a reason for not even trying to retain players.

Ted Thompson believes in building the Green Bay Packers through the draft, not free agency. All teams say it. The Packers are one of the few teams that actually does it. They've skipped out on free agency the past two years. They don't want to pay the money that's called for in order to compete in free agency. Not only are they very selective in signing players from other teams, they are very selective in signing their own players. In order to gain compensatory picks they have to lose players. Each year the Packers lose players to other teams. I don't really consider this team building. They are constantly recycling young players for younger players and starting the process all over again. They draft a player, develop him, and then lose him to free agency. Maybe they get a compensatory pick. Maybe they don't. Either way they have to replace the players that they let walk. Losing Greg Jennings and Erik Walden to free agency last year brought them third and fifth round picks in the upcoming draft. The Packers have lost James Jones, Evan Dietrich-Smith, C.J. Wilson, and Marshall Newhouse this year. Despite adding Peppers and Guion, the Packers have added no unrestricted free agents. They should get, at least, a couple of picks next year. That stupid formula had better not shoot out out any picks higher than a fifth. I don't see this as team-building. It's like being on a treadmill. The Packers are very selective in the players that they retain and add but I think that they lack anything approaching stability. They have this constant roster-churn. Maybe it's good for competition but it does nothing for familiarity. Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers have won a Super Bowl. That does say something about his ability to put together a football team but he hasn't won since he's stayed out of the free agency pool.