Wyche: Barnett To Be Traded Or Released
Steve Wyche of NFL.com reports that the Packers will explore the possibility of trading Nick Barnett.
By PackerAaron
From Steve Wyche on NFL.com:
A source with knowledge of the situation said Thursday that the Packers will explore trading Nick Barnett, who broke his wrist during a Week 4 game against the Detroit Lions, opening the door for Desmond Bishop to line up next to Hawk and emerge as a core player.
Trading Barnett won't happen until a collective bargaining agreement is reached between the NFL and NFL Players Association, but the eight-year veteran could have value because there aren't that many quality inside or middle linebackers available in free agency.
If Barnett can't be traded, the Packers would explore releasing him, the source said.
Barnett is due $5.5 million in salary for 2011 plus a $375,000 roster bonus and a $150,000 workout bonus.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
Comments (35)
March 03, 2011 at 11:50 pm
He's getting older. Injury last season. Poor choices (bar fight, big mouth). He's always loved being a Packer. Odd man out? Someone has to be, and he is oldest. And we know TT loves youth.
March 04, 2011 at 12:26 am
1: Lost for the season two years in a row.
2: Is turning 30.
3: Glorified Darren Sharper.
PackerAaron
March 04, 2011 at 01:19 am
Barnett played the entire 2009 season. You're thinking of 2008.
March 04, 2011 at 07:09 am
Barnett's a great players, but he's also an idiot. I don't doubt his dedication but between samurai dances and dumb twitter comments he's getting up there with Colledge in putting his foot right in it.
However I think the Packers will have to find a trade as we could get a decent return for him.
March 04, 2011 at 08:37 am
This play exemplifies Nick Barnett's career...
During the season opener against Philadelphia a few years ago, Barnett scored an interception against McNabb. Donovan rolled to his right and looked like he had room to run. Barnett started forward like he was going to cut off the run, then dropped back to cover his man. McNabb was fooled and threw the interception.
It would've been a brilliant fake out on a good QB. Except Barnett admitted after the game it was just a split second of indecisiveness on his part and luck that McNabb threw it.
Barnett's always loved being a Packer. He's loved being a leader. He hasn't been the best of either, but we can't fault him for that. I hope he finds as much success as Darren Sharper did when he left.
March 04, 2011 at 08:41 am
I'd be sad to see him go. I was hoping/expecting all 3 would be around next year. You can never have enough healthy bodies.
March 04, 2011 at 09:02 am
I'm not opposed to this at all. I'm kinda tired of his off field antics and aside from that, it makes decent football & business sense. Simply too much money to committ in 2011 for 4 ISLB's and he just doesn't stay on the field enough. Given a choice between Hawk, Bishop, & Barnett...the right choice is being made.
March 05, 2011 at 07:35 am
Off-field antics? He got in a fight once 4 years ago and that's it, right? I'm not aware of anything else, here.
March 04, 2011 at 09:16 am
The defense really didn't seem to miss him when he was out. There was never an instance where I said to myself, "Boy, Barnett would have gotten him" or something similar.
At that salary, it's cost prohibitive to keep him as a backup. Plus, I can imagine he'd become a malcontent, if that whole photo thing is any indication.
Sorry Nick, you've gotta go.
March 04, 2011 at 10:09 am
I don't think his salary is prohibitive since I'm sure he'd get plenty of snaps.
But I could definitely see him causing some problems if he wasn't starting.
March 04, 2011 at 11:07 am
Yep. Since you never know where injuries will happen, it would be awesome to have a backup of Barnett's caliber. However, much like the Harris situation, I don't think Barnett would be a happy (or quiet) backup. If we can trade him and draft some young talent at ILB, that's probably the best outcome.
March 04, 2011 at 09:35 am
I think its going to come down on who they get in the draft, and if they are comfortable enough with the players they had after his injury. I wouldn't be happy to see him leave, but I wouldn't really be mad either.
March 04, 2011 at 10:11 am
He was drafted by Sherman ........ Strike 1
He'll be 30+ for season 2011 ..... Strike 2
He's a bad influence on Finley ... Strike 3
Mostly, he couldn't keep his 'nit-twit' mouth shut when his team was preparing for a SB ..... The easiest way to become an ex-Packer is to allow your mouth to move faster than your brain .......
March 04, 2011 at 10:38 am
"The easiest way to become an ex-Packer is to allow your mouth to move faster than your brain ……."
------------------------
Twitter is even worse. You have a chance to re-read and think about what you are posting...it's not a "mic in the moment"...It's just user error.
Nick has to go for the same reason Al Harris had to go. Too much personality and ego to be a role player.
March 04, 2011 at 10:45 am
I disagree with the Harris comparison. I feel like Al would have done anything the team asked him to do - he just wasn't healthy.
March 04, 2011 at 03:48 pm
I didn't see Al Harris in that light. I just heard Al on the radio last night, and even he is not sure that he can play next year.
The reality is that the players want to go, period. It usually takes the wake-up call of a release or trade to get the player to accept a role-player or back-up player mindset. You know, I'm just happy to be on a team; that usually doesn't happen on the players first team.
March 04, 2011 at 10:46 am
Why do you say he's a bad influence on Finley?
March 04, 2011 at 11:05 am
Only a guess ..... It was NB who initiated the 'team-photogate' ..... Finley followed with his own comments ..... Both players are brash ..... Barnett should be (by now) the grisley 8-yr. vet setting the positive example ..... Finley is still only 23 years old .... Is he still impressionable ? ..... Impossible to know.
March 05, 2011 at 07:39 am
1 is nitpicky and absurd to even consider as a reason to get rid of a guy.
2 is true but considering he's missed about 2 years, he's not too worn for his age
3 is founded on.. I don't know what. What?
I agree the photo thing was a bit absurd, but I think it's just a misjudgment on his part for letting his feelings be made public. You shouldn't knock him for having feelings, at least.
NFL players still haven't figured out that their twitter pages are practically the same as press releases. :/
March 05, 2011 at 11:00 am
TT will almost always keep his own before someone else ......
Do you honestly believe Barnett would accept a BU role without complaining publicly at some point ? ......
Do you believe a BU ILB is worth $6+mil a year ? .......
The new CBA may very well have a set cap which means GB will have to trim & possibly trim alot .... Barnett is a goner.
March 06, 2011 at 05:26 am
If you think TT is that petty, so be it. I personally don't think so.
Plenty of backups post on twitter, I don't think it will change much whether he used to be a starter or not.
I don't think a backup ILB is worth 6 million either, so, no, but it's not like he won't be taking any snaps. I trust our DC to find a way to get the best players on the field. Not only that, he could be willing to take a pay cut to stay in town.
We'll see.
March 04, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Not sure if this has been brought up already, but are there any major ramifications cap-wise for the Packers if they outright release him?
PackerAaron
March 04, 2011 at 12:11 pm
Really depends on what the cap looks like. Right now we don't know anything.
March 04, 2011 at 01:57 pm
What would be the ramifications if cap rules are relatively comparable to 2009 rules?
March 04, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Peprah!
March 04, 2011 at 01:52 pm
Wow. His trade value is going to be sky-high with this being the message out there! The Packers will take anything for him, but will just cut him anyway if you dont want to give anything up!
Not to mention, I would think that taking on the 6M salary is not exactly enticing. More likely, given age/injuries, teams would rather wait for him to come loose and try to get him into a more friendly deal.
All things considered, I would guess his trade value right now is about a 6th rounder.
March 04, 2011 at 02:08 pm
I'd assume the Packers would bring him to training camp and let him showcase his ability and health to the other 31 teams during the preseason before trading him.
March 04, 2011 at 03:57 pm
That could be, but, I think it would cost about .5M to take him to camp (roster bonus of 375k kicks in sometimes in the spring, and workout bonus of 150k, aprox).
That's a decent amount of money for a guy TT thinks he would cut eventually (if I have the numbers right).
I am thinking they will push hard to trade him for a DP before the draft this year. If they dont get a bite, will be interesting to see what they do.
March 04, 2011 at 01:55 pm
Anybody else thinking he's destined to be a Viking?
March 05, 2011 at 12:39 pm
I see Lions, Vikes have Greenway.
March 07, 2011 at 05:54 pm
Didnt they let Lieber go?
March 05, 2011 at 08:12 am
It's amazing how fast things change. By week 2 people were begging for AJ Hawk to be traded for an RB like Marshawn Lynch. Had we made that trade, we would have been starting Maurice Simpkins or Robert Francois. Barnett as a backup is an -amazing- proposition, I would think fans of this team would understand the value of good backups, especially after last season! Remember, Barnett also came back from a torn ACL and was one of the top ILBs in the league in 2010. He's a hard worker and I don't doubt that he'll be a hell of a player for at least 4 more years.
There's a place for Nick Barnett on this team from a logical football point of view.
I guess I just don't put as much value in the public things he says. Seriously, I've never cared. What's wrong with a guy making his feelings known? If you knock people for being human, shame on you. He's certainly an open and passionate person, I respect that. As long as he doesn't cause trouble for us, I'll be happy to have him on the team.
March 05, 2011 at 09:07 am
Kinda feel bad for the guy but this move obviously makes sense with all the signings at MLB in the last 14 months. A couple weeks ago, he posted "Will packer fans still cheer for me if I am not in Green Bay next year?" Looking back he's given a lot of years to this organization. That would be a difficult thing to wait through.
March 05, 2011 at 12:40 pm
I think Packers fans will cheer for him, unless he's playing against them. Guy went from looking really bad to being very good.
March 05, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Can you imagine the tweets Barnett would be putting out there, week after week, if he's riding the bench?