Report: B.J. Raji Gets One-Year Deal Worth $3.5 Million Plus Incentives

Raji got an offer on par with the same deal he signed last season for one year and $4 million.

After reports that the Green Bay Packers agreed to deals with defensive linemen B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion on Monday morning, contract details started to materialize for Raji on Monday afternoon from Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network:

Exact details have yet to be released, such as the amount of guaranteed money, but terms of Raji's deal come on the heels of an earlier report that Guion received a one-year, $2.75 million offer from the Packers.

Both deals can be viewed in a number of different ways.

An argument could be made that the Packers overpaid for players with obvious red flags.

For Raji, he's coming off an entire season lost on injured reserve with a torn biceps, not to mention the downward spiral his career has taken since 2010, including a career-low 17 tackles made in his last healthy season in 2013.

And for Guion, even though criminal charges were dropped against him following a recent arrest for marijuana and firearm possession in Florida, he's still subject to discipline from the NFL in the form of a potential suspension.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson has a reputation for wanting to retain players within the organization, sometimes to a fault, but at least he's doing so with a pair of players under the age of 30 that are familiar with the culture and schemes in Green Bay.

If the Packers are going to overpay to retain their own players, the one-year offers to Raji and Guion can also be viewed in contrast to the multi-year contracts signed by linebackers A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones, each of whom will count at least a million in dead money against the 2015 salary cap.

Whether or not Raji or Guion work out for the Packers in the long-term, they'll enter the 2016 season as unrestricted free agents once again and be given a clean slate.

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Comments (10)

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TommyG's picture

March 30, 2015 at 05:10 pm

We needed these big guys in the middle of our D. I'm glad that they are both back.

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L's picture

March 30, 2015 at 05:40 pm

me too.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

March 30, 2015 at 05:39 pm

Ted just bought flexibility in this years draft for six million dollars, and as a side effect he got 2 decent Defensive Linemen. I'd say it's worth it.

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Tundraboy's picture

March 30, 2015 at 06:04 pm

Smart moves. Now free to focus on BPAs in draft and FA.

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Packer_Pete's picture

March 30, 2015 at 06:45 pm

The money seems a little high for guys with major red flags. Not saying I don't like that he brought both back, but I thought and hoped he could've had both for a combined 4 - 4.5 million, not 6.25. At the same time, I do hope that he'll also draft DL on first or second day, and let them earn their stay. With Thornton also in the mix, and possibly a good draft pick, this DL could be pretty good, which means the pressure to get a good MLB is relieved a little, and Ted could possibly miss on a draft pick.
Does anyone know how much money would be guaranteed for 1 year contracts? Would it be the full amount, or would it be just the signing bonus (if there is one), and so this total amount could be less if either BJ or Guion wouldn't be on the roster come regular season?

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4thand1's picture

March 30, 2015 at 08:08 pm

Big guys up front. Eat up blocks.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

March 31, 2015 at 01:09 am

I'll wait to see the structure of the contracts. For Raji, I expected 1 year for $2 to 2.5 million with no more than $500K guaranteed, with a lot predicated on active game day bonuses. But this is much, much higher than I expected. I would rate Raji's contract somewhere between bad and terrible, depending on the structure. At this price, Raji has to be an above average NT, and play like DannyDS thinks he will.

I assume that Guion's contract will have provisions to protect GB if he is suspended. I think this contract is okay, but hardly anything to be proud of. I wouldn't be citing it in job interviews.

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NickPerry's picture

March 31, 2015 at 05:49 am

As long as Raji is playing just NT as Danny has suggested, I think Raji could very well perform at a level he did 4 years ago. The Packers have watched this guy rehab for just about a year and I think staying IN Green Bay last year after he was hurt to rehab and be around the team was something both MM and TT thought highly of. The fact Raji is so strong right now in the weight room and in such good shape is probably why Thompson paid what he did.

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Gianich's picture

March 31, 2015 at 08:39 am

Fortified the DL depth! Tinkering Ted scheming again!

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Amanofthenorth's picture

April 01, 2015 at 03:08 am

some news more than others makes one wish for August...this is that kind of news

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