Dirty Bird Steven Jackson Poops on Packers’ Plans

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RB Steven Jackson
“Almost” Packers RB Steven Jackson

When free agency kicked off on Tuesday, Pro Football Talk suggested the Packers were the early favorite to sign running back Steven Jackson. Later, Bill Huber of Packer Report tweeted that Jackson will “likely” sign with Green Bay.

So much for speculation. ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Czar of inside NFL information, has just reported that Jackson has declined the Packers’ offer and signed a 3-year deal with the Falcons.

Jackson, 29, has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark every season since taking over as the starter in 2005. But with a great deal of production comes a lot of tread on the tires; Jackson has carried the ball 2,395 times in his nine-year NFL career.

Along with the Packers, the Falcons, Bengals, Lions and Steelers showed interest in signing the veteran running back. When Sports Illustrated NFL writer Peter King told Jackson that he should sign with Green Bay, Jackson responded, “It makes a lot of sense.”

Jackson would have been a short-term fix for the Packers at running back, considering he will turn 30 before the season. Green Bay signed Cedric Benson, then 29, last offseason to shoulder the load in the ground game.  Barring other developments, Benson will surely be back.

Jackson is a three-time Pro Bowl selection, making the team in 2006, 2009 and 2010. He was the 24th overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, which is exactly where the Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers one year later. And now he’s a Falcon.

The Packers’ contract is now lining the bottom of some Dirty Bird’s cage and Ted Thompson is left looking in the air and wiping something off his jacket.

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Marques is a Journalism student, serving as the Sports Editor of UW-Green Bay\'s campus newspaper The Fourth Estate and a Packers writer at Jersey Al\'s AllGBP.com. Follow Marques on Twitter @MJEversoll.

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41 thoughts on “Dirty Bird Steven Jackson Poops on Packers’ Plans

  1. I think it would have been fun to see what Jackson could have done with the Packers offense, but I can’t say I’m too broken up about this turn of events.

    1. Canty, passed everybodies physical except the Packers. Jenkins, TT was NEVER going to sign him. Jackson, TT at his lowballing best. These are not players on their last legs. These are good NFL players, that TT wouldn’t sign. Canty and Jenkins both had contracts of 3 years and 8 million. Lets have a few more years of slow, plodding and inept defense. I guess almost 600 yards allowed just isn’t enough. I’m sure Capers is looking into ways to give up 700! Make sure you don’t get help for the O-Line either, because if Rodgers gets hurt, you’ll have another excuse for not doing anything!

      1. A RB with A LOT of carries, a 30 yr old DL w a bad knee and another DL who’s 32 who did little absolutely ARE on their last legs!

  2. Of course cheap ass ted didn’t sign jackson, as he wont sign anyone in FA who will actually help this team. The 5 year ago Woodson/pickett signings are long gone. We will now end up with marginal cheap ass players at best.

    1. I think you could cut him some slack about be cheap; I’m sure he’s got signing Rodgers, Matthews and Raji in mind, all three take precedence over Jackson. Imagine what would happen if Thompson runs out of money before he can sign the big three?

    2. He won’t sign a FA for more than he’s worth. Huge difference!

      Jackson would help but can get a younger cheaper one in draft.

      1. Yeah right. I can hear you sucking up from here, little man! You were all for Jackson, at 3 million per. Don’t give up your day job, if you think Jackson signed for less than double that! That’s ok, no matter what happens, we’ll know you will be a suckup, because you should do what you know! And you do it well, little man!

        1. Go ahead and give up YOUR day job.

          Jackson signed a 3 year, $12m contract with $4m guaranteed..

          In other words, only $4 million a year, and he’s only sure to get one year’s salary before they can cut him at no loss…

          A lot closer to $3m than the $6 or more you are ranting about.

          1. First year 4 million,if you cut him second year the whole bonus goes on the cap thats about 8 mill.

        2. See you can’t have a discussion and have to go name calling. Its Ok I can take it. I’m a grown man. Not a child that resorts to name calling cuz he can’t make a logical argument!

          Call me Ted Thompson, we’ll call you Daniel Snyder! LMFAO

          For what its worth i’ve been saying 3M per for 3yrs for a couple days.

      2. Everybody keeps talking about the draft but the problem is Ted as failed to draft a decent RB in 8 previous drafts. Is nine the charm? I get the whole draft and develop philosophy, I really do. But FA is another way to improve your team and Ted acts as though it’s not a option. T.T. is a master at managing the cap but players like Canty, Jenkins and even Jackson would/could improve the Packers at all those positions for what doesn’t seem like to much money. With Worthy down and the time it takes a player to develop into a difference maker, it just feels as though were wasting Rodgers prime years. Am I panicking? HELL YES I AM. Why is it only on Packers web sites that 12 million for Jackson is to much? Everywhere else it’s a great signing. 12 million is probably to much, but after the contracts he gave to Hawk and Finley, is it really? I’m going to sit back and trust Ted and what all of you are saying. I just hope all of you aren’t on here in January after another brutal beating wondering what happened. With the schedule the Packers play this year, I guess we’ll find out long before January.

  3. Because I love old fashion physical football, it will be fun(well, maybe not fun be I hate both teams) watching SF and Seattle smashing thier ways through the nfc. In the meantime, we will be watching our teams D getting run over and our QB and RBs getting crushed. Thanks Ted, a physical RB like Jackson would have been great.

    Ted is a albino cheap ass barn owl who got a SB because he lucked out and AR fell in his lap late in the draft.

    1. So Thompson also lucked out by drafting Bishop, Bulaga, Burnett, Cobb, Hayward, Jennings, Jones, Lang, Matthews, Nelson, Raji, Sitton and Flynn as well as picking up Williams, Shields, Woodson and Pickett?

  4. Whatever. Guy is turning 30 and besides, I’m not relenting from my personal conviction that RB’s are not the problem in GB, it’s the run blocking.

    Steven Jackson would not have somehow magically overcame an offensive line that is riddled with injuries and coached extremely poorly.

      1. We don’t need T help. We’ve got to see what Sherrod’s got and Newhouse certainly has the skill. Giacomini didn’t do badly last season either. The G’s go without mentioning.

        And EDS is servicable. We’re fine at OL. 1/2 the sacks are ARod’s fault every year.

  5. Ted Thompson and Dodgeball(Free Agency)….

    Perhaps to some TT can’t hit anyone when he’s throwing the ball..but,I’m sure happy that he isn’t so easy knocked out by acquiring over-priced FA’s.

  6. Jennings will meet with Queenies tomorrow. Texans also showing interest.

    Jackson’s agent apparently used a low ball offer by the Packers to move the Falcons yesterday. Realistically Jackson was not going to sign with GB for that offer.

    AR’s in his prime guys. Without a top QB you will not realistically have a chance to win the SB. An anomoly occurs evry 20 years or so. GB has that QB. Don’t waste it.

    The defense, though improved, was the cause of the first round loss in the playoffs this year. Spend some money on a proven D talent. Dline, ILB or S would be good.

    The Draft was heavily weighted to the D last year. They did get better against the ordinary teams. When faced with bigger, more aggressive and more talented teams they flopped.

    I have hopes that Perry will return and give GB the bookends they hoped for last year. The ILB spot is a quandry. Bishop has a terrible injury and the ligament had to be reattached to the bone. That could be an issue. DJ is enthusiastic but under-sized and coming back also. There’s a good chance Jones will be gone. S is hampered by inexperience. Burnett is making great progress and will soon be the Collins type guy we have hoped for. An experienced S alongside of him will give the young guys a chance to learn in nickel, dime and special packages and allow Burnett to use his skills to the maximum. He won’t have to be worried about the other S.

    Also the Oline needs an experienced player too. EDS could be gone, if not he is still not a regular starting center. Sherrod is questionable healthwise. Do we know much about Bulaga’s progress?

    Jackson would have been nice, but there are other issues that need to be resolved before the 2013 season.

  7. Would have loved to see Jackson in the green and gold, would have been a great place for him to end his career, and would have provided a needed service.

    Not horribly upset, though. Hopefully Jennings comes back home.

  8. Would have been nice if the $ was right, but it would not have been unless SJax lasted another week or so on the market.

    This turn of events = no shock to anyone who knows TT.

    But still, the need for a physical back is dire. Along with a couple Big/Tall DL guys and a Safety. And maybe a WR if Jennings leaves.

    This will always be a playoff team. But a realistic super bowl contender this year?

    Color me skeptical..

  9. As long as Ted has squirreled away money for his pet draftees like AJ Hawk and Mason Crosby who cares if he signs a free agent.

  10. How about pairing Bradshaw and Benson? Neither is durable, between the 2 of them we’d put off having to get an RB THIS YEAR to pair with Harris.

    I’m 100% Teddy won’t spring for 2 worn out RB’s that used to be great, but still it’s fun to talk these things out.

    Thoughts?

  11. Every year it’s the same thing. TT tried! That’s all we ever get. Jackson isn’t Benson, he’s a really good NFL running back. I like how everybody is hoping for Jackson, and as soon as he signed somewhere else, everybody says how TT won’t overpay. Really? Hawk, Finley, Lang? I can’t wait until next week when TT announces he signed Starks to a 5 year contract. He had chances to help the D-Line, on the cheap, and he didn’t do it. And everybody on these sites came out and defended TT because these guys either hurt, yeah right. Or it was Jenkins. Who TT wouldn’t sign because he dropped him, and TT would rather cut off his left arm rather than admit to a huge blunder. So here we are, with the 49ers getting better, and the Packers doing what exactly? Oh that’s right, NOTHING!!

    1. I just see a guy who’s pretty firm in his beliefs and decisions, and doesn’t have the luxury of a lot of time for second guesses.

      1. This team has 6 real weak spots. And TT can’t spend money why? Because Rodgers contract? People, when Rodgers contract is up will be 2 year from now. You know what happens 2 years from now? The teams will be getting a MUCH higher salary cap! That means that TT will be able to pay our QB and CMIII, and will have plenty of money left. So once again I ask, why won’t he get the help this team needs. The 49ers are getting better, and they are the team we will have to beat.
        I’m sure TT is trying to figure out a way to get every pick in the 7th round. Then he can claim he got value!

        1. Salsry cap is projected is stay flat for at least 3 yrs. Longer you wait the higher Rodgers contract the more his salary goes up. Sure glad your not running this team into the ground!

  12. Scott, if you were born in 1956, does that mean you witnessed the 30-year drought of the Green Bay Packers organization?

    Just wondering…

  13. Seahawks signed Bennet and Avril for cheap (And sign Harvin).Canty? Jenkins? Both sign for cheap. Jackson 4M a year-worth it. All these players would have been upgrades on the Packers roster. Instead the niners, Seahawks and Falcons have all gotten better. The Pack will not be winning another SB with TT running things. He won one because Rodgers fell in his lap. TT hasnt really done much to put game changing players on this team.

    He made a great move for Mathews, Rodgers fell to him and picking up Woodson was big. Thats it for 6 years.

  14. My guess is the Packers had it right.

    Steven Jackson didn’t want anything to do with signing in Green Bay, they were trying to use GB to enter a bidding war with ATL (where he knew he was going to play) to attempt to achieve maximum salary from the Dirty Birds.

    As is well known, the Packers front office doesn’t allow themselves to be pawns for players escalating their worth.

    I honestly think Adam Schefter’s tweet was a result of Jackson’s agent leaking the information with hopes of making ATL jump out of their seats and wildly raise their offer to secure Jackson.. Schefter sent out the tweet eager for the scoop, and then talked to a source in GB’s camp that told him ‘You’ve been duped.’ That’s why he deleted the tweet and never said a word about it- he felt stupid and used.

    GB immediately saw what Jackson’s representation was doing, and steadfastly refused to budge on the price they were negotiating, realizing all they were doing was making Jackson’s ATL contract fatter. Why waste the time, and more importantly, send the message out to agents across the league, “Don’t bother talking to GB unless you actually want to play here. SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY.”

    I wouldn’t be surprised if GB’s numbers they threw out at Jackson were extremely close to what ATL paid.. ATL probably owes TT a solid for not entering the fray.

    Ultimately, I feel TT and the Pack didn’t lose out on Jackson because he was going to ATL the entire time. TT and the Pack maintained integrity and probably made some friends in ATL.

    I

    1. You may be right, but I would add that it is to the Packers’ advantage to drive up the price of free agents that we won’t be signing. The more Atlanta spends on Jackson the less they have for other players.

      1. I’ve thought about this, and I still come to the conclusion that all it really does is waste the Packers’ time (now and in the future) and invite other agents to come to the table with Green Bay with no intention of really getting a deal done.

        I understand the angle, though I feel like the Packers rightfully follow the philosophy of concentrating on doing what you need to do inside your organization, not concentrating on trying to hurt the competition.

  15. Some key free agents were available this year & Jackson certainly had to be considered one of them. Running back has been a vacant room in the packer house for at least the last three years. A good back just has to be an asset to rogers. With Bush going to detroit, all 3 other teams in the division have very good ground games. Jackson would have been a legitimate addition for the packers. Why did Atlanta get him & not us??

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