Tramon Williams still on the market
Cornerbacks flew off the shelves during the first three days of free agency and yet Tramon Williams remains unsigned.
The Green Bay Packers are in contention to retain the nine-year veteran, but general manager Ted Thompson appears to be content in allowing the market to gauge Williams' worth. The former Pro Bowler traveled to New Orleans this week to meet with the Saints, but left without a contract.
Looking to rebuild its defense, New Orleans eventually signed another veteran cornerback, Brandon Browner, to a three-year contract worth reportedly $15 million and includes $10 million in guarantees. It's a small fraction of the more than $150 million in guaranteed money that has been doled out to cornerbacks over the last week.
Meanwhile, all is quiet with Williams at the moment.
The former Pro Bowl player is coming off a productive season with the Packers in which he had 70 tackles, 13 deflections and three interceptions. He's played in 140 of a possible 141 games (including playoffs) since making the Packers roster in 2007, but turns 32 years old next week.
The Packers have been deep at cornerback in recent years, but lost out on re-signing Davon House earlier this week when Jacksonville signed the fourth-year cornerback to a four-year, $25 million contract with $10 million guaranteed.
If Williams leaves, Green Bay would be without a proven option opposite Sam Shields on the perimeter. Casey Hayward has played there occasionally, but spent most of his young NFL career in the slot of the nickel and dime sub packages.
They could address the position either in the draft or elsewhere in free agency, but options are running thin. Outside of Williams, Chris Culliver, Perrish Cox and Tarell Brown are seen as the best remaining options on the market by many pundits.
Williams recently wrapped up a four-year, $33 million extension. He missed only one start during that stretch with 278 tackles, 62 deflections and 12 interceptions. The 5-foot-11, 191-pound cornerback is a respected leader in the locker room, but Thompson is usually leery of veterans on the north of 30.
Evidently, he's not the only one. According to Pro Football Focus' Nate Jahnke, there are no cornerbacks older than 31 currently on an NFL roster. Still, the Packers haven't written off bringing the durable Williams back.
The Packers have four players older than 30 under contract for 2015: linebacker Julius Peppers (35), quarterback Aaron Rodgers (31), kicker Mason Crosby (30) and long-snapper Brett Goode (30).
-- whodkiew@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @WesHod.
Cornerback contracts (Listed age at start of 2015 regular season)
- Darrelle Revis, 30, New York Jets (five years, $70 million, $39 million guaranteed)
- Byron Maxwell, 27, Philadelphia (six years, $63 million, $25 million guaranteed)
- Brandon Flowers, 29, San Diego (four years, $36.4 million, $20.5 million guaranteed)
- Kareem Jackson, 27, Houston (four years, $34 million, $20 million guaranteed)
- Antonio Cromartie, 31, New York Jets (four years, $32 million)
- Buster Skrine, 26, New York Jets (four years, $25 million, $13 million guaranteed)
- Davon House, 26, Jacksonville (four years, $25 million, $10 million guaranteed)
- Cary Williams, 30, Seattle (three years, $18 million, $7 million guaranteed)
- Brandon Browner, 31, New Orleans (three years, $15 million, $10 million guaranteed)
- Walter Thurmond, 28, Philadelphia (one year, $3.25 million, $2 million guaranteed)
* -- Contract length, value and guarantees based on reported numbers