March
Packers Renegotiate Salary for Johnny Jolly
Packers DL Johnny Jolly
According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers have made a deal with the recently re-instated Johnny Jolly to reduce his salary from $2.5 million to $715,000 for the 2013 season.
Jolly signed a 2.5M first round restricted free agent tender in 2010, before getting arrested again and subsequently being suspended by the NFL. Jolly had been released from jail in May after serving six months of a six year sentence, but remained suspended by the NFL until just a few weeks ago.
Despite Jolly’s repeated missteps, the Packers organization have shown considerable compassion for Jolly, believing he is not a bad guy, but more a victim of choosing friends and situations poorly. Many teams would have cut him by now, but not the Packers.
The Packers are certainly hoping their faith in Jolly will be rewarded, especially with the possibility of Jerel Worthy not being ready for the start of next season. Jolly has played well for the Packers in the past, knows their system, and is a much cheaper option than bringing in a free agent like Chris Canty.
Silverstein points out that the Packers could still choose to release Jolly down the road, and it’s not known if the Packers have had an opportunity to work him out to see what kind of shape he’s in.
As it stands, the Packers save $1.8 million on this year’s salary cap and will only owe Jolly 383,000 if he ends up on injured reserve. That’s a win-win for Ted Thompson.
