Inbox: That alone provides a ton of opportunity

Dennis from De Pere, WI

"The fallout could be fascinating" has a definite Willy Wonka-esque ring to it. Perhaps you could slip five golden tickets into random II answers for five lucky people. Hidden among the countless billions of Inbox dialogues are five gold tickets. And to the five people who find them will come the most fabulous prize one could wish for: a lifetime supply of answers.

And once again we're off, so we might as well get going.

Doug from Neenah, WI

Good morning, Mike. After the Maxx Crosby fiasco, we're reminded of the fact that all traded players have to pass a physical with their new team before the deal is finalized. How does it work with signing an unrestricted free agent? Caveat emptor?

No. All contract agreements are contingent on the player passing a physical. The player must show up to put pen to paper, so right before that is usually when the physical takes place.

Julian from Gastonia, NC

I anticipate that the theme of the Packers' offseason will be addition through subtraction. While it may seem counter intuitive, actually such an approach does pay dividends more often than one may think. My opinion is if we can sign just one starter at a position of need in free agency the team will be in a much better place going into the draft.

I saved this comment for a few days to see how things would play out, and I think the acquisition of Javon Hargrave fits the bill here.

Connor from Minnetrista, MN

How much does Hargrave have left in the tank?

We'll find out, won't we? The Packers had an obvious need on the defensive line and snagged an accomplished veteran, who had his best years with Jonathan Gannon in Philadelphia, as soon as the Vikings released him. This move made all the sense in the world for Green Bay. I've personally loved Hargrave as a player since he was coming out of South Carolina State 10 years ago. He's become a bit of a journeyman lately but he's been impactful everywhere he's played. He and Devonte Wyatt should make a great pair on the interior up front.

Molly from Green Bay, WI

What position group do you think will have the biggest impact on whether the Packers take the next step this season?

The one I was just talking about, the defensive line. The Hargrave addition feels like a nice stabilizer right now, but the Packers will have to weather the early-season absence of Micah Parsons, need Wyatt to get healthy again as well, will be counting on a lot from Lukas Van Ness as a presumed starter and from Brenton Cox Jr. and Karl Brooks in rotational roles, and will be asking Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse to take some big steps forward in Year 2. A lot hinges on that unit, in my opinion.

Eric from Kenosha, WI

Yes, but OL depth gets a little less precarious with re-signing Darian Kinnard, no? That seems like a sneaky good move not just for depth, but also his potential to take some of the blocking load off Tucker Kraft's plate.

True, but call me greedy I guess when it comes to O-line depth. I want more.

Tom from Keota, IA

Hello II crew. Free agency is a fascinating time. If you're a fan of a team, you can easily end up with the conflicting emotions of "hate to see him go" and "but we need to be better at that position." Every player in Green Bay is not the best player in the league. But your media team does such a good job connecting us to them as humans that we want them to stay – even when we're happy to see a better player take their job. Curse you, cognitive dissonance!

Ha. I just look at it as departures mean opportunities, and opportunity is what this league is all about.

Chris from Gridly, CA

How does the loss of so many players in the prime of their career to free agency affect the morale around camp? I would assume journeymen players are used to it but younger players, although they are professionals now, have to feel a blow watching their peers or locker room mentors leave.

Maybe, but perhaps not to the extent you describe. Their own status in the locker room is elevated when veterans leave, and college players these days who have transferred multiple times are more accustomed to the constant change.

Mike from Italy

Following Packer moves while on vacation … free agency has the same uncertainty as the draft? That seems strange given the free agents should have four years of real NFL experience as the basis for the decisions for these big $ contracts.

Sure, but when you see over time how many high-priced free agents don't see the end of the contracts they sign, and how much dead money they create on teams' caps because they don't live up to the billing, the statement is apt.

Ian from Kirkwhelpington, UK

Mike, there are stats for almost everything in the NFL but one I haven't seen is the percentage of announced contract values that actually get paid and how each franchise ranks. I would imagine stable and successful teams pay out a higher percentage than those who regularly change HCs. Have you seen anything like this?

Nope. But it sure would be interesting.

Bob from Jensen Beach, FL

Mike, with all of these huge contracts, is there a standard amount that player agents get paid? If it's percentage-based, what happens when contracts fall through (Crosby) or players are cut before entire amount paid out?

Agent commissions on player contracts are capped by the NFLPA at 3% of what the player earns on that contract – so not contract value, but what he's actually paid. There is no percentage cap, though, on endorsement deals and the like, so those commissions are generally much higher percentages.

Tim from Lancaster, PA

Technically, the Ravens are well within their rights, but this stinks to high heaven. The NFL can't do anything, but I have to imagine the other front offices will punish the Ravens in some way. Messing around so substantially with long-term planning related to millions and millions of dollars is not only unprofessional, but makes all subsequent plans involving the Ravens questionable.

I would think they'd have credibility questions to overcome from teams exploring any future deals with them, but I don't know how other GMs felt about them before this happened, either.

Rhonda from Italy, TX

"I applaud the league for constantly updating and improving the replay review system, and the evolution remains ongoing. Much of it should've been done sooner and faster, though, in my opinion." Takes two to tango – refs aren't interested in having their calls second guessed. Cf. the PI fiasco a few years ago, where NY just refused to overturn anything, no matter how blatantly incorrect.

That fiasco was primarily the responsibility of the league's former senior VP of officiating (and the guy running the command center in NY back then) who "retired" two years later and then reappeared as an officiating supervisor in a college conference. Go figure.

Bill from Menominee, MI

I will say that letting Kingsley Enagbare out of the building feels a lot like watching Eric Wilson spread his wings. Both were available and downright impactful when called upon. There wasn't a large talent gap when they played snaps over the preferred starter. Enagbare's future is yet to be determined but I see Eric Wilson just cashed in with the Vikings after his prove-it year.

Eric Wilson is one of the lesser-talked-about but growingly impressive undrafted stories in the entire league. Signs with Minnesota as a UDFA in 2017, plays four years, getting an RFA tender in Year 4 and becoming a full-time starter, but isn't re-signed. Splits Year 5 between Philly and Houston with minimal playing time, comes to Green Bay to help on special teams, winds up playing 500-plus defensive snaps in Year 8 (third year with Packers, all on vet minimum deals), goes back to Minnesota for a small boost in pay and becomes a full-time starter again in Year 9, and now lands a 10-figure guarantee ($12.5M) with his original team in Year 10. That guarantee he just signed for is a shade under what he's made in his entire career up to this point. Amazing.

Jason from Ridgeland, SC

Top of the morning to ya II! In regard to some off our player losses in FA, I was wondering how Doubs' contract would work in the compensatory formula for next year. I saw he was signed to a four-year, $70 million deal (congrats to him BTW, such a good representation of Packer Nation), but he has incentives that could bump that total to $80 million. If he reaches certain incentives and his salary increases, will that impact the comp pick? Or is it based solely on contract numbers without incentives?

My understanding is incentives, if they're earned in the first year or categorized as likely to be earned, are factored into the contract's APY, which is the main piece of the comp pick formula.

Tommy from Washburn, WI

While I wasn't surprised, I sure was sad to read that Doubs was signed by the Pats. He was such a reliable, strong player and I always admired his humility and soft-spoken nature. I'm sure going to miss Romeo. Who has been the hardest player(s) for you to watch walk away during free agency?

Probably Jordy Nelson.

Douglas from Johnson Creek, WI

I wasn't expecting the Packers to make any big splashy signings or trades. So, that is why I was confused seeing the release of Jenkins and Hobbs. Gary made sense. We got draft compensation for a cap casualty. But since we didn't need the Jenkins and Hobbs money to be cap compliant, why release them now as opposed to later and hope a team that missed out in free agency is now willing to part with a Day 3 pick? I know a signing could still come, but why cut them now as opposed to later?

Hobbs was due a hefty roster bonus of around $6M later this week and the Packers weren't interested in paying it, so they released him. The cap space created by Jenkins' release allows the Packers to finalize a signing/re-signing/extension right away with no additional procedural moves necessary (like the Hargrave signing that broke late yesterday). Agents don't like to question where the cap room is coming from for their clients. They'd prefer to know it's there when weighing competing offers. Also, in the case of a longtime veteran like Jenkins, if he's not in the plans and attempts already have been made to trade him, it's standard operating procedure to let him go so he can find his next home before all the player movement dust settles. That type of courtesy goes a long way with players and agents, too.

Brianna from Broomfield, CO

Rome had that sync with Jordan Love, he was that gotta have it guy: a big spot to fill. Where do those opportunities lay on the current roster?

First and foremost with Matthew Golden. Drafting him in the first round last year is the biggest reason Doubs wasn't re-signed. Golden played 450 offensive snaps last year to Doubs' 780. That alone provides a ton of opportunity.

Richard from Madison, WI

My cousin Dan Orlich played for the Packers from 1949 to 1951 before going on to become the world's best trapshooter for decades. Our family legend has it that he wore jersey numbers 49, 50, and 51 during those years, but your website's list of everyone who's ever played for the Packers doesn't list jersey numbers. Any reason for that? Where would I look to find that info?

According to the media guide's uniform number history, your cousin wore No. 49 in '49 and '50, and wore No. 19 in '51.

Keith from Bakersfield, CA

As we hurtle along towards draft day, one benefit of not having a first-round pick is that we have even less reason to click on all the mock draft garbage articles out there. I'm looking forward to the Prospect Primers, which are actually insightful without the "predict the future" elements. When do you plan to launch this year's Primers?

The series will have a different format this year, and I'm working on preliminary research now, but it's scheduled to launch on April 6.

Michael from Novato, CA

Morning, Mike. If you are a real baseball nut, Fenway's a must-see venue. The walk-up to the stadium is lined with bars, food, etc., the stadium interior (not to mention seating) is very old-timey, and there's a feeling of history that maybe only Wrigley or Lambeau have anymore. Oh, and make sure you have a lobster roll at the game!

Duly noted. Happy Thursday.

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