Charles Woodson, remember him?
It’s been a month since Charles Woodson was released by the Green Bay Packers. Where will he land?
Raymond T. Rivard photograph
Former Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson paid a visit to the San Francisco 49ers last Wednesday, spending the day with officials from that club – but other than that visit, not much has been heard from the Sir Charles camp in recent weeks.
The fact that he’s drawn little interest from other teams, though his agent, Carl Poston, said in an interview with the San Francisco Examiner that they were busy trying to line up visits, one has to wonder just where the former Packer will end up. It’s been a month since Green Bay released the veteran in a salary cap money-saving move and Woodson, because he was cut, could have signed with any team at any time.
While he may have been laying low with an intent, one would think that he might have landed a job as soon as possible. Such has not been the case.
Let me throw this out there – could Woodson actually land back in Green Bay?
While the chances are slim to none, the Packers, if they can get him for the right price, wouldn’t be doing themselves any harm by bringing him back – at the right price, of course. Whether Woodson would want to come back is another issue.
No doubt, he’s moved on, but if the days go by and he doesn’t garner much interest I wouldn’t be surprised to see the issue raised – at least in the media.
Woodson was scheduled to make $10 million in 2013 with the Packers and clearly his value has dropped significantly over the past month, especially since the first few days of free agency. With the softening of the market due to signings completed, one wonders just how much a team, including the Packers, would be willing to pay for his services.
At age 36, we’re sure he would consider a single-season deal as a stopgap player … and he said he was interested in going only to a contender. The question is whether a contender would be willing to expend the funds. The Niners are certainly contenders – they have not, as of Saturday afternoon – extended an offer.
About a week ago, it was reported that Woodson was contacted by four teams – the Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. None of those teams have as yet invited Woodson in for a visit.
Woodson was one of several options the 49ers were considering to help them fill the void left when Dashon Goldson left for a huge contract in Tampa Bay. The Niners also had Nnamdi Asomugha, the former Raider and Eagle, in for a visit.
“He enjoyed the visit and I think they enjoyed him,” Poston told the Examiner Thursday. “I think it went very well, but I understand they have some people in. It just depends on which way they want to go. I’m just waiting for them to get back to me.”
Those aren’t real reassuring or confident words and because there has been no contract offered yet, one has to wonder if the Niners have an actual interest.
In a look at the remaining free agents still on the market, NFL.com listed Woodson under the category “effective in the right role” and had this to say about him: “If the 49ers don’t bite, we’re not sure where Woodson could land.”
NFL.com listed Woodson as the thirty-first rated free agent still on the mark right above, believe it or not, Packers linebacker Brad Jones (#32) and Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher (#33).
So, where will Woodson land?
The clock is ticking …