From Aaron Rodgers: Hey, Ted Thompson … wake up! It’s time to go ‘all-in’

Aaron Rodgers and Ted Thompson must not see eye-to-eye too often.

Either that, or TT is asleep at the wheel, which isn’t an image that is too far off the mark when it comes to NFL free agency.

We’ve seen this movie before … free agency approaches and Thompson works to re-sign his own free agents. That’s not been a bad tactic – if he actually opens his check book and shows them the money.

We all saw what happened yesterday, on the first official day of free agency. We saw Thompson and the Packers come up with two “huge” signings – Nick “I’m hurt” Perry and Don “I-don’t-know-why-they-keep-me-around” Barclay.

One can argue that the signing of Perry was a good move for Green Bay. At the five years and $60 million he got, that’s probably a pretty good deal for the team. Perry led the team in sacks last year with 11, but was still hit by the injury bug. Is he the answer for the Packers’ defense? No, but he is an important spoke in the wheel. I’ve seen others say this is a great signing. I won’t go that far – especially when you’ve got more important players hanging out there – T.J. Lang, Jared Cook, and Eddie Lacy, for example.

And when you consider the fact that Thompson let J.C. Tretter and Micah Hyde walk … then you have to wonder if the GM is really asleep at the wheel. He’s certainly not going all-in when you let your best defensive back and most versatile offensive lineman walk away.

When quarterback Aaron Rodgers made the “all-in” comment the focus of his post-game interview after losing in last season’s championship game, he meant it.

TT clearly isn’t listening.

You’re right when you say a quarterback can’t run the team.

I agree.

But when you’ve got a GM who continues to take the draft and develop philosophy to church with him every day, you’ve got a team that will never win it all.

If not for Rodgers at the quarterback position, the Packers would be right down there at the bottom of the division battling it out with the Bears as one of the worst teams.

That’s right … without Rodgers, the Packers would simply be mediocre, at best.

Rodgers understands that without players around him – players with experience – this team is going nowhere.

So, with the news this morning that the Packers and Jared Cook have cut off negotiations, with Eddie Lacy headed to Seattle and Minnesota for interviews and with T.J. Lang also visiting Seattle and Detroit, it appears that the same old, same old is going to occur.

The Packers will lose key players and TT will attempt to rebuild the team through the draft – collecting players who will be three to four years from making contributions.

Frustrating?

Yes.

Inevitable.

Yes.

For just once I wish Ted Thompson would wake up and at least make an appearance that he’s going “all-in” and then maybe, just maybe the Packers can pick up a player who could contribute like a Reggie White or Santana Dotson or Gilbert Brown or Charles Woodson.

Championships in today’s NFL are not won by waiting around for draft choices to mature. It’s won by utilizing all the tools available to improve the team’s roster. That means free agency, trading, the wire and the draft.

Next: Who the Packers should target on day 2 of FA

Throwing your chips all into the draft basket just doesn’t work anymore, Ted.

Get with it and get going with the all-in, will ya?