In addition, the Packers also signed Daniel Muir, a defensive end who was with the Packers in 2007 before signing with the Indianpolis Colts in 2008 and playing with the team up through 2011.

Former Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday (63) signed with the Green Bay Packers Friday, March 23. Michael Hickey-US PRESSWIRE

Playing for years with four-time MVP Peyton Manning, Saturday has been one of the best in the league since being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Colts back in 1999. Clearly, he’s one of the best stories to come out of the league in years and now he’s a Packer.

The signing helps the team fill a huge hole left when former starter Scott Wells left in free agency to sign with the St. Louis Rams. Not only will Saturday’s skill level allow for greater flexibility on the line, but his stature and leadership among players will be a welcomed addition to the team’s locker room.

The club’s PR department issued the following press release about Saturday this afternoon:

PACKERS SIGN C SATURDAY 

The Green Bay Packers have signed C Jeff Saturday. The signing was announced Friday by Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson.

Saturday, a 6-foot-2, 295-pound 14th-year player out of North Carolina, played the first 13 seasons of his career (1999-2011) with the Indianapolis Colts. He appeared in 197 games with 188 starts for Indianapolis, starting every regular-season game in 10 of those seasons. Saturday ranks No. 5 in Colts history in games played.

Saturday has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times during his career (2005-07, 2009, 2010) and twice earned first-team All-Pro recognition from The Associated Press (2005, 2007). He moved into the Colts’ starting lineup in 2000, and over the past 12 seasons, was part of a line that allowed just 242 sacks, the fewest in the league over that span. The Colts registered at least 5,300 net yards each season from 2000-10.

Saturday entered the NFL as a non-drafted free agent with the Baltimore Ravens in 1998. After being released by the Ravens in June 1998, he signed with the Colts in January 1999. Saturday was a three-year starter at North Carolina, where he earned first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference recognition as a junior and senior.

A release about the signing of Daniel Muir is as follows:

PACKERS SIGN DT MUIR 

The Green Bay Packers have signed DT Daniel Muir. The signing was announced Friday by Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson.

Muir, a 6-foot-2, 312-pound fifth-year player out of Kent State, played for the Indianapolis Colts from 2008-11, appearing in 40 games with 26 starts. He posted a career-high 66 tackles (54 solo) and a half-sack for the Colts in 2009.

Muir originally entered the NFL as a non-drafted free agent with the Packers in 2007. He appeared in three games for Green Bay as a rookie in ’07 and recorded eight tackles (four solo). Muir was a four-year letterman (2003-06) at Kent State, playing in 46 games with 45 starts.

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