A.J. Hawk: The Green Bay Packers do the inevitable
It was just a matter of time before the Green Bay Packers announced the decision for which we were all waiting – the release of inside linebacker A.J. Hawk.
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In an official release this afternoon, GM Ted Thompson made the announcement, while also paying tribute to the franchise’s all-time leading tackler:
“A.J. is a consummate Packer and we are grateful for all that he has given and how he represented the organization over the past nine seasons. He was a durable and consistent contributor to our success, but more importantly, he is a great person and teammate. The Packers are grateful for all that he has done on the field and in the community. We wish A.J., his wife Laura, and the rest of their family all the best.”
It’s a sad day in Packers history.
While Hawk had his troubles the past year or two on the field, he was, like Thompson said, the “consummate Packer.” He did everything right for so long and so quietly. He never complained and was always there when his team and teammates called on him.
Here is what Hawk was quoted as saying in the Packers official press release:
A.J. Hawk
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports photograph
“I spent nine great years in Green Bay. I had awesome teammates and coaches and a great medical staff and equipment staff. Many of them have become my closest friends. We won a ton of games, as well as a Super Bowl, and I loved everything about playing for one of the greatest franchises in all of sports. The fans in Green Bay are incredible. Between playing at Lambeau Field as well as seeing them on the road, they always supported us. I am looking forward to my next opportunity in the NFL, but I’ll always cherish my years as a Green Bay Packer.”
By his statement, it appears that Hawk will try to catch on with another team in some capacity. It will be interesting to see if anyone will take him on and how his future will pan out.
I hope the Minnesota Vikings aren’t reading this.
Hawk was the Packers first round selection, number five overall, in the 2006 NFL Draft. As one of the toughest individuals to play the middle for the Packers, the Ohio State product appeared in 142 out of the 144 games for which he was eligible … an incredible statistic that highlights his durability.
One of those games in which he didn’t play was the season-opener at Philadelphia in 2010. He was dressed and ready to play in that game, but the Packers coaches opted to keep him on the sideline.
That didn’t last long … he was back on the field the next week and by the end of the year was again a mainstay in the Packers’ defense that helped the franchise to their 13th NFL Championship and their fourth overall Super Bowl title.
A.J. Hawk has played his final down with the Green Bay Packers.
Raymond T. Rivard photograph
With 1,118 tackles, Hawk became the franchise’s all-time leading tackler by overtaking linebacker John Anderson, who recorded 1,020 from 1978-89. In addition, he was consistently over 100 tackles per season – in fact, he had 100-plus tackles in seven of his nine years in Green Bay.
The Packers official press release also included these statistics:
"Hawk led the team in tackles five times during his career (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012-13), which tied LB Nick Barnett for the franchise record (since 1975). The Packers made the playoffs seven times in Hawk’s nine years in Green Bay, winning the division five times. In 2010, he was selected to the Pro Bowl and helped the Packers win Super Bowl XLV. Hawk started 11 of the 13 postseason contests he played in, recording 70 tackles."
Hawk also had 19 sacks and nine interceptions during his career, as well as four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.
By cutting Hawk, the Packers will recover about $3.5 million of its salary cap and when coupled with last week’s release of fellow inside linebacker Brad Jones, the Packers will be about $30 million under the cap to start the 2015 season … a fact that will surely help the team sign other important free agents, such as Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga.
Hawk on the Dan Patrick show
One of my favorite videos of A.J. Hawk … more videos below statistics
Career statistics
| Games | Def Interceptions | Fumbles | Sacks & Tackles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Tm | G | GS | Sk | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Tkl | Ast | AV |
| 2006 | GNB | 16 | 16 | 3.5 | 2 | 31 | 0 | 25 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 37 | 8 |
| 2007 | GNB | 16 | 16 | 1.0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 27 | 8 |
| 2008 | GNB | 16 | 16 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 67 | 19 | 7 | ||||
| 2009 | GNB | 16 | 14 | 1.0 | 2 | 42 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 22 | 8 |
| 2010 | GNB | 16 | 15 | 0.5 | 3 | 31 | 0 | 21 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 39 | 10 |
| 2011 | GNB | 14 | 14 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 53 | 31 | 6 | ||||
| 2012 | GNB | 16 | 16 | 3.0 | 81 | 39 | 8 | |||||||||
| 2013 | GNB | 16 | 16 | 5.0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 44 | 8 |
| 2014 | GNB | 16 | 13 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 40 | 6 | ||||
| Career | 142 | 136 | 19.0 | 9 | 121 | 0 | 29 | 33 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 628 | 298 | 69 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/25/2015.