Packers: Top 15 what-ifs of the Ted Thompson era Part 2

7. What if the Packers never signed Charles Woodson?

What happened?

The Packers signed Charles Woodson to a huge contract in 2006 and he has gone on to become one of the best Packers players of the 21st century.

Woodson played in nine Pro Bowls (four with the Packers), was named an All-Pro eight times (four times in Green Bay), won Defensive Player of the Year with the Packers, and played a crucial role in the team’s Super Bowl run in 2010.

Woodson also helped solidify his case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame while he was in Green Bay.

What if the Packers never signed Charles Woodson?

If the Packers had not signed Woodson in 2006 I think they would have had a higher draft pick in the 2007 NFL Draft (were originally at pick 16) which would have meant they could have drafted a corner to fill the void.

A cornerback that they could have picked if they were up a few picks would have been a guy by the name of Darrelle Revis. The Packers with Revis still go on to play in the 2007 NFC Championship, but win Super Bowl XLV.

I think Thompson and Russ Ball would have played hardball with Revis similar to what the Jets did and he would have held out in training camp like he did with the Jets.

As a result he would have suffered a similar fate — with the Packers trading him or letting him walk in free agency — to the one he had with the Jets.

If the Packers traded him in 2013 like the Jets did they would have had needed to find a replacement. That could have been Darius Slay in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Slay goes on to have a good career with Green Bay similar to the one he is having in Detroit and the Packers decide to draft Denzel Perryman instead of Damarious Randall in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft (I promise I don’t hate you Randall, and I know the Packers have passed on you twice in one article as a result of my scenarios).

The Packers still let Casey Hayward and Micah Hyde walk in free agency in 2016 and 2017 and they still select Kevin King in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft (pass rusher is a lesser need in this one because they still have Clay Matthews).

Woodson signs with another team in the 2006 offseason and he still has a career worthy of a bust in Canton if he decides not to sign with Green Bay.