Tuesday Thoughts

Aaron Kampman, normally a go-to guy for the media and teammates at the Packers, has gone silent in his pivotal career crossroads as the team moves to a 3-4 defense, requiring a position change.

This is unlike Aaron and reason to sense that things are not all radiant between the Packers and one of their most indispensable players. Aaron is as solid a person as there is in the league. He’s a leader on and off the field and a presence in the locker room that many look up to (including the other Aaron, Rodgers).

When we re-signed Kampman three years ago, many felt we had overpaid by falling in line with a then-market contract given to Kyle Vanden Bosch of the Titans. It turned out to be a bargain as Kampman has been one of the top defensive ends in the league, with 37 sacks in the three years since his signing, playing both the run and the pass with great efficiency and, as stated above, being a true leader on the team.

As anyone in football knows, defensive linemen can be a squirrelly group. We all know the diva issues with wide receivers – the NBA players of the NFL – but there are some equally challenging issues with defensive linemen, usually involving motivation and weight. When Aaron got to Green Bay, we had a few issues with players in that position group. Once he arrived, however, even as a fifth-round rookie, the character level of that group shot up and has been at a high level since.

When it became time for Aaron to potentially become a free agent, the mood at Lambeau was tense. In nine years of negotiating player contracts for the Packers, there were few players who caused more concern for the staff, coaches, management and fans about re-signing. I heard from fans (I was pumping gas one night and someone shouted, “Sign Kampman!” at me) and people at all levels of the organization imploring me to do whatever we could to not lose Aaron to another team (we had already matched one offer sheet for Aaron in his Restricted Free Agent year, that from the Minnesota Vikings).  On the eve of Free Agency, with the annual Fan Fest event beginning, we were able to hammer out a contract. And he’s been worth every penny.

Now Kampman is in his contract year once again and strangely quiet. He’s someone that team, that defense and that organization needs to be in the proper frame of mind. This bears watching.

Jon Jansen, another player extremely well respected around the league for his character and leadership, returned from injury last season to participate in the Redskins’ OTAs and mini-camp. Not well enough, I guess. The Redskins released Jansen last week after a long career there that began in 1999.

It didn’t take long for his hometown Lions to jump on Jansen, signing him immediately to a one-year deal for $795,000, with only $50,000 of it in the form of a bonus. Hello, Jon Jansen; goodbye, George Foster. Jansen was the straw that broke the back of keeping Foster around. A first-round pick of the Broncos in 2003, Foster becomes a Lions’ casualty because Jansen became a Redskins’ casualty, as the Lions chose the new item on the marketplace over the one sitting on their shelf. …

Speaking of the Lions, word is they’re reportedly interested in getting Matthew Stafford on the field as the starting quarterback sooner rather than later. With $41M guaranteed and a total contract value of $78M, the Lions -- coming off the worst season in NFL history, with a new coaching staff and a commitment to build around Stafford for the future – there’s news that they’d like to get him to actually play this season? You think?

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