Where are They Now?
Super Bowl Sunday Greetings Football and Green Bay Packer Fans!! We Packer fans had high hopes of returning to the big game this season, as did thirty two other teams. I’m guessing that’s why “there’s always next year!” Packer fans have much to watch this off season, with all the changes at 1265.
When I began researching my subject for this week, I watched a special about Jason Brown C for the Baltimore Ravens/St Louis Rams, who retired from the NFL at the age of 29. He walked away from a lucrative career. I discovered several players who walked away at a younger age. At the same time the NFL is getting younger, with less opportunities for veteran’s. My stumbling block arose when no less than six articles appeared this past week on the same subject. Which led me to my current subject, what happened to many of the former Packers.
I counted no less than twenty nine former Packers currently playing for other professional football teams in the NFL and the newly founded Alliance of American Football. The AAF was founded by Bill Polian and Charlie Ebersol, with their inaugural season begining on February 9th and 10th. The league is made up of eight teams, Atlanta Legends, Arizona Hotshots, Birmingham Iron, Memphis Express, Orlando Apollos, Salt Lake Stallions, San Antonio Commanders, and San Diego Fleet.
There are at least eleven former Packers on NFL rosters. The most notable being Jordy Nelson on the Oakland Raiders (also Jared Cook), TJ Lang currently a Detroit Lion, and Josh Sitton now a Miami Dolphin. With all the Defensive Back issues the Packers have had, six D-Backs played for other teams in 2018. Casey Hayward, Micah Hyde, Chris Banjo, Morgan Burnett, Ha Ha Clinton Dix, and Damarius Randall all played significant time with their new teams. I imagine that one or two of these player’s exit from Green Bay was error by Ted Thompson and/or Mike McCarthy. Other Packers on NFL rosters were Frank Zombo and Bret Hundley, possibly a few others.
The Alliance of American Football intrigues me because I found nineteen former Packer players and three former coaches on rosters. Coaches you may recognize are Brad Childress, Tim Lewis and Darren Perry.
Some of these former Packers are quite notable for differing reasons. DL Jerel Worthy (former 2nd Round Pick), former starters QB Scott Tolzien, DB LaDarius Gunter, players who saw significant playing time DL’s Chris Odom, Jayrone Elliot, Carl Bradford, and WR Charles Johnson are all on AAF rosters. There are several other names many Packer fans will recognize, RB’s John Crockett, Jhurell Pressley, Brandon Ross, Rajion Neal, DB Donatello Brown, OL Jacob Flores, Austin Davis, WR Adonis Jennings, LB’s Greer Martini and Beniquez Brown.
We have learned the previous coaching staff did not have the control and discipline we Packer fans admire. They may have poorly evaluated talent and had many players out of position. I feel some player personnel moves were total misses. I will enjoy watching these former Packers around the NFL and AAF. I wish them well and hope we don’t regret letting more of them leave, as we did Micah Hyde and Casey Hayward.
As always Go Pack Go
PackerGreg Veteran/Go Army @DrGTP on Twitter
4 responses to “Former Green Bay Packers 2018-2019”
If the Packers have an opportunity to draft T.J.Hochensen at 30 or even as high as 12 and don’t draft him, I can assure you the rich will get richer at 32 when the Patriots snatch him up. GUARANTEED.!!!
We could use a quality defender at safety, CB, OLB, ILB, or DL.
Offensively, we need a started at RG and a future starter at OT.
Agreed. But why is it always a defensive player drafted first every year since Derrick Sherrod was drafted to be the next starting left tackle to replace Clifton. It’s a shame what happened to him in the Kansas City Chiefs game when he was injured with a compound fracture of his one leg that never healed properly and finished his career.We must not neglect our offensive line by waiting until the late rounds to draft two possible starters instead of projects. Bakhtiari was an amazing fourth round pick. The Colts drafted two starters and were rewarded with Luck throwing 37 TD passes..All that being said I still agree to draft EDGE or one of the two stud safeties especially the Alabama kid.
Remember Old School the last six drafts we went defense first and three of the six aren’t in Packer jerseys anymore. Datone Jones Damarious Randall and Clinton-Dix. We should jump on a tight end at 30. Then offensive line at 44 for sure. Then again at 108 or 112.