Donald Driver seems unlikely to be back with the Packers under the terms of his current contract.
The soon-to-be 36-year-old is due $5 million in 2012 in base salary and bonuses. Even though he outplayed some of his younger cohorts on Sunday, Driver slid to the No. 4 receiver role and finished with only 445 yards on the year.
“This is a business, and if they decide to go a different route with the young players then I’ve got to go do what I want to do,” Driver said via Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com. “And that means . . . am I going to go somewhere else and play, or do I put the cleats up?
“Right now, I’m not ready to put the cleats up, so I guess I’ll be going somewhere else to play.”
It’s an emotional time, but we suspect Driver’s words will prove correct. The Packers are paying Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, and James Jones a lot of money. Randall Cobb’s role will only grow.
Wilde also points out that the Packers like practice squad receivers Tori Gurley and Diondre Borel. They paid both those receivers extra money to retain them this year.
Add it all up, and Driver seems likely to have played his last game with the Packers after 13 seasons. He may have played his last game in the NFL, because he’s not a guy that figures to get a lot of attention as a free agent if he was cut.