Sequels are always a popular choice in Hollywood and it looks like we’re going to get one in Green Bay next offseason.
After some speculation about what the team would do, wide receiver Donald Driver was brought back at a reduced salary for the 2012 season. Given the Packers’ depth at receiver, the move was seen by many as a sentimental gesture to a player who has been a member of the team for a long time and earned one last season with the franchise. If that’s the case, someone forgot to copy Driver on the memo.
“I’m going to play two more years, this one, then next year, then I’m completely done,” Driver said, via NFL.com. "(I’m) gonna put my cleats on the shelf and do something different. I’ve always said I wanted to retire a Packer and now I get that opportunity to retire for, as I always say, the best franchise in the world.”
Driver might want to slow his roll a little bit there. The Packers are already looking at keeping six receivers this year, with touted youngsters Tori Gurley, Diondre Borel and Shaky Smithson bidding for spots on the roster. If everything else remains the same -- not a sure bet with Greg Jennings in a contract year and James Jones trade rumors still bubbling up now and then -- the Packers would be in the same spot again next season with an even older Driver taking a spot away from a player with greater upside.
That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but there would seem to be a good chance that Driver will have to decide between being a Packer for life or trying on another uniform if he wants to keep his career going a little longer.
