Ricky Jean-Francois Contract Details
- The Packers re-signed defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois to the same one-year deal that he originally agreed to in March, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Jean-Francois was released by Green Bay just after the start of the season, only to re-sign eight days later. The veteran defender may not have missed a game check, which would mean he’s not eligible to receive termination pay (and double-dip on his contract from the Packers). Jean-Francois will earn $2MM for the 2017 campaign.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/25/17
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted to active roster: TE Ricky Seals-Jones
- Released: LB Philip Wheeler
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LS Taybor Pepper
- Signed off Cardinals‘ practice squad: OL Ulrick John
- Placed on IR: LS Brett Goode
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: WR Matt Hazel
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed off Cowboys‘ practice squad: LB Mark Nzeocha
Good News For Packers' Perry
Packers coach Mike McCarthy isn’t offering up a lot of details about Nick Perry’s hand injury, but a source tells ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky that the injury is not as bad the broken hand he suffered last year. In fact, this time around, it’s only one finger that requires treatment. When Perry broke his hand last season, he had to have multiple screws placed into several broken fingers. To his credit, he didn’t miss much time after last year’s surgery and returned to action in time for the end of the regular season and the playoffs.
This is all relatively good news, but there’s still no timetable for Perry’s recovery just yet and, privately, one has to imagine the Packers sweating a bit after giving him a five-year, $60MM contract this offseason.
Packers Place OL Jason Spriggs On IR
The Packers have placed offensive lineman Jason Spriggs on injured reserve, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Spriggs, a swing tackle, was held out of the Week 2 game with an injured hamstring. Apparently, that hammy is going to keep him out anywhere from eight weeks to the remainder of the season. 
The Packers made Spriggs a second-round pick in 2016 in part because of his versatility. The Indiana product allowed only one sack in his last three seasons on campus and also held his own at guard during Senior Bowl practices. His injury comes at an unfortunate time for Green Bay as starting tackles David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga are both listed as questionable with injuries of their own.
Putting Spriggs on IR will create room for the addition of Ricky Jean-Francois.
Packers’ Nick Perry To Have Hand Surgery
Packers linebacker Nick Perry is set to undergo hand surgery, coach Mike McCarthy told reporters on Thursday. The timetable for his recovery is not clear at this time. 
“Violent football player. He plays physical,” McCarthy said of Perry. “You look at his play style, that’s really part of his game, the violence he plays with, with his hands.”
Perry has been through this before. Last season, he underwent hand surgery and missed only two games before returning for the end of the regular season and postseason. Last year, he was able to play through the pain with a club on his surgically-repaired hand. It’s not yet known if he’ll go that route this time. After the operation, McCarthy says the team should have a better handle on his treatment plan.
Last year, Perry notched career highs in starts (12), sacks (11) and tackles (52). Prior to 2016, he had only 16 career starts and 12.5 sacks to his credit. The Falcons, Colts, and Jets all expressed interest in him this offseason, but the Packers retained him with a five-year, $60MM deal, making hm one of the league’s highest-paid 3-4 outside linebackers.
While Perry is out, the Packers will be relying more on August pickup Ahmad Brooks. Brooks missed the Week 2 game with a concussion, but he is expected to play on Sunday against the Bengals.
Ahmad Brooks Incentive Details
- Ahmad Brooks will have to post an excellent season in order to collect the entirety of his $1.5MM incentive-based pay attached to his one-year Packers contract, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports the veteran linebacker must reach 11 sacks to earn that total. However, Brooks can also bring in money for 6.5 sacks ($250K), 7.5 sacks ($500K), 8.5 sacks ($750K), 9.5 sacks ($1MM), or 10.5 sacks ($1.25MM). For what it’s worth, Brooks has never recorded an 11-sack season, and he managed only six quarterback takedowns a season ago.
Packers Re-Sign Ricky Jean-Francois
The Packers have re-signed defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The 30-year-old was released on Sept. 12, but he’ll rejoin the team eight days later. 
Jean-Francois played only six snaps against the Seahawks in Green Bay’s season opener. His release came as a bit of a surprise after the team gave him a one-year, $2MM deal in the offseason, a pact that included a $250K signing bonus. The Packers were eyeing him for years before finally signing him in March.
The defensive tackle started seven games for the Redskins last season. Last year, he saw action on roughly 40% of Washington’s defensive snaps, racking up 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks in that span.
To date, he has appeared in games for four different NFL teams.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/19/17
Today’s workout updates:
Carolina Panthers
- T Laurence Gibson; CB Tevin Homer (Twitter link via Howard Balzer)
Chicago Bears
- QBs Garrett Grayson and Bart Houston; WRs Marlon Brown, Bug Howard, Kyle Prater, Tevaun Smith, Daniel Williams, and James Wright; TE D.J. Tialavea; C Mark Spelman; T Givens Price; LBs Carl Bradford and Shayne Skov; DTs Stefan Charles, Mike Purcell, and Nick Williams (Link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune)
Dallas Cowboys
- OLs Michael Dunn, Jake Eldrenkamp, Kaleb Johnson, and Jarron Jones; LB Tre’Von Johnson; DT Caraun Reid, CBs Chris Lewis-Harris, JaCorey Shepherd, D’Joun Smith, and Ian Wells (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News)
Green Bay Packers
- QB Jerod Evans; RB Algeron Brown; WRs C.J. Board, Alonzo Moore, and Jordan Williams; TE Ryan O’Malley; DTs Jeremy Faulk and Joey Ivie (Link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DTs Ryan Carrethers, John Hughes, and Cam Thomas (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union)
Kansas City Chiefs
- LB Garrett Sickels; CBs Makinton Dorleant and Ezra Robinson (Twitter link via Adam Caplan)
Miami Dolphins
- LB Zaviar Gooden (Twitter link via Caplan)
New York Jets
- WRs Corey Brown, Josh Huff and Paul Turner; G Robert Myers; DL Stefan Charles, Datone Jones, Alex McCalister, and Joby Saint Fleur; CBs Malik Foreman and D.J. Killings; S Jordan Moore. (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, Caplan, Balzer (1, 2) and Wilson)
San Francisco 49ers
- OL Willie Beavers, Wil Freeman, Laurence Gibson, and Max Rich (Twitter link via Caplan and Balzer)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- CB Randall Evans (Twitter link via Caplan)
Latest On Packers WR Jordy Nelson
Wide receiver Jordy Nelson is “50-50” to play in the Packers’ Week 3 game against the Bengals as he deals with a quad strain, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). As Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reported Monday, Green Bay doesn’t believe Nelson’s injury is serious, but the veteran pass-catcher could still be sidelined for at least one week.
Fellow wideout pass-catcher Randall Cobb is expected to be available on Sunday after suffering a minor shoulder injury last week, but the Packers may still need to find another receiving option if Nelson can’t go. In Week 2, that receiver was Geronimo Allison, who played 80% of Green Bay’s offensive snaps and posted three receptions for 24 yards in Nelson’s absence. Trevor Davis also saw an increase in playtime (22% of snaps) and managed one catch for nine yards.
The Packers currently have six receivers on their roster, so even if Nelson is out for Week 3, the club probably won’t need to add another pass-catcher (although practice squaders Michael Clark and DeAngelo Yancey could be candidates for promotion). Cobb, Davante Adams, Allison, Davis, and Jeff Janis will likely comprise Aaron Rodgers‘ weapons on Sunday if Nelson cannot play.
Packers Notes: Jordy, Cobb, Daniels, King
MRI results show that wide receiver Randall Cobb (shoulder) and defensive lineman Mike Daniels (hamstring) did not suffer major injuries in the Packers‘ loss to the Falcons on Sunday night, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Both are considered day-to-day, and should be available for Green Bay’s Week 3 game against the Bengals. There’s no official word to the severity of wideout Jordy Nelson‘s quad issue, but the Packers don’t believe the injury is serious, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
- Second-round cornerback Kevin King will continue to see his role grow after a solid performance for the Packers on Sunday, as head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters, including Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “If anything, he’s earned the right to potentially play more,” said McCarthy. “Smooth, confident athlete. I like the progression that Kevin’s made.” King, a Washington product, saw his snap percentage leap from 12% in Week 1 to 79% in Week 2, and is now Pro Football Focus‘ No. 19 ranked corner through two weeks.
- General manager Ted Thompson has shown a recent willingness to add external free agents as he revamps the Packers‘ roster, writes Demovsky in a full piece. Veteran such as Martellus Bennett, Ahmad Brooks, and Davon House have all joined the club this offseason as part of a detour from a Green Bay strategy that typically involves mostly homegrown players. “It’s the realization that they needed to get better,” one NFL executive said of the Packers, noting that Thompson may be more open to input from his front office subordinates.