Packers Notes: Peterson, Rodgers, Guion
After losing guard T.J. Lang in free agency, Packers coach Mike McCarthy says he’s not looking to move tackles Jason Spriggs or Bryan Bulaga to the inside, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. Green Bay may have to look for replacements in the draft or in the late stages of free agency, but the team could also consider other internal options. Rising sophomore Kyle Murphy played tackle in college, but he might be a better fit at guard, while the the Packers are also high on fellow second-year lineman Lucas Patrick. Veteran Don Barclay could be a “fallback option,” Demovsky writes, but he wouldn’t be a terribly exciting choice.
Here’s more from Green Bay:
- While Packers general manager Ted Thompson admitted his club needs to bring in reinforcements at running back, he wouldn’t respond to recent report indicating Green Bay has interest in free agent Adrian Peterson. “We don’t talk about players that are not on our team,” Thompson said, per Demovsky. “We never have. We never will.” The Packers’ backfield depth chart is slim at the moment, as the only running backs on the roster are Ty Montgomery, Christine Michael, and Don Jackson. Green Bay is expected to wait until after the draft before assessing its options at running back.
- The Packers will likely wait until next offseason to work out an extension for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and the club won’t let a looming Rodgers deal affect its decisions in the present, according to Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com. Earlier this month, Rodgers said Mike Glennon‘s contract with Chicago “has to” push up the top of the QB market, an indication that Rodgers might push for a new pact. Rodgers later walked his comments back, but Green Bay will likely carry over at least $10MM in cap space in an effort to save funds for Rodgers, per Wood.
- Defensive tackle Letroy Guion is set to serve a four-game ban for violating the league’s PED policy, and Thompson believes Guion’s situation “will work itself out,” reports Wood in a separate piece. Guion has already agreed to a restructured deal that delays his roster bonuses, but Green Bay could cut bait without incurring much dead money. The Packers would be able to recoup 4/17 of Guion’s signing bonus because he’s been suspended, meaning the club would take on fewer than $300K in dead money.
Makinton Dorleant Arrested
- Bears cornerback Deiondre’ Hall and Packers corner Makinton Dorleant were arrested together Saturday night in Cedar Falls, Iowa, according to the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office (via KWWL). Hall is facing three misdemeanor charges – suspicion of interference, disorderly conduct and public intoxication – and was tasered, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Dorleant, meanwhile, was booked for suspicion of interference. Hall and Dorleant, who were college teammates at Northern Iowa, entered the pros last season. Hall, a fourth-round pick, appeared in eight games as a rookie and picked up five tackles as an interceptions. Dorleant went undrafted and then made one tackle in four games.
Christine Michael Contract Details
- Christine Michael‘s new contract with the Packers is a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal that includes a $25K signing bonus, tweets Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Thanks to the MSB, Michael will earn $800K but only count for $640K against Green Bay’s cap. Michael, 26, is one of only three running backs currently on the Packers’ roster along with Ty Montgomery and Don Jackson.
Packers Interested In Forrest Lamp
Offensive lineman Forrest Lamp is starting to look like a Round 1 lock, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. Lamp, a Western Kentucky product, will likely play guard in the NFL after playing tackle in college, but he offers versatility that intrigues clubs, as he could slide to the blindside or even to center if needed. The Packers and Vikings both have interest in Lamp, per Pauline, as do the Seahawks. The Falcons, Panthers, and Titans have all put Lamp through a workout, reports Pauline.
Packers Back Off Adrian Peterson Visit
- Two NFL sources tell ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter) that they believe Adrian Peterson is still a free agent because his initial price was too high. Fowler adds that the Packers were considering having Peterson in for a visit, but have decided against it for the time being. The Packers reportedly have some interest in Peterson, but they’ll likely wait until after the draft to consider him and weigh a Peterson signing against their other options. After losing Eddie Lacy in free agency, Green Bay’s running back depth chart consists of Ty Montgomery, Don Jackson, and the recently re-signed Christine Michael.
Packers To Sign DT Ricky Jean-Francois
The Packers have signed defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s a one-year, $3MM deal. 
Jean-Francois was released by the Redskins earlier this month, giving him the opportunity to go elsewhere. He also had visits with the Seahawks and Bears, but he ultimately landed in Green Bay. Now, he’ll help offset the Packers’ loss of Datone Jones after he left for the Vikings. He’ll also come in handy for the first month of the season while Letroy Guion serves his suspension.
Jean-Francois ranks as PFR’s No. 5 free agent interior defender still on the board. Since being released by Washington, Jean-Francois has visited the Seahawks and Bears.
Jean-Francois, 30, played in 32 games (eight starts) with Washington over the past two seasons. Last year, he saw action on roughly 40% of the club’s defensive snaps, racking up 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks in that span. Heading into Thursday, we had RJ-F ranked as the No. 5 free agent interior defender still on the board.
Latest On Redskins’ GM Search
The Redskins are casting a wide net in their search for a general manager, but they’re already finding that several top executives are not interested in working for them. Redskins officials are looking at some of the more successful teams in the league to find a highly qualified candidates, but several targets have already removed themselves from consideration, according to CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora. 
La Canfora doesn’t list specific names of execs who have been considered, but he hears that the search has included front office people with the Steelers, Seahawks, and Packers. I would speculate that the list of candidates could include Packers Director of Football Operations Eliot Wolf, Packers Director of Player Personnel Brian Gutekunst, and Seahawks co-Directors of Player Personnel Scott Fitterer and Trent Kirchner. However, based on what JLC is hearing, they might not have any interest in the job.
Front office guys from around the league have multiple concerns about the gig. It’s not clear who would really have the power in D.C. given the history of meddling from team president Bruce Allen and owner Dan Snyder. Furthermore, the team’s proposed GM salary is in the $1.5MM range, and that might not be enough money to make a top candidate overlook all of the red flags in Washington. There’s also concern about whether Snyder will be willing to pump the necessary resources into scouts and talent evaluators.
So far, former Bucs GM Mark Dominik and ex-Chargers GM A.J. Smith have been among the names linked to the opening, but JLC hears that neither guy is expected to land the job. Former Redskins quarterback Doug Williams and NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock have also been mentioned as possibilities. In the past, La Canfora has opined that Redskins executive Alex Santos would make a good internal candidate for the job and today he also put forth the name of Washington cap guru Eric Schaffer.
As we’ve heard previously, no hire will be made before the draft in late April, but JLC gets the sense that the Redskins also don’t want to let the process linger too far beyond the draft either.
Packers Interested In Adrian Peterson?
Although the Packers have “some” interest in free agent running back Adrian Peterson, a meeting between the two parties likely wouldn’t take place until the draft has concluded and Green Bay has assessed its options, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.
To this point, most of the news surrounding Peterson has involved clubs reporting that they are not interested in signing the 32-year-old back. Several rumored suitors – the Texans, Patriots, Raiders, Giants – have shown little to no interest in Peterson, while the Seahawks visited with him but then opted to sign Eddie Lacy. Meanwhile, Peterson won’t be re-signing with the Vikings after Minnesota inked Latavius Murray, leaving the future Hall of Famer’s prospects even more limited.
The Packers have not yet ruled themselves out as a potential Peterson landing spot, and they do have a need in their relatively barren backfield. After losing Lacy to Seattle, Green Bay boasts only Ty Montgomery, Don Jackson, and the recently re-signed Christine Michael in its running back corps. By joining a new club within the NFC North, then, Peterson would give the Packers a legitimate starting option to play alongside quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Peterson is one of only four of PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents that has yet to sign with a new club, and we also ranked him as the best running back still on the board.
Packers Re-Sign Christine Michael
The Packers have re-signed running back Christine Michael, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Green Bay claimed Michael off waivers from the Seahawks last fall, and the former-second round pick proceeded to handle 31 carries for the Packers down the stretch. Michael, 26, spent seven weeks as Seattle’s clear-cut No. 1 running back, and posted two multi-score games during that run.
Michael’s role soon dwindled, however, and while he also didn’t manage much of a role with the Packers, Michael ranks as PFR’s No. 8 free agent back. He’ll give Green Bay another option in a backfield that currently only includes Ty Montgomery and Don Jackson. The Packers lost Eddie Lacy earlier this month when he signed a one-year deal with Seattle.
Michael visited the Packers earlier today along with free agent offensive lineman Byron Bell.
Packers Host RB Christine Michael On Visit
The Packers hosted running back Christine Michael on a visit Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The team also hosted offensive tackle Byron Bell. 
[RELATED: Ricky Jean-Francois Visits Packers]
Michael, who has bounced around a bit, finished out the 2016 season with Green Bay. In six games with the Packers, he had 31 carries for 114 yards and one touchdown. Between his time with the Seahawks and Packers last season, C-Mike averaged a so-so 3.9 yards per carry. The Packers could be open to a reunion given their lack of depth at running back. As it stands, Ty Montgomery is their top RB with with former UDFAs Don Jackson and John Crockett in reserve.
I have Michael listed as the eighth-best tailback left on the open market. Adrian Peterson, LeGarrette Blount, Jamaal Charles, ballroom dancing enthusiast Rashad Jennings, Tim Hightower, DeAngelo Williams, and Chris Johnson are all ahead of him on my list.
Bell did not play last season after dislocating his ankle during Titans OTAs. In the previous year, however, he started 16 games at three different spots: eight at right tackle, seven at left guard, and one at left tackle. I have him down as one of the ten best tackle options left in free agency.