Jenkins re-signs with Eagles, no chance of returning to Pack

• National Football League

National Football League

Talk about it

PHILADELPHIA - Any talk of Cullen Jenkins coming back to Green Bay was snuffed out this morning, when the Philadelphia Eagles re-structured his contract.

There was speculation that Jenkins would be let go on March 13th, when a five-million-dollar roster bonus was due. Instead, the Eagles turned that five-million into a signing bonus which can be spread out for two-or-more years under the salary cap. And Jenkins will average at least six-million dollars a year in his base salary for at least the next two seasons. Jenkins bolted for Philadelphia as a free agent a year ago. And the Packers missed his sack abilities, when Mike Neal had injury problems and fell short of expectations for a second straight year.

It’s not known whether the Packers had any interest in bringing Jenkins back if they could – but there was at least some media speculation about that. Jenkins has a five-year contract with the Eagles worth $25-million – but the timing of the now-scrapped roster bonus could have given Philly the chance to let him go after a year. Jenkins had a good year for the Eagles in 2011, with five-and-a-half sacks and seven tackles for losses.

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NFL teams can start putting franchise tags on their impending free agents today. And only time will tell as to whether the Green Bay Packers will use their tag on tight end Jermichael Finley. There’s been talk that general manager Ted Thompson will place a franchise tag on Finley if the two cannot agree on a long-term deal. The franchise tag requires a one-year contract, and the salary is the average of the five highest-paid players at each position from the previous year. NFL.com says the tight end tag would cost $5.4 million dollars for the 2012 season. That’s down from just over seven-and-a-quarter million a year ago. The tag period runs through March fifth, when free agency is scheduled to begin.

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The Wisconsin state Assembly was scheduled to honor Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers today. A resolution offered by both parties would name December 12th as “Aaron Rodgers Day” in the Badger State. Rodgers wears Number-12, and he was the NFL’s MVP in the 2011-2012 season.

Tags: proam, packers, football