Aaron Rodgers returns to Packers; highest-paid deal in NFL, reportAaron Rodgers is returning to the Green Bay Packers, the quarterback announced Tuesday.Kassidy Hill, Packers NewsGREEN BAY – As much as the Green Bay Packers would like to re-sign free-agent inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, they will have no choice but to let him test the market and see whether they can pay the going rate.Given their unsettled salary-cap situation and Campbell’s desire to earn a market-value contract after playing for a modest one last year, circumstances dictate it will play out that way.Starting at 11 a.m. CDT Monday, Campbell and other unrestricted free agents will be able to negotiate with other teams in what the NFL refers to as the “negotiating” period and others refer to as the “tampering” period.The NFL created the pre-free agency negotiating window because previously agents were violating tampering rules by doing handshake deals ahead of free agency and the league wasn’t motivated to do anything about it. So, now it’s legal and the only limitation is that deals can’t be signed and aren’t supposed to be agreed upon until the free-agency period begins.The Packers aren’t prepared to blow Campbell away with a deal, a source familiar with their free-agent plan said, but they intend to do as much as possible to keep him. If he lands a deal that is out of their price range or well above what they think he’s worth, they will move on, but both sides have interest in reuniting and the Packers are willing to pay to keep him.Campbell, who led the team in tackles, tied for the lead in forced fumbles and was tied for third in interceptions, will find out how much other teams value him when talks begin Monday. The inside linebacker market is robust with Seattle’s Bobby Wagner (released by the Seahawks this week), Kansas City’s Anthony Hitchens, New England’s Dont’a Hightower, Arizona’s Jordan Hicks (also released) and Cleveland’s Anthony Walker among those who will be available.Most teams ignored Campbell in free agency last year, leading to him signing a one-year, $2 million deal on June 9. But after proving himself as a three-down linebacker and leader in the locker room, Campbell is in line for a deal that could range from $8 million-11 million per year.The Packers will hope it’s on the lower end and try to sign him to a cap-friendly deal.As for another top Packers free agent, receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, it’s almost a given he won’t return. According to another source who has had conversations with the Packers, they are not positioned to pay much to any of their free agents other than Campbell and understand they’re probably going to lose Valdes-Scantling as well as several othersEven though he missed six games, Valdes-Scantling averaged 16.5 yards per catch and had receptions of 75, 47 and 41 yards, so a team looking for a speed-burning receiver with starting experience could pay him way more than the Packers would be willing.The same appears true for cornerback Rasul Douglas, who will have a chance to shop himself and see whether teams are willing to pay him a premium for the five-interception season he had. The Packers aren’t in a good position to re-sign both him and Campbell and since they’re deeper at cornerback than they are at inside linebacker, they’ll try to sign Campbell first.The Packers will have to slow play all their free agents other than Campbell because they don’t have the salary-cap space to react to a big offer if Douglas, Chandon Sullivan, Lucas Patrick or Robert Tonyan draws immediate interest.It wouldn’t be a shock if all of them moved on.The salary-cap situation isn’t much different than it was a week ago, when the Packers were still waiting for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to decide on his future. Several agents said they had not heard anything from the Packers about whether their clients would be cut or have their contracts restructured.In fact, as of Friday afternoon, the Packers had not handed in a contract for Rodgers or made any moves to reduce their $44 million salary-cap overage. They have until the start of free agency Wednesday to get that number down to their adjusted cap number of $215.2 million, so there’s still time for them to make the necessary moves.The Rodgers deal will spell out exactly what they need to do, so while they have an idea of what is necessary, they aren’t making any moves until they finish that contract. Rodgers agreed to return to the Packers last week and it was reported he agreed to a four-year, $200 million deal, but Rodgers denied there was a deal in place to return or that those were the expected terms.Dougherty: Who should stay, who should go as Packers race to get under salary capMore: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers commit to future together, and it includes Davante AdamsMore: Packers franchise tag Davante Adams, sending Aaron Rodgers another message that they are ‘all in’ for next seasonMore: Questions and answers about Aaron Rodgers remaining with the PackersThe Packers can get under the salary cap without reaching a long-term deal with receiver Davante Adams, who counts $20.1 million against the cap after receiving the franchise tag. But to be competitive with their free agents and retain some key veterans, they will need to reduce Adams’ cap number soon.If the Packers were to cut or trade outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith ($15.28 million savings), receiver Randall Cobb ($6.75 million) and tight end Marcedes Lewis ($2 million) and restructure the contracts of safety Adrian Amos ($4 million) and tackle Billy Turner ($4.2 million), they could cut around $29 million from their cap.Assuming they can structure Rodgers’ deal to save $10 million-15 million, they could then restructure, extend or cut outside linebacker Preston Smith, defensive lineman Dean Lowry and kicker Mason Crosby to get them comfortably under the cap, even with a restricted free-agent tender to Lazard included.They would then rely on negotiating cap-friendly long-term deals with Adams, cornerback Jaire Alexander and possibly guard Elgton Jenkins to allow them to sign other free agents and their draft class.But as general manager Brian Gutekunst said during the NFL scouting combine, they will clear space as they need it and so some of the decisions on which players to keep and which to extend will be made in the weeks and months to come.Their priority as far as free agency, however, is to get Campbell back. They’ll know a lot more about their chances in the coming days.
