Packers Lose Colin Cole to Seahawks

Entering free agency, the Green Bay Packers were in a pretty good position. Yes, they had holes to fill, but they had plenty of salary cap room, and they only had a couple of guys who were becoming unrestricted free agents that they really wanted to keep.

One of them was defensive lineman Colin Cole. While Cole had the best year of his career in 2008, he wasn't seen as a big-play guy. That's fine, because with Green Bay moving to the 3-4 defense, the role of linemen becomes more gap-control and less about getting up the field. Cole fits that mold well.

The Packers couldn't get Cole re-signed before he became a free agent, and they wisely decided not to name him their franchise player.

(That was wise, since, you know, Cole's not that important.)

Instead of staying with the Packers, Cole has accepted a five-year offer from the Seattle Seahawks. The deal reportedly includes some $6 million in guarantees and could be worth $21 million. For Seattle, it's a quick move to replace the departed Rocky Bernard, who moved to the Giants.

For Green Bay, it creates a new hole on the defensive line. The Packers will be on the prowl for some big men who can fill the kind of roles they need filled. The rest of the defense actually projects to be pretty good in the 3-4 scheme, but there are issues along the line.

Cole had a very good 2008, and for Seattle, the hope is that he wasn't just trying to impress everyone in a contract year. If he continues to improve as much as he did from 2007 to 2008, the Seahawks will have an absolute steal at $6 million guaranteed.