great news! 6 year extension
Barnett agrees to six-year extensionBy Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
Standout middle linebacker Nick Barnett, the Green Bay Packers' leading tackler in three of his four seasons with the club, on Tuesday agreed to a six-year contract extension, a deal that will keep him off the free agent market next spring.
Nick Barnett
Linebacker
Green Bay Packers
Profile
2006 SEASON STATISTICS
Tot Solo Ast FF Sack Int
105 62 43 0 2 2
Financial details of the extension were not yet available, but it is likely the guarantees in the new deal total at least $10 million. The extension culminates months of discussions between the two sides, with the negotiations having been ratcheted up in recent days.
Without the extension, Barnett, the team's first-round choice in the 2003 draft, would have been set to enter the final year of his rookie contract, with a scheduled base salary of $1.95 million. Had he played out the original contract, Barnett, 25, would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring, and would have been one of the most coveted players in the market.
Barnett acknowledged earlier in the offseason that he wrestled with the notion of just playing under his current contract, and testing free agency, but conceded his priority was to remain with the Packers organization.
The former Oregon State standout has been a starter since the day he was drafted, and has appeared in all but two games in four seasons, all 62 of them as the Green Bay starting middle linebacker. There are some personnel people in the league who feel Barnett is actually better suited to the weakside linebacker position, but there is no denying that he has prospered in the middle, where the Packers probably will keep him.
He is valuable to a Green Bay defense that returns all 11 starters in 2007, not just because of his physical skills-set, but because of his knowledge of the overall scheme. As evidenced by his well-rounded statistics, Barnett is a three-down defender who, unlike most middle linebackers, does not have to leave the field in passing situations.
Barnett has 631 career tackles and led the team in that category each of his first three seasons before finishing second to then-rookie A.J. Hawk in 2006. Barnett also has eight sacks, seven interceptions, 29 passes defensed, one forced fumble and six recoveries.