It takes two to tango, but free agent right tackle Bryan Bulaga wants to return to the Green Bay Packers and finish his career where it started.
Bulaga told Jason Wilde of The Athletic that his preference is to re-sign with the Packers and play out his final years in the NFL with the team that drafted him in 2010.
“I think anyone that knows me and knows my mindset about this, everyone knows that I would love to be back with the Green Bay Packers,” Bulaga said. “It would be, to me, really cool to start and finish my career in the same spot. I think that would be awesome. There’s no doubt about that.”
Bulaga confirmed he loved a “fun” first season under new coach Matt LaFleur, said “there’d be nothing better than to finish my career out as a Green Bay Packer” and revealed he’d like to play another “three to four years.”
Bulaga, who turns 31 this month, has completed two full contracts with the Packers, who picked him out of Iowa in the first round of the 2010 draft. He’s also coming off one of his best seasons. The veteran avoided major injury, started all 16 regular season games and 17 out of 18 games overall, shut down several top pass-rushers and set the right edge for the best pass-blocking offensive line in the NFL, per ESPN’s pass-block win rate.
Everything about the situation points to a return, except the Packers’ reluctance to pay big bucks for the third contract of an oft-injured player who carries significant injury risk and will soon enter the twilight of his career. According to Bulaga, the Packers haven’t contacted him or his representation about a new deal, suggesting GM Brian Gutekunst and his staff is comfortable letting the market dictate his value before becoming interested in negotiation. Not meeting with Bulaga’s reps at the combine in Indianapolis almost guarantees no deal will get done before the start of free agency.
“There’s been nothing. There’s been no talk,” Bulaga told Wilde.
The team charted the same path with Pro Bowl guard T.J. Lang, who eventually signed with the Detroit Lions after the Packers were unwilling to pay enough to get a new deal done. A similar future could be awaiting Bulaga.
There’s a chance Bulaga’s preference to stay in Green Bay could help provide some level of discount on a new deal, but it would only be marginally cheaper, especially once he reaches the open market.
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