Monday, March 08, 2010

Kampman heads to Jacksonville

In a very anticlimactic departure, longtime Packer Aaron Kampman has left the building, so to speak.

After being moved from his down defensive end position to upright outside linebacker in the Packers new 3-4 scheme last season, it was apparent that Kampman wasn't happy. Whether through an inability or an unwillingness to adapt to the system, Kampman was a fish out of water. It was apparent. With free agency looming, the Packers should have traded him. Instead, they waited, apparently thinking he'd come around. The only thing that came around was a season-ending knee injury which all but guaranteed that Kampman would move on and the Packers would receive absolutely nothing for one of the best pass rushing defensive ends in the league. Sad on a lot of fronts.

Kampman was and is a fan fave. He was a valuable member of the Packers and extended Green Bay community. His leadership will be missed.

The Florida Times-Union reported Kampman's new contract with the Jaguars is worth $26 million over four years, including $11 million guaranteed. And, yes, the Jags play the ol' 4-3 in which Kampman admits feeling much more comfortable.

Anyway, the Pack last week kept LT Chad Clifton as a security blanket to protect QB Aaron Rodgers. This week, they decided they couldn't fit this round peg called Aaron Kampman into the square hole of the 3-4 scheme.

See ya, Mr. Kampman. Thanks for your eight years of great service to the Green 'n' Gold.

You can read more about Kampman's signing with the Jaguars here.