'Thanks for great 8 years': Barnett says time with Pack is over

Jim Prisching / Associated PressNick Barnett's time in Green Bay appears over after eight seasons with the team.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Nick Barnett waved as he drove out of the parking lot, marking what appears to be the fiery linebacker's last time at Lambeau Field as a player for the Green Bay Packers.

Barnett was among the first Packers to return to Lambeau when the doors to team facilities re-opened to players on Tuesday morning. He didn't stay long and then posted a series of messages on his Twitter account making it clear he had been told his time with the Packers is over.

"Just met with Ted," Barnett posted, presumably referring to Packers general manager Ted Thompson. "Thanks for the great 8 years."

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Barnett said he was "very blessed" to be a part of "such a great tradition and great fans."

Barnett, who finished last season on injured reserve after hurting his right wrist Oct. 3, said he was happy to be part of the team's run to the Super Bowl championship last season and "will always keep a special place in my heart for this team and city."

Barnett did not speak to reporters as he left Lambeau. He did stop on his way in earlier Tuesday morning, saying he was ready to play.

"We could start right now, man," Barnett said. "I'm ready to go. My wrist should be cleared. I saw 'doc' about a couple months ago, he said it was fine. We'll see what happens. Physically, I'm ready to go. Mentally, I'm ready to go. Emotionally, I'm ready to go."

Before heading into Lambeau, Barnett shrugged off recent speculation that he would be traded or cut.

"To be honest, a lot of the talk hasn't come from anybody in here, it's come from (the media)," Barnett said. "So I'll wait for them to come talk to me, I'm sure my agent will talk to them, I'll let them handle that business. But for me, I just prepare, (get) ready to play and see what happens. I've got two years left on my contract, so I'm not really focused on the rumors."

Barnett has been a cornerstone of the defense since the Packers took him in the first round of the 2003 draft. He has started 107 regular season and six playoff games in eight seasons.

But his relationship with the team was strained during last year's Super Bowl run. When Barnett found out that injured players wouldn't be a part of the Packers' team photo taken a few days before the Super Bowl, Barnett voiced complaints on his Twitter account. The team eventually relented and allowed injured players to participate in the photo, but the issue became a distraction as the team prepared for the game against the Steelers.

Barnett also has finished two of the past three seasons on injured reserve, including a season-ending right knee injury in 2008.

And given that the team signed Desmond Bishop to a contract extension late last season, and reworked A.J. Hawk's deal in March, Barnett's $5 million-plus salary may have been prohibitive for a player who would be expected to be a backup at inside linebacker.

Packers officials are not commenting on Barnett's status. Teams can trade players beginning Tuesday and cut players Thursday.

Several other Packers players were at Lambeau, including Donald Driver, wide receiver Brett Swain and tight end Tom Crabtree. The Packers open training camp Friday and have their first practice Saturday.

"It's good to be back, get everything over with and just come back and feel welcome again," Swain said. "Get back in the roll of things and get camp started."

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Swain said he wanted to work out and see assistant coach Edgar Bennett, who is making the transition from coaching running backs to wide receivers this season.

"For sure, I'm going to go up and see him and see most of the coaches," Swain said. "Just get off on a good foot and start camp in a good light. Just look forward to everything."

Swain said it will be a challenge to get ready for the season after not having any offseason workouts.

"It's going to be very challenging," Swain said. "That's where the coaching staff comes in, and they're going to set us on a good schedule and we're going to roll with it. I think everything's going to come together well."

Rookie Randall Cobb, a second-round wide receiver from Kentucky, said he isn't sure how far behind he'll be once camps starts.

"I have no clue," Cobb said. "That's why I'm here so early, trying to get in as much as I can right now."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Packers' Barnett considers impact of injury on life after football

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Nick Barnett's right wrist was injured and his conscience was torn.

The veteran linebacker believes the Green Bay Packers are going to the playoffs and wanted to be a part of it. Despite the injury, he probably could have come back this season. And he almost did.

"I'm getting to the end of my career," Barnett said Thursday. "I don't know how many years I've got left -- four, five maybe, years. You want to take advantage of every single game or being around here as much as you can. So definitely, it's hard to deal with."

But doctors told Barnett that if he took another hit on his wrist, there was a risk he might end up having a hard time using his right hand well after his career was over. So Barnett reluctantly had the surgery, and the Packers announced last week that he would miss the rest of the season.

Amid increasing awareness of how difficult life can be for retired football players with chronic health problems, Barnett put his long-term future ahead of his short-term goals.

"It was hard as heck," Barnett said. "There's two families you think about. You don't want to leave this family (the team) out to dry because you need to get something fixed. But at the same time, I've got to raise boys. I don't want to leave them. I would like to throw baseballs to them and do normal stuff."

Barnett admitted that if he was at a different point in his career, his decision almost certainly would have been different. Barnett said that if he was a 20-year-old college player, he would have had a hard time sitting out the season.

"You might risk it because you might not get drafted," Barnett said.

Even as an eighth-year NFL veteran and cornerstone of the Packers' defense, his decision might have been different if he had hurt his left wrist instead.

"If it would have been my left hand, to be honest with you, I would have played," Barnett said. "But being that I'm right-handed, for the rest of my life it's going to be kind of hard to not use your right hand the way that you need to use it. But unfortunately stuff happens."

Barnett was injured during the Packers' Oct. 3 victory over the Detroit Lions, had it taped up in a splint and returned to the game. He was inactive for the Oct. 10 loss at Washington as he held out hope he could come back and play.

"I was on the verge of just playing with it," Barnett said. "But as I talked to the doctors and went through everything and just kind of evaluated just everything in general, how I was going to be affected in my future after I played football, the best decision was to fix it."

Barnett said he is scheduled to have pins removed from his wrist in four weeks, then have a cast removed four weeks later. He should be cleared to begin rehabilitation exercises after that, although he'll still have a screw in his wrist for several more weeks.

He expects to be fully healthy for next season.

"Oh, I'll be perfect. I'll be perfect for training camp, hopefully for minicamp and all the good stuff that I haven't been for the past two seasons," said Barnett, who had a season-ending injury to his right anterior cruciate ligament in 2008, returned to start every game in 2009, then had to have another procedure on his knee before this season.

Barnett said the upside of having the wrist surgery is getting his knee fully healthy.

"I'll be fine, I'll be destroying," Barnett said. "You can bet your money next year that I will be a beast. I guarantee you that. Put it in the bank."

And with all the other serious injuries the Packers have sustained this season, Barnett expects the team to be highly motivated next season -- although he's still confident of a playoff berth in 2010.

"I think they're going to go to the playoffs (this year), I still think that's going to happen," Barnett said. "But after every year you see injuries, the next year, you see a pretty successful and (hungry) team. That's what I look forward to, a lot of key guys and a lot of key young players hurt, come back starving because they want to be out on the field and they want to make something happen. I look forward to seeing that."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Packers prepare for life without Barnett, who has wrist injury

Green Bay Packers starting inside linebacker Nick Barnett will receive a second opinion on his injured wrist, but the team doesn't expect good news and is preparing to be without him for the rest of the season, a league source said Thursday.

Barnett was injured during Sunday's 28-26 victory over the Detroit Lions, and X-rays during the game were negative. But further tests showed damage that confirmed reports of Barnett likely requiring season-ending surgery.

Desmond Bishop likely will move into Barnett's spot, the source said. Brandon Chillar, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, also could work there, but he typically rotates with fellow inside linebacker A.J. Hawk. Brady Popinga has been moved to inside linebacker from outside to provide depth in light of Barnett's situation.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday there is "definitely a possibility" that Barnett could be out for an extended period of time. McCarthy confirmed that Barnett and Chillar are receiving second opinions this week.

The Packers also are hurting at safety. Rookie Morgan Burnett tore an anterior cruciate ligament against the Lions and is out for the season. And veteran Nick Collins had to sit out practice Wednesday because of a nagging knee injury, making his status for Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins unclear.

The Packers placed Burnett on season-ending injury reserve and signed linebacker Maurice Simpkin from the practice squad.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Report: Packers LB Barnett might have season-ending surgery

The Green Bay Packers' defense might have to absorb another season-ending injury to a starter.

Nick Barnett likely will need surgery to repair his injured right wrist, sources told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Wednesday., meaning the linebacker wouldn't play again in 2010.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said there is "definitely a possibility" that Barnett could be out for an extended period of time. McCarthy said Barnett and linebacker Brandon Chillar, who has a shoulder injury, are receiving second opinions this week.

The Journal Sentinel reported that Barnett will receive his second opinion Friday, then decide whether or not to have surgery.

Barnett, an eight-year veteran, was injured during the first half of last weekend's victory over the Detroit Lions. He left the game, then returned to the field wearing a cast and said afterward that the wrist wasn't broken.

Barnett isn't accustomed to missing games. Since the Packers made him a first-round draft pick in 2003, Barnett has played in 113 of 121 games in his career, including playoffs, and he needs just eight tackles to break John Anderson's all-time franchise record, according to the Journal Sentinel.

Desmond Bishop could join A.J. Hawk in Green Bay's starting lineup at inside linebacker if Barnett is sidelined, the newspaper reported.

The Packers also are hurting at safety. Rookie Morgan Burnett tore an anterior cruciate ligament against the Lions and is out for the season. And veteran Nick Collins had to sit out practice Wednesday because of a nagging knee injury, making his status for Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins unclear.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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