Not long after the conclusion of a mandatory three-day minicamp Wednesday, the Packers officially announced the signing of star WR Greg Jennings to a new long-term contract. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the deal would keep Jennings in Green Bay through 2012 and pay him nearly $9 million annually, placing him among the highest-paid wideouts in the NFL.

Meanwhile, the news is not all good on the Packers’ contract front, as it appears a potential stalemate could be in the offing with Pro Bowl FS Nick Collins, who is in the final year of a contract that will pay him $3.045 million in 2009. While Collins did show up for the mandatory minicamp, he was not nearly as amiable as usual and indicated that he might consider holding out of training camp if the Packers don’t at least show a willingness to renegotiate his current deal.

The PFW spin

With about $27 million under the salary cap heading into their most recent minicamp, some sort of contract maneuvering by the Packers seemed in order. The deal for Jennings, who headed a long list of key Packers performers entering their contract years in addition to Collins, was not a surprise at all. The 25-year-old receiver set career highs with 80 catches and 1,292 yards last season, in addition to leading the league with eight receptions of 40 yards or more. But rather than making a big deal over the fact that he was set to make only $535,000 in the final year of the contract he signed as a second-round draft choice out of Western Michigan, Jennings went out of his way to maintain a low profile regarding his contract — an approach the Packers no doubt appreciated and willingly rewarded.

Now, Jennings very deservedly becomes the second-highest-paid player on the Packers behind QB Aaron Rodgers, who makes $10.83 million annually, and the Rodgers-Jennings connection figures to be one of the league’s most consistently explosive for a long time to come.

As for Collins, his continued unhappiness over his contract is cause for real concern should he choose to steer clear of training camp. With the Packers’ defense converting to a 3-4 scheme under new coordinator Dom Capers, full participation in camp activities by the team’s defenders is no doubt being encouraged. Collins bristled when asked by the local media if he thought he was falling behind in learning the new defense because of his contract difficulties. But with his overall performance significantly tailing off in the final month of a 2008 campaign that he started off in stellar fashion, it was a valid question.

In addition to his contract concerns, Collins has been weighed down this offseason by the death of his father, William, who succumbed after a three-year battle with prostate cancer. Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said at the minicamp that he believed Collins would have no problem getting up to speed with the new defense, but a dramatic change in tune could be in the offing if Collins decides to stage a holdout with the regular season fast approaching.