Aug. 3, 2008

Updated at 10:20 a.m. EDT Sunday, Aug. 3

At least the Packers don’t have to worry about RB Ryan Grant being an added distraction. Less than one week after being “as angry as I’ve ever seen him,” according to his agent, Alan Herman, Grant became a very happy camper on Saturday, agreeing to a new, incentive-laden four-year contract that could earn him up to $30 million. After leaving an extremely bad taste in the mouths of Grant and Herman with an initial contract offer that would have included only a $1.75 million signing bonus, new Packers contract negotiator Russ Ball sweetened the pot with a $3 million roster bonus and another $1.25 million through base salary ($750,000) and another roster bonus ($500,000) that will enable Grant to earn $4.25 million in 2008. The consensus among team insiders is that Grant’s new deal results in a “win-win” situation for both Grant and the Packers. If Grant picks up where he left off last season and rushes for 1,500 yards in ’08, his salary will jump to $4 million in ’09. In addition, after months of haggling over a projected six-year deal, the 25-year-old Grant settled for a four-year deal that could lead to another hefty new contract when this one expires. As for the Packers, who have cap money to burn (a reported $30 million prior to the Grant deal), all of Grant’s earnings this year will count against the cap immediately, and the inclusion of roster bonuses instead of a signing bonus frees the team of any future prorated charges, should Grant get hurt or fail to produce. With Grant’s deal done, the Packers now have 21 of 22 starters under contract through at least 2009, the lone exception being starting ORT Mark Tauscher, who will become a free agent after the ’08 season.