Davon House has officially put pen to paper, signing a Contract with the Green Bay Packers. The details about the numbers have emerged, and while they are not extravagant, they could create some questions surrounding the deals the Packers have been handing out this offseason.
Contract details
According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, House has been signed to a one-year deal worth $2.8 million. An $850,000 signing bonus was provided when he joined the Packers this week. He can also make up to $300,000 in standard bonuses and $150,000 in workout bonuses.
His contract makes him the highest paid cornerback on the roster.
Maybe Green Bay is focusing on the wrong areas of the roster in terms of their spending. Compare the contract House received with the one given to tight end Martellus Bennett earlier in free agency. In the first year of his deal, Bennett is making nearly triple the amount of money. Positional value needs to be taken into account, as well as overall play, but cornerback is a much greater need for the team than tight end. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has plenty of downfield weapons in his arsenal as is. To take the next step, the Packers needed to open up their wallet a little more for the pass defense, not the pass offense.
Bringing down the 'House'
The Packers were right to sign House to a one-year, 'prove it' deal. He excelled during his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015, setting a team record for pass deflections and validating his big contract. He was displaced during his second season in Jacksonville by Prince Amukamara and rookie Jalen Ramsey, though, and was ultimately cut by the team two weeks ago.
House broke out with the Packers originally, being drafted by the team in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. They declined to sign him to a contract when his rookie deal expired, though, opening the door for his tenure in Jacksonville. The team will hope that he can recapture some of his magic from 2015 and make his deal look like a bargain for the season.