Green Bay Packers Veterans Excused From Mandatory Minicamp
It's been a busy offseason for teams in the National Football League (NFL). The first few weeks of the free agency period were quite hectic with a lot of player movements and it didn't slow down until the end of the draft in late April. Of course, trade activity didn't stop after that, but it slowed down to a trickle.
Now that the player movements have slowed down to a trickle, it's time for the teams to begin preparations for the 2017 NFL season.
The Green Bay Packers' mandatory three-day minicamp will begin on Tuesday, June 13, and players have to pay a hefty fine if they miss it. However, the team's minicamp seems to be mandatory-in-name only because Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is excusing some of his veteran players from the workout sessions.
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"We had a practice [last Friday] with all the players under six years," McCarthy said in an interview with ESPN 540 Milwaukee. "I think this is the second or third year we've done this, and I feel like we've gotten a lot of out of it. I'm looking forward to these three practices," he added.
The 16 veterans who will not be taking part in the minicamp are Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Martellus Bennett, Lance Kendricks, Don Barclay, Bryan Bulaga, Jahri Evans, Morgan Burnett, Davon House, Mike Daniels, Ricky Jean Francois, Letroy Guion, Nick Perry, Clay Matthews and Mason Crosby.
Meanwhile, classes are finally over at the University of Washington. That means rookie Kevin King will be taking part in the mandatory minicamp.
King was barred from attending the team's organized team activities (OTAs) because classes were still in session when the offseason workouts began last month.
The Packers' top pick this year will finally get the chance to suit up for the team this week.
