Jolly signs, Williams and Bigby don't

Tender tussles. No, that's not a description of flag football compared to the NFL kind. It's a description of what the Packers are now involved in with two of their defensive backs, Tramon Williams and Atari Bigby.

Yesterday was the deadline for restricted free agents to sign their tender offers or face the rule that allows their team to pay them 110 percent of the prior year's salary. In short, to take a pay cut.

Facing a potentially nasty legal situation, and with no teams clamoring for his services as a result, defensive lineman Johnny Jolly finally realized that the prospect of losing roughly $1.9 million was probably not a smart decision, and signed his tender offer yesterday before the deadline. Williams and Bigby, however, did not. For Bigby, the difference between his tender offer and the new amount the Packers could impose is only about $54,000. Not pocket change to you and me, perhaps, but apparently not enough to concern Mr. Bigby.

As an article about this situation in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, however, Williams stands to lose some major coin: about $2.58 million this season. Ouch!

Of course, that's assuming he'd play for the reduced amount. As the article notes, if the Packers chose to exercise that 110 percent option -- which they had to do by 11 p.m. last night -- they risk "angering Williams.' Let's hear it, all together: awwwwww.

He may not play most of the season if this is the way it goes, but he apparently can't sit out the entire season. And really, is it in either party's interest for that to happen at all? Nope.

It gets more complicated. Or not, depending upon how the Pack and Williams decide to resolve this little stalemate. Ditto for Bigby, although as already mentioned that's not really as big a concern for either party, it seems.

Be sure to check out the article link above for more details. And stay tuned here for further developments.