Nick Perry Reportedly Receiving Free-Agency Interest from Jets, Colts, Falcons

Green Bay Packers linebacker Nick Perry is a wanted man for the first time in his career as he approaches free agency.

Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel provided the latest on Perry:

Perry started 12 of the 14 games he played in 2016, totaling a career-high 11 sacks and 52 tackles.

The 26-year-old was a first-round pick by the Packers in 2012, but struggled to see consistent playing time over his first few seasons. He appeared in 46 games, starting only 16, while tallying 12.5 total sacks.

After the Packers showed some confidence in him with a one-year deal, Perry responded with by far the best performance of his career. He even overcame hand surgery to make a positive impact in the playoffs, helping Green Bay reach the NFC title game.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports considered Perry one of the top under-the-radar options in free agency, projecting him to make over $10 million per year on his new contract. This is partly due to few other quality options available in the front-seven.

The Packers have depth at outside linebacker in Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers and Datone Jones. Still, keeping Perry provides some necessary insurance with both Matthews and Peppers being a long way from their former All-Pro selves.