Packers 2012 top pick Perry at career crossroads after surgery, option not picked up
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It was well-known within the Green Bay Packers locker room last season that Nick Perry was dealing with a significant shoulder injury. There were plays early on that hurt it and more plays late in the year that made it worse.
Perry didn't want to end his season prematurely to have surgery. The 2012 first-round pick "didn't want to be that guy."
However, soon after the NFC championship game loss to Seattle, Perry underwent shoulder surgery.
"In order to become successful you have to make sure you don't go into the next year with things lingering on," Perry said Tuesday during minicamp.
His recovery isn't complete yet, though. Nearly five months removed from having the operation, Perry is still unable to practice with the Packers. He missed each day of organized team activities and isn't taking part in minicamp practices.
Even being ready for training camp isn't a sure thing for Perry.
"I can't make any promises," he said. "But that's always the goal; to get prepared and just making sure I'm out there."
Perry only missed one game last season, sitting out the Week 12 matchup at Minnesota. He had 1.5 sacks in the divisional round playoff win over Dallas and was then given the starting nod when Green Bay traveled to play the Seahawks with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
Based on games played, it was actually the healthiest year of Perry's career. He was placed on injured reserve as a rookie after Week 6 and missed five games in 2013.
"Well, I'll say this," head coach Mike McCarthy said, "the way people are represented sometimes away from work as opposed to inside the workplace is sometimes different, and I think that's clearly the case in . . . or has been, I can't tell you, I'm not totally aware of what the outside world thinks, but Nick Perry is a tough, physical football player.
"What he played through this past year, it was significant. I think it says a lot about him. He's had some tough moments in the younger part of his career, but the guys that practice against him, the guys that he plays with and the guys in the locker room every day, they have a lot of respect for him. And clearly I do."
The respect McCarthy has for what Perry played through didn't help the 25-year-old when it came time for the front office to project into 2016. General manager Ted Thompson opted for the Packers to not pick up Perry's fifth-year option.
It made financial sense for Green Bay to force Perry into a contract year, considering the fifth year of his rookie deal would have paid $7.75 million -- a steep price for a player who was on the field for just 36.5 percent of defensive snaps last season.
It wasn't much of a surprise to Perry when he was informed that the Packers wouldn't be picking up his option.
"Just knowing that I've been through some bumps and bruises over the years, I still have to be able to prove myself," he said. "Opportunity is still there."
Green Bay's decision puts Perry at a career crossroads, and it's why his health has never been more important to him.
"It's a big year," he said. "Every contract year is always a big year. For me it's about doing what's best for me and taking control of my opportunities right now. Those things lie ahead and I have to be prepared for it."
Of course, it remains entirely possible that Perry has a good enough 2015 season that Thompson chooses to re-sign him in March when free agency begins.
"I would love to be here," Perry said. "I can't control that. My first goal is making sure I'm ready to go for the season and continuing on. That stuff comes later, after the season. I'm not really worried about any of that stuff right now."
When the Packers drafted Perry with the No. 28 overall pick in 2012, they hoped to have found the long-term pass-rushing partner for Clay Matthews. Instead, Perry has only served as a role player. That led Green Bay to signing veteran Julius Peppers a year ago and also bringing back Mike Neal on a two-year contract.
Not the injuries nor his spot on the depth chart has changed Perry's mindset. He still envisions himself having a very good NFL career, all while understanding that it can't happen if injuries keep him off the field.
"It's pretty frustrating knowing the opportunities, knowing how great I can be and just looking behind me and seeing some of those lagging issues over the past that I wish weren't there," Perry said. "But it's football. I don't have any control over it. Freakish stuff happens. You just have to keep playing."
With a clean bill of health, Perry will share outside linebacker duties this upcoming season. His days of playing every snap (which he did in his first NFL game, Week 1 in 2012 at San Francisco) are likely over. But Perry remains optimistic that his best football is still ahead of him.
"I've come a long way," he said. "And I'm still growing. As long as I can stay healthy, I'll be just fine."
Follow Paul Imig on Twitter
