When the Packers first offered left guard T.J. Lang a contract extension, he didn’t have to think twice.
“I was ready to take the first deal, but of course my agent had to explain some things to me and talk about some structural stuff,” Lang said, via Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Negotiations wound up taking a little bit longer than Lang expected, but the two sides agreed to a four-year deal that was announced late Monday night. General Manager Ted Thompson explained why the Packers wanted to get a deal done now.
“T.J.'s done very well, played a number of positions for us in the past,” General Manager Ted Thompson said. “I think really kind of cemented himself into the spot that he’s playing now. We were very pleased with his growth as a player last year, his growth and maturity as a person.”
The Press-Gazette pegs the value of the contract at $20.8 million with a $5.5 million signing bonus. He’ll still make $1.26 million this season and the extension will kick in with a $1.5 million base salary next year. Lang stands to make $4.6 million in 2016, the final year covered by the extension.