No one has included Nick Collins on the list of safeties available in free agency this year, but that’s not the result of a massive oversight.
Collins hasn’t played in a game since the second week of the 2011 season because of a neck injury, which led to cervical fusion surgery and his release from the Packers before the next season started because they would not medically clear him. General Manager Ted Thompson and Collins’ agent both said they’d counsel him to stop playing, but Collins insisted he wasn’t giving up the game.
He appears to be sticking to that claim. Collins sent out a tweet late Monday night saying that he’s “ready for action” and followed that up with one alerting teams looking for a “top notch free safety” that he’s “ready to dominate.”
The two years spent on the sideline will be a massive obstacle for Collins to overcome, but that’s only something to worry about if he gets cleared medically. Given the severity of his injury, that’s far from a sure thing even if teams still have memories of how well Collins, who turns 31 in August, played for Green Bay.