Six weeks after watching starting right guard T.J. Lang sign with the Lions, the Packers might have finally found his replacement.
General manager Ted Thompson announced on Wednesday that the team has signed former Saints guard Jahri Evans in a move that should instantly help the Packers.
The 33-year-old Evans arrives in Green Bay after spending his entire 11-year career in New Orleans. During his time with the Saints, Evans was voted to six Pro Bowls and named first-team All Pro a total of four times.
The past 14 months have actually been pretty odd for Evans. First, the Saints released him in February 2016 after he was unwilling to take a pay cut. Six months later, Evans finally found a job in Seattle, signing a deal with the Seahawks during the middle of training camp in August.
The veteran lineman didn't last in Seattle very long, though. Despite their atrocious offensive line, the Seahawks decided to cut Evans before the 2016 regular season even started.
It's a move that the team still regrets.
"I'd be lying to you if I said different," Seahawks general manager John Schneider said at the combine in February, via NOLA.com. "I think that his leadership would've been outstanding for us."
After being dumped by the Seahawks, Evans ended up re-signing with the Saints, where he had an impressive 2016 season, starting in all 16 regular season games the Saints played.
In Green Bay, Evans will likely replace Lang, who signed with the Lions on March 12. Lang's signing in Detroit marked the second time in seven months that the Packers had lost a guard. Green Bay also said goodbye Josh Sitton when the team surprisingly cut him before the 2016 season.
The addition of Evans likely means the Packers won't necessarily have to spend a pick on an offensive guard during the NFL Draft, which kicks off on Thursday.
Speaking of the draft, Evans was originally a fourth-round pick of the Saints in the 2006 NFL Draft. The lineman then went on to start in 112 consecutive regular season games over the next seven years. The veteran didn't miss a single start in his entire career until 2013, when he missed two games.
Evans also missed five games in 2015 after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. Those seven games are the only ones that the durable lineman has missed during his 11-year career.
Terms of Evans' contract haven't been disclosed.
