The Green Bay Packers have made a competitive contract offer to Tramon Williams that is commensurate with what they've paid Al Harris, the player he is replacing at right cornerback.
In the midst of an outstanding season, the 27-year-old Williams ranks at the top of the list of players the Packers want to re-sign for the long haul.
The Journal Sentinel learned the club is willing to pay Williams more than Harris, whose average per year is $5.418 million, but not close to Charles Woodson, whose deal averages $9.73 million.
Since his first renegotiation in 2004, Harris has received $11.75 million in signing and roster bonuses. It's expected that Williams' next contract would include bonuses in the $10 million to $12 million range.
Williams and his agent, Rodney Williams of Katy, Texas, are weighing what the Packers have offered against a possible excursion into the next unrestricted free-agent market. If, as expected, the next labor agreement brings a return to four accrued seasons as the trigger for unrestricted eligibility, Williams would be unrestricted in 2011.
"Whatever happens happens, but I want to be in Green Bay," Tramon Williams said Friday. "Me waiting until unrestricted, I'm not into that. If it happens to go that way, then it does."
At present, Williams is playing on a one-year, restricted free-agent tender worth $3.043 million. That ranks 36th among all cornerbacks in the National Football League and 17th among all Packers players.
Woodson, 34, ranks fourth among cornerbacks at $9.73 million. Harris, who will turn 36 next month, ranks 23rd at $5.418 million.
If Williams' new deal were to average $6 million, he would be tied with Buffalo's Terrence McGee for 19th at the position. He would move to 15th if his deal were to average $7 million and into a tie for eighth with Washington's DeAngelo Hall if it were to average $9 million.
Most of the bona fide No. 1 cornerbacks average more than $8 million, led by Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha at $14.296 million.
Regardless of where Williams' next deal comes in, it won't be long before other cornerbacks renegotiate contracts and surpass him.
In any event, Williams said he hasn't spent time monitoring the course of negotiations between his agent and vice president Russ Ball, which have been ongoing for almost two years. Williams also said he wasn't sure where he belonged on the cornerback pay scale.
"Obviously, on your own time, you may think about it and look some things up," he said. "But I don't want distractions."
Based on average salary, the top-paid Packers are Aaron Rodgers, $12.7 million; Woodson; Greg Jennings, $8.75 million; Nick Collins, $7.6 million; Nick Barnett, $6.6 million; Chad Clifton, $6.46 million; Ryan Pickett, $6.2 million; and A.J. Hawk, $5.8 million.
Just the idea of moving into such a financial neighborhood must be stunning for Williams, who wasn't even drafted out of Louisiana Tech in 2006. He accepted a $10,000 signing bonus from the Houston Texans, then was let go on the final cut.
The Packers added Williams to their practice squad three months later. He has been with them since.
His only other signing bonus was the $375,000 he received in 2009 as part of a one-year, $907,000 contract.
Although no one on the coaching staff has ever said Williams is the starting right cornerback, it should be obvious now based on how he has performed in Harris' stead.
"Show me a corner having a better year," said Joe Whitt, the team's cornerbacks coach. "Name one. At the corner position, he's outplayed all of them."
Whitt makes it a point each week to watch tape of the top-rated cornerbacks. If Williams can sustain his level of play of the past seven weeks through 16 weeks, Whitt says he would be deserving of the Pro Bowl.
Williams has been responsible for one play of 20 yards or more and no touchdown passes, and has drawn one penalty. Those are the marks of a shutdown cornerback.
"You want quarterbacks, guys who can protect quarterbacks and a guy that can cover," Whitt said. "Those are the guys that get really paid. I'm not about getting him paid. But, if he can really take away a No. 1 (wide receiver), the value has to be high. As long as I'm coaching here, I would love to be coaching him."
In recent weeks, Williams has been handed the responsibility of matching against Miami's Brandon Marshall and Minnesota's Randy Moss in many situations.
"Now a lot of it's because of what we want to do with Woodson," said Whitt. "We're so down on D-linemen, we're asking 'Wood' to go in there and stack the run and pressure the (passer). Only reason we're allowed to do that is Tramon can cover anybody's No. 1."
With each passing week, Williams' confidence appears to grow. As the nickel back who replaced the injured Harris in both 2008 and '09, he played 75.4% of the snaps and gave up 18 plays of 20 yards or more and 7 touchdown passes. He also had 12 penalties in the two seasons.
"I've played well in the past but maybe this is more consistent," said Williams. "At this point, I think I'm doing pretty well."