If the Green Bay Packers want to re-sign offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga, they are going to have to pay up.
According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, Bulaga is aiming to land a deal that will pay him $12 million on the open market, which is certainly expensive for a right tackle.
Bulaga, who played his collegiate football at the University of Iowa, was originally selected by the Packers in the first round (23rd pick overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft.
While Bulaga has never made a Pro Bowl, he has been a consistent force along Green Bay’s offensive line when healthy.
The soon-to-be-31-year-old played in every game and made 12 starts during his rookie campaign, establishing himself as one of the Packers’ best offensive linemen from the get go.
Injuries inhibited Bulaga the next two seasons, as he played in just 21 games combined in 2011 and 2012, but he returned to make 15 starts in 2013.
It should be noted that Bulaga does have a rather checkered injury history.
After his injury-plagued campaigns in 2011 and 2012, Bulaga once again missed four games in 2014, and in 2017, he appeared in just five contests.
Since entering the NFL a decade ago, Bulaga has logged just three full 16-game seasons, most recently doing so this past year.
There is no doubting Bulaga’s ability when he is healthy, but given that he turns 31 later this month and has a rather extensive injury history, teams may be somewhat reluctant to give Bulaga the money he wants over a long-term a contract.
All of that said, Bulaga will certainly be one of the top offensive linemen available in free agency.