Ted Thompson, the general manager of the Green Bay Packers, needs to open the team's vault, pull out the corporate checkbook, grab his favorite gold-plated ballpoint pen, find the place where it says Pay to the order of and fill in the name of safety Nick Collins.
Its time to pay Collins what hes worth. Based on his Pro Bowl-caliber play over the past two seasons, Collins deserves a huge raise and should rank near the top of the NFL pay scale for safeties.
Collins has given the Packers five of the best football years of his life, and its time for the team to reward him with a lucrative new contract.
So what are the Packers waiting for?
Collins is second in the NFL with 13 interceptions since 2008, trailing only teammate Charles Woodson, who has 15. Collins earned his first Pro Bowl berth last season and appears to be playing even better this year. Collins has picked up the nuances of the 3-4 scheme and serves an integral role on the Packers No. 2-ranked defense.
Listen to how the coaches sang his praises on Monday, one day after the Packers 21-14 victory over the Chicago Bears when Collins produced the game-turning interception:
I think Nicks having an excellent year, coach Mike McCarthy said.
Hes been very professional in his approach and preparation, and I think hes gotten a much better feel for what were asking him to do, defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. Nick has ability to make plays on the ball and you see that show up.
Nicks got all the tools, safeties coach Darren Perry said. I think hes just scraping the surface of how good he really can be.
The obvious next step would be to ensure Collins has a long-term future with the Packers.
Yet Thompson has exhibited a puzzling lack of urgency in addressing the issue, despite Collins expressing a desire for a new deal last offseason.
Maybe Thompson doesnt want to give the appearance hes caving to someones wishes, which might attract a long line outside his office of agents seeking new contracts for their clients.
More likely, Thompson views this strictly as a business decision. With the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and players union set to expire next year, Collins will become a restricted free agent, meaning the Packers have significant leverage to retain his services.
In effect, the Packers wont risk losing Collins by putting him off. The problem with that approach, however, is the Packers run the risk of alienating Collins and sending a message to teammates and future free agents -- whether accurate or not -- that the organization is more focused on business concerns than rewarding worthy players.
For his part, Collins smartly has maintained a low profile. After letting it be known he wanted a new contract by skipping some of the voluntary organized team activities last spring, Collins has played the part of the good soldier.
Hes been a pro the way he carries himself in the meetings, really trying to be the leader that you want back there, said Perry, the Packers first-year assistant. It would be easy for him to say Hey, Im not buying into this. You guys havent taken care of me. He has not been that way one iota. Its really neat to see a player come in and handle himself the way he has, because its not easy.
Perry speaks from experience. He played nine years in the NFL and went through a similar contract situation with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and has offered Collins some advice.
I said, Nick, the only thing you can control is what you do on the football field, Perry said. You cant hold anybody hostage and put a gun to their head, and make em pay you X amount of dollars. Just let your play go out and speak for itself and everything else will take care of itself.
Thats what Collins has done, but it has to be difficult when he sees teammates Greg Jennings and Brandon Chillar receive hefty contract extensions.
When Perry wanted a new deal with the Steelers in the mid-1990s, he remembers teammates Levon Kirkland and Carnell Lake holding out during training camp and receiving new contracts.
These guys are holding out and Im here busting my butt; somethings not right, Perry recalls thinking. Eventually, it gets taken care of and it worked itself out. It does. Thats the one thing; you cant let it take away from your play on the field. That was the main thing I tried to stress to (Collins).
While playing at a high level, Collins is left to wait and wonder whether the Packers will take care of him. They should do it now, not because they have to, but because its the right thing to do.