Goodbye, franchise

The Green Bay Packers traded franchised defensive tackle Corey Williams to the Cleveland Browns on Friday for a second-round draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. The Packers had franchised Williams, who was set to start free agency, earlier in February. Williams was set to earn $6.363 million as the Packers franchise player, but the mega-deal received by Raiders defensive tackle Tommy Kelly obviously scared the Packers off a bit, as it did seem logical to for the team to pump that type of money into a player who has limited action under his belt. Making the decision easier for the Packers is the amount of depth at the defensive tackle position. Colin Cole and Johnny Jolly are the favorites for next year's starting jobs, as both performed very well in 2007 before being derailed by injuries. The Packers 2007 first-round pick, Justin Harrell, looks to also be a major player in the defensive line rotation in 2008.

The Browns signed Williams to a six-year contract worth $38 million with $16.3 million guaranteed. The Browns look to have one of the top defensive lines in 2008, also acquiring Shaun Rogers from the Lions in exchange for Leigh Bodden and a third-round pick.