The versatile cornerback Casey Hayward has officially left the Green Bay Packers after signing a contract with the San Diego Chargers. Under the new deal, the athlete has agreed to play for San Diego for three years and for $15.3 million.
Hayward joined the Packers in 2012 as a second round pick. During his first season with the NFL franchise, he was given the title Rookie of the Month in October for being able to intercept four passes in three games.
However, from 2013 to 2014, his performance with the team waned due to injuries including one that affected his hamstring, NFL.com reported. But then, after recovering just in time for the 2015 season, Hayward bounced back and managed to help the team lead its cornerbacks in snaps. Also, his performance also catapulted the Packers to sixth place in pass-defense plays.
But, for this season, Hayward will be bringing his skills to the Chargers. As noted by Bleacher Report, he will most likely fit in well with the team given his versatility. But, since the Chargers still has Brandon Flowers and Jason Verrett as starters, it is not yet certain if Hayward will get the same play time he got during his time with the Packers.
According to a report from ESPN.com, it seems his former team did not try to match the Chargers' offer for Hayward. As revealed by the athlete in a text message to the site, he told his agent to inform him about the offers made by the two teams. But apparently, only the numbers from the Chargers came in.
This, of course, does not automatically mean that there's bad blood between Hayward and his former team. The Packers probably did not put up much of a fight for Hayward given the fact that its roster is pretty deep regarding cornerbacks.
Just last season, the team was able to secure Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins.
"I like our young guys, especially our young guys in the secondary," Dom Capers, the defensive coordinator of the Packers said in a statement. "They gained a lot of experience."
"I mean Randall played over three-quarters probably of the plays," he added, "Rollins played a lot for us. I think those guys will come back in much better prepared.
