Green Bay Packers rumors: Davon House reunion in play

NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 06: Davon House
NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 06: Davon House /
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The Green Bay Packers have to address their secondary this offseason, and a familiar name could be coming back to help.

As is common for them in free agency, the Green Bay Packers were outbid for cornerback Davon House two years ago. The Jacksonville Jaguars gave House a four-year $24.5 million contract, which quickly looked like a bad move when he was demoted to a nickel role by midway through the 2015 season. Still, he had a solid first year in Jacksonville with four interceptions, 60 total tackles and a single-season franchise record 23 pass breakups.

Things went completely of the rails for House last season, though, as he only started four games and barely played after Week 4. House took things further by suggesting his benching was not football-related after the season. A divorce seemed imminent, with the Jaguars not having to carry any dead money attached to House’s contract against the salary cap into this year. Last Saturday, it came to fruition with ESPN’s Adam Caplan reporting House was released by the Jaguars.

House spent the first four years of his career with the Green Bay Packers, and with the league’s 31st-ranked pass defense in 2016 a reunion immediately seemed possible. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky passed along news of “mutual interest” between player and team.

Sam Shields did not play after Week 1 last season due to his latest concussion, and the Packers made the obvious move to cut him last month. But that also left them without a veteran presence at cornerback, which is where House would step in to ease the burden on Damarious Randall, Quinten Rollins and LaDarius Gunter.

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The Packers’ coaching staff that worked with House from 2011-2014 remains in place. So a reunion makes perfect sense, in a merger of team need and a player needing to get his career back on track.