NFL Nation

          Ted Thompson must think Packers have Super Bowl-caliber roster

          GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Ted Thompson must think he has a Super Bowl-type team on his hands.

          The Green Bay Packers general manager has methodically worked his way through contract negotiations to re-sign five key members of his 2016 free-agent class, if you go back to the deal he struck with defensive end Mike Daniels back in December, showing that he believes the most important way to keep his team competitive is to bring it back as intact as possible.

          Daniels was easily the most important player in the class but since then, Thompson also has brought back -- in order of their signings -- defensive tackle Letroy Guion, kicker Mason Crosby, reserve guard Lane Taylor and outside linebacker Nick Perry.

          So far, the Packers have lost only two players -- backup quarterback Scott Tolzien (who signed with the Colts on Friday) and cornerback Casey Hayward (who agreed to a deal with the Chargers on Sunday) -- and they had contingency plans for both.

          There’s still a chance Thompson could bring back a few more of his own free agents. He has proven time and again that he’d rather take his chances with his own players, the ones he drafted or signed off the street, rather than play the high-risk free-agency game, where teams often overpay for players other teams are willing to let walk.

          To that end, the Packers have not reported a single visit by an unrestricted free agent from another team since the new league year began last Wednesday.

          Thompson did nothing but re-sign his own players after the Packers’ overtime loss in the NFC Championship following the 2014 season. After another overtime ouster from the players last season in the division round, there’s a sense that the Packers might be an impact player or two away from getting back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2010 season.

          Who knows, maybe Thompson even views that to be true. But when he said last month at the combine that “we’re not going to chase ghosts because we think the clock is ticking,” perhaps that says it all.

          There’s still plenty of time -- and plenty of players on the market -- for Thompson to make an outside addition. No one thought if he did make any moves in free agency that they would come in the silly money period that is the first week.

          This week could be telling. If Thompson stands pat again, it’s likely a sign the thinks coach Mike McCarthy has the tools he needs to get the Packers back to the Super Bowl.

          Either way, here’s a look at the Packers’ unrestricted free agents who have re-signed, signed elsewhere or are still on the market:

          Re-signed

          Lost

          Still available