Packers release defensive back Charles Woodson

Charles Woodson is on the market.

The Green Bay Packers released the 36-year-old defensive back

Friday with two years left on his contract.

”We are grateful for all that Charles has given to the Green

Bay Packers over the past seven years,” general manager Ted

Thompson said. ”He has been an integral part of the Packers’

success and our Super Bowl title in 2010 would not have been

possible without his contributions. A once-in-a-generation talent

as a player, he is also a great leader and ambassador for the

organization off the field.”

The Packers clear about $10 million in cap space by releasing

Woodson. Carl Poston, Woodson’s agent, said the veteran wasn’t done

yet.

”The Packers told Charles they’re going in a different

direction,” Poston said. ”Charles told me he still wants to play

– for a Super Bowl contender.”

Woodson signed a five-year deal before the 2010 season that was

worth as much as $55 million. He missed nine games during the 2012

regular season because of a broken right collarbone and played in

two postseason games for the Packers in his seventh year with the

franchise.

”We had a good run,” Woodson wrote to ESPNWisconsin.com in a

text message.

Woodson was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and the

Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1998. He spent the first eight

years of his career with the Oakland Raiders, who drafted him out

of Michigan with the No. 4 overall pick.

He’s the only player in NFL history with touchdowns off

interceptions in six straight seasons, a feat he pulled off each

year from 2006 to 2011, and leads the league with nine touchdowns

off interceptions since 2006. He went to the Pro Bowl every year

from 2008-11.

Woodson was productive for the Packers, but they have some tough

decisions to make this offseason to manage the salary cap. Woodson

had a year left on his lucrative deal and linebacker A.J. Hawk is

under contract next year for a team that probably wants to give

long-term deals to receiver James Jones, linebacker Clay Matthews

and defensive tackle B.J. Raji because each of the relatively young

standouts could potentially be free agents following next

season.

Despite his age and recent injury, Woodson will likely be an

in-demand free agent. He was injured last October, bounced back in

time to defend two passes in the playoffs.

”Charles has been a stud in this league for 15 years, so

whenever he’s on the field with us, he’s always a huge threat,”

Hawk said in January. ”Not only is he a threat to make huge plays

throughout the game, but quarterbacks, I think they know where he’s

at every single play. He seems to know what receivers are running

before they do. And I think he has an intimidation factor as

well.”

Woodson had a career-high nine interceptions in 2009 and picked

off seven passes in 2011 and made one interception in seven games

during last year’s injury-shortened season.

The 1997 Heisman Trophy winner led Michigan to the 1997 national

championship and has donated more than $2 million to the University

of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital, where he

supports pediatric clinical research. With the Packers, he was a

leader as one of the best players on the team and as a mentor to

younger players.

”He’s like a big brother to all of us,” former Green Bay

safety Nick Collins once said.

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