Packers TE Jermichael Finley did look like a player who was serious about realizing his vast potential during the second half of last season. At midseason, he’d dropped seven passes in the first eight games, his agent had questioned via social media quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ leadership abilities, and Finley, never one to censor himself, had continued his outspoken ways, to the chagrin of the organization.

But then, Finley flipped the switch. He wound up breaking the franchise single-season record for receptions by a tight end (61), and he didn’t drop a single pass over the final six games (including playoffs). Tight ends coach Jerry Fontenot said Finley’s drop percentage early in the season was “about 30 percent,” and during the second half of the season, it was down to 6 percent.

Not coincidentally, Finley’s relationship with Rodgers was improving during that time, as the pair began spending the night before each game talking about the game plan, how Finley should run his routes and life in general. The connection made a big difference, as Finley caught 26 passes in the final five regular-season games and also had a breakthrough day in Detroit on Nov. 18, when his three receptions included a touchdown and a critical 40-yard catch-and-run to set up the game-winning score.

“He seems like he’s really dialed in. as far as expectations go, I didn’t set any expectations last year, we just wanted to continue to improve each and every week, and that’s the same mentality we’re taking this year – let’s get better, let’s find a starting point and let’s get better each and every week. We’re capable of doing great things,” TE coach Jerry Fontenot said. “I think we definitely had a year to grow off of last year and the way we finished off the year, I’m happy with where we’re starting. But again, we have a long ways to go.”

Finley has a tantalizing skill set, but drops have been a serious problem throughout his career and he tends to put the blame on some mysterious lack of chemistry with Aaron Rodgers. But over the last seven games of 2012, Finley averaged 4.6-57-.14, which equates to TE10 numbers over the course of a full season. It sounds as if those weekly meetings with Rodgers have helped. HC Mike McCarthy said that Finley was a 'different man' after the team's Week 10 bye, so Finley's strong finish may translate to 2013.

Packers WR Randall Cobb is hoping to develop into an all-around receiver.

“I don’t want to work on just being a slot receiver,” Cobb said. “I want to be a receiver, period. I want to be able to go outside, too. So one thing I’ve worked on this off-season, too, is my outside routes and trying to put that into my game so I’m not just labeled a ‘slot guy.’”

Not too long ago, Greg Jennings grew into such a a do-it-all receiver. In time, maybe Cobb follows a similar trajectory.

The story is mainly about the potential of taking Cobb off special team duties to save him, but it's worth noting he is striving to be a do-it-all receiver. Either way, Cobb is ranked 13th, right behind 12th-ranked teammate Jordy Nelson. In fact, James Jones also cracks our top-25 WRs, coming in at 24th. There are a lot of targets for QB Aaron Rodgers but we predict 83 catches and over 1,000 yards with 9 TDs for Cobb. Cobb's ADP is late-third round while Jordy's is early fifth. Since we predict very similar numbers for the two, it's something to keep in mind on draft day...

Jermichael Finley's offseason weight gain was noticeable even to a casual observer at practice this week -- and not in a bad way. After slimming down prior to the 2011 season, hoping to be used more as a receiver than a traditional tight end, Finley has re-packed the bulk onto his 6-foot-5 frame. No one was providing exact figures this week, but my educated guess is that Finley is now much closer to his listed weight of 247 pounds than he has been since 2010, when he was as low as 235 pounds.

"I think Jermichael looks excellent," coach Mike McCarthy said. "He has put weight back on. He's back where I like to see him, the playing weight that he's playing with. He's stronger. He's playing with more confidence. … I really like the offseason that Jermichael has put together so far."

Finley has a tantalizing skill set, but drops have been a serious problem throughout his career and he tends to put the blame on some mysterious lack of chemistry with Aaron Rodgers. But over the last seven games, Finley averaged 4.6-57-.14, which equates to TE10 numbers over the course of a full season. HC Mike McCarthy said that Finley was a 'different man' after the team's Week 10 bye, so Finley's strong finish may translate to 2013.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers on the team's receiving corps:

“I still like the guys we've got,” Rodgers said after practice. “We have a lot of talent at that position. I think Randall Cobb is a guy who could be a 100-plus catch guy every year. James Jones led the league in touchdown receptions last year. [Jordy Nelson] has had some real big years for us.”

After the big three, the Packers have Jarrett Boykin, who came to the rookie orientation camp a year ago as a tryout player after being cut by Jacksonville and earned a spot on the 53-man roster coming out of training camp as the sixth receiver. The rookie caught only five passes for 27 yards in regular-season play, but his final catch was a big one: A critical 7-yard grab on fourth down against Minnesota in the regular-season finale that kept a late scoring drive alive. The coaches like his size (6-foot-2, 218 pounds) and detailed approach to the game.

“I like what Jarrett Boykin brings. He's a big, physical receiver who's going to get some opportunities this year,” Rodgers said. “And I think he really has a great approach to the game, as does Jeremy Ross. Both those guys last year really stepped up and cared about it enough to put in a lot of extra time.”

Owners shouldn't sleep on Boykin who is an injury away from being fantasy relevant in 2013.

Packers RT Bryan Bulaga is moving to the left side to be quarterback Aaron Rodgers' blind-side protector, replacing last year's starter Marshall Newhouse.

In addition, the coaches have flipped guards T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton, moving Lang from left to right and Sitton from right to left. Newhouse, 2012 undrafted free agent Don Barclay and 2011 first-round pick Derek Sherrod will all have a shot to start at right tackle.

Initially, multiple sources detailed the move, and later after an interview request, coach Mike McCarthy confirmed it and agreed to discuss it.

"I sat down with Bryan and Josh on Monday and I told them I wanted to make the move to where they're on the left side," McCarthy said. "Those two are our most accomplished and experienced players. I told them about the responsibilities and my expectations about playing the left side.

"Some of the things we'll want to get into schematically as we move forward. They were excited about it."

LT was a problem last season, and while Bulaga was a top 10 tackle in 2011 (at RT), he struggled at that position in 2012. Still, he should be an upgrade on Newhouse, so this is good news for Rodgers and his backside.

The Green Bay Packers have signed QB Aaron Rodgers to a contract extension. The signing was announced Friday by Ted Thompson, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations.

“Aaron is a true professional and a special player,” Thompson said. “He works hard, is humble, and is focused on his actions, on and off the field. He is an excellent teammate and pushes himself and others to be the very best. We are happy to reach an agreement to extend his career with the Packers.”

No word yet on its value, but is rumored to be the richest in league history.

The Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks have pulled the trigger on a trade that will send quarterback Matt Flynn to the Raiders in exchange for a pair of draft picks, reports Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the picks the Raiders have shipped to the Seahawks include picks in 2014 and a conditional draft choice in 2015.

In addition to acquiring Flynn, Glazer adds that the Raiders are attempting to trade Carson Palmer, their starting quarterback the last two seasons, to the Arizona Cardinals for a late round draft choice.

Flynn has started two games in his career. In 2010, he filled in for an injured Aaron Rodgers in a tough 31-27 loss against the Patriots in Week 15, throwing for 251 yards, three TDs and an interception. In 2011, with Rodgers resting in Week 17, Flynn torched the Lions for 480 yards and six TDs (with one interception). His stock took a dive after he couldn't beat out rookie Russell Wilson, but he was dealing with an elbow injury and Wilson turned out to be pretty good. The Raiders have not been a favorable situation for QBs in recent years, but Carson Palmer was 8th in the league in pass attempts in 2012, so if Flynn finds himself in garbage time as often, he should put up decent fantasy stats. He doesn't have great arm strength, but has shown good accuracy and anticipation on his throws. As for Palmer, it appears that he will land with the Cardinals. He's no savior, but even mediocre QB play would be a big upgrade for WR Larry Fitzgerald.

Jermichael Finley's roster deadline day has come and gone. He's still a member of the Green Bay Packers.

Finley announced Monday on Twitter that he's "ecstatic to be back" with the Packers. He was never gone in the first place, but there was an open question regarding if the Packers would keep Finley at his current $8.25 million salary or if they would ask for a pay cut before Finley received a big roster bonus.

NFL.com's Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport both reported that Finley will not require a pay cut and will not restructure his contract. There were multiple reports that the Packers were wary of paying Finley all his money. If the Packers re-signed Greg Jennings, it's possible that they would have felt differently about allowing Finley to stay at his current salary.

Finley has a tantalizing skill set, but drops have been a serious problem throughout his career and he tends to put the blame on some mysterious lack of chemistry with Aaron Rodgers. But over the last seven games, Finley averaged 4.6-57-.14, which equate to TE10 numbers over the course of a full season. HC Mike McCarthy said that Finley was a "different man" after the team's Week 10 bye, so Finley's strong finish may translate to 2013.

WR Greg Jennings reached agreement with...the Vikings.

If Jennings can stay healthy, he should be able to post nice numbers as the Vikings' main weapon (along with Kyle Rudolph) in the passing game. He'll benefit from playing against defenses that will be focused on stopping Adrian Peterson, but he won't enjoy the benefit of playing in the Packers' potent passing attack (with QB Aaron Rodgers). So expect more targets and lower efficiency. He looks like a low-end WR2 at this point. This is an upgrade for Christian Ponder, who could certainly use the help. (It's also an upgrade for Peterson.) In Green Bay, Jennings' departure means that Jermichael Finley will likely be around another season. Expect good numbers from Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and James Jones. All four players should be startable in most formats.

Packers GM Ted Thompson and vice president Russ Ball are giving consideration to using the franchise-player tag on wide receiver Greg Jennings, which was reported Sunday by NFL.com.

The Journal Sentinel also learned that the Packers remain torn about the future of polarizing tight end Jermichael Finley.

Sources indicated that Thompson and the coaching staff appear to favor keeping Finley, while other people within the organization, including members of the personnel department, favor his release.

The decisions on Jennings and Finley are being played out against the backdrop of the Packers' desire to extend the contracts of linebacker Clay Matthews and quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the next few months.