The Green Bay Packers have released Charles Woodson, the 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
"We are grateful for all that Charles has given to the Green Bay Packers over the past seven years," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said in a statement. "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. Charles will always be a member of the Packers family and we look forward to his eventual induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We wish him and his family all the best."
Woodson was due $9 million in 2013 and would count $10 million against the cap.
"It's part of the business," agent Carl Poston told NFL.com's Ian Rapoport before the Packers made the release official. "I just talked to (Woodson). He sounds like he has a lot of football left. He'd like to go play for a contender, win another Super Bowl."
Woodson moved to safety last season as his cover skills declined. The Packers went with the cornerback trio of Tramon Williams, Sam Shields and rookie Casey Hayward. They have young talent in safeties Morgan Burnett, M.D. Jennings and Jerron McMillian.
It will be interesting to see where Woodson lands. He's 36 years old and not the same playmaker he once was. But Woodson brings a strong presence to the locker room and is an upgrade from over plenty of corners in the league.
He can cover on the inside, matches up well with athletic tight ends and is still disruptive around the line of scrimmage. His intelligence enables him to be a coach on the field and makes up for some physical limitations. Woodson always was a risk-taker, but that started to become a problem as he lost a step.
You have to take the good with the bad when it comes to Woodson at this point of his career.
There will be teams that want Woodson on the roster. He could be the missing veteran piece for an organization ready for a championship run.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
