Packers Release ILB A.J. Hawk

The Green Bay Packers have announced the release of ILB A.J. Hawk on Wednesday.

“A.J. is a consummate Packer and we are grateful for all that he has given and how he represented the organization over the past nine seasons,” GM Ted Thompson said. “He was a durable and consistent contributor to our success, but more importantly, he is a great person and teammate. The Packers are grateful for all that he has done on the field and in the community. We wish A.J., his wife Laura, and the rest of their family all the best.”

“I spent nine great years in Green Bay. I had awesome teammates and coaches and a great medical staff and equipment staff. Many of them have become my closest friends. We won a ton of games, as well as a Super Bowl, and I loved everything about playing for one of the greatest franchises in all of sports,” Hawk said. “The fans in Green Bay are incredible. Between playing at Lambeau Field as well as seeing them on the road, they always supported us. I am looking forward to my next opportunity in the NFL, but I’ll always cherish my years as a Green Bay Packer.”

Hawk, 31, was in the final year of his five-year, $33.75 million contract and would have made a base salary of $2.45 million for the 2015 season. He also had an $800,000 roster bonus coming his way.

According to OverTheCap.com, the Packers will free up $3.5 million in cap space with this move while creating $1.6 million in dead money.

In 2014, Hawk recorded 90 tackle, a half sack and two pass defenses over the course of 16 games. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 52 inside linebacker out of 60 qualifying players.