Source: Veldheer Wants to Play in 2020
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Jared Veldheer, who came out of retirement late last season and perhaps saved the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs against Seattle, has decided to play in 2020, a source told Packer Central.
The Packers would like to re-sign Veldheer, which potentially could make him the favorite to start at right tackle in place of longtime starter Bryan Bulaga, who faces a complicated free agency because of his strong play in 2019 but length injury history and expected price tag. If Bulaga departs, re-signing Veldheer would take the pressure off the Packers to use an early pick on an offensive tackle, though it is a strong draft class.
While cleaning out his locker the day after a 37-20 loss to San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game, Veldheer was feeling thankful for the opportunity but uncertain about what lies ahead.
“It was an unbelievable opportunity,” he said. “It was really cool how it all played out. I was driving down [from his home in Michigan to Indiana] to visit family on Thanksgiving, got claimed and came up here. We had won every game until yesterday. It was one of the more fun seasons that I’ve been a part of. To actually be a part of it and play in some big situations was really great. To get to know everybody and be a part of the history here, it was really cool. It’s unbelievable. In sitting back and going back to Week 1, the opening kickoff, when I was in the stands at Soldier Field, to think that later in the season I was going to be a part of that team and be able to lend a hand to the journey – the thought didn’t even cross my mind. It’s funny how life works and what you can make of it if you want to. It was cool.”
Veldheer will turn 33 in June. While noncommittal after the season, his upbeat mood hinted of his desire to play again.
“We’ll see how everything shakes out,” he said.
A month after joining the team, he replaced Bulaga (concussion) at Detroit with a first-round bye on the line. Two weeks later, with Bulaga felled by the illness that had swept through the locker room, he was the emergency starter in the playoff win over Seattle. In a total of 53 pass-protecting snaps, he did not allow a single pressure, according to Pro Football Focus.
How did he do it, considering he had retired in late May and had been out of football for six months?
“I was the lightest I’ve ever been in my career coming back here,” Veldheer said. “Not a lot of people, other than offensive linemen, know that the skill-set to play O-line is a very tough skill-set. It takes a ton of repetition. You learn all that stuff. Getting another young guy in, it’s hard. It takes time to develop offensive linemen. Once you have that, you have it. If you’re a good golfer and you golf a lot and, say, you go to the course for the time in six months, you’re probably still going to have a good round. You can shake some dust off the golf swing but you know how to do it. That was the biggest thing. I know how to do it. I’ve done it before. It was taking that approach and getting here and focusing on eating the way I need to to put weight on, getting in the playbook and trusting the process that’s always helped me have success and go from there.”
