We have reached that part of the year in the NFL where teams are starting to release veteran players in order to conserve salary. Such is life in the NFL and the way player contracts are structured. In other sports, when a signing and financial terms are announced, that is the actual amount the player will make over the life of the deal. In the NFL, there is "contract money" and "guaranteed money" with the guaranteed portion really being what most teams, players and everyone else are concerned with.
The Green Bay Packers, led by general manager Ted Thompson, have mostly made their contract signing news by bringing back their own players to new deals.