Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins didn't report for the start of the Packers' voluntary offseason workout program March 16, though he apparently had a reasonable excuse.
Collins and wife Andrea are expecting their third child this spring.
Although the delivery wasn't believed to be imminent, Collins decided to stay put at home in Florida until the baby is born because he reportedly isn't happy that Green Bay isn't talking contract extension with him.
"He's got it on his mind," head coach Mike McCarthy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "That's obvious to everybody. It's important, really, in my conversations with Nick, we both agreed, you need to separate football from business. And, that's what we're going to do here in the near future."
Collins, a second-round draft pick in 2005, is entering the final year of his rookie contract with the team on the heels of a monster breakout season.
A year after not having an interception, a forced fumble or a fumble recovery, Collins had a career-high seven interceptions to tie Packers cornerback Charles Woodson for the NFC lead. What's more, Collins tied a Green Bay single-season record with three interception returns for touchdowns and led the league with 295 interception return yards, a club record.
Collins earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl and was a starter for the NFC team.
His absence at the outset of offseason workouts at the Packers' Lambeau Field headquarters came after he was in attendance there the previous weekend for the team's annual Fan Fest. Collins didn't sound at the time as though he anticipated a new contract being consummated before next season.
"This is where I started; this is where I want to finish," Collins said. "But, this is a business. Hopefully, things get worked out. But, if not, I'm always going to be a Packer, in my heart."
Collins is scheduled to earn a base salary of more than $3 million next season.
He is one of several Packers starters eligible for free agency in 2010. Although general manager Ted Thompson has $29 million in salary-cap money at his disposal this year and plans to spend most of it on contract extensions for current players, Collins seemingly will have to wait in line behind the coveted likes of wide receiver Greg Jennings and Pro Bowl defensive end-turned-linebacker Aaron Kampman.
Nickel back Tramon Williams, who has yet to sign the team's tender as an exclusive-rights free agent, also could get a long-term deal.
