Cedric Benson's one-year contract with the Packers contains no bonus money and a veteran's minimum base salary of $825,000. If Benson, who turns 30 in December, ends up on injured reserve, his base salary will be reduced to $393,000. In other words, the contract is as team-friendly as it gets. It makes us question Benson's assertion that the Raiders and Lions were interested. He clearly had no leverage during talks with the Packers.

Cedric Benson revealed that the Raiders and Lions tried to sign him before he landed with the Packers. Benson had let it be known that he was holding out for more than the veteran minimum salary. Both the Raiders and the Lions realized they had a need for backfield depth but were unwilling to assure Benson a roster spot while offering guaranteed money.

General manager Ted Thompson is unsure how the Packers will use new RB Cedric Benson. "We like what we saw with Cedric, as we went further into training camp, we realized that you can never have enough horses," Thompson said. "What that means, whether he's the starter and all that, that will be determined down the road. We just felt like adding another quality back was good for us at this time." Benson is the new favorite for early-down work in Green Bay, but will share plenty of snaps with James Starks and Alex Green. Green is looking to solidify third-down duties.

New Packer Cedric Benson won't suit up for Thursday's game against the Browns, but coach Mike McCarthy "(feels) he's in shape." CedBen will be ready for Green Bay's regular season dress rehearsal against the Bengals next Thursday. Benson was as durable as ever for Cincinnati the past two seasons, carrying the ball 594 times while missing zero games with injury, but averaged an awful 3.6 yards per carry. He won't be more than a low-end RB3 in Green Bay.

Packers signed RB Cedric Benson to a one-year contract. It's likely for the minimum salary without any guarantees, but James Starks' rough camp and preseason performance, and Alex Green's ACL recovery likely mean Benson will immediately join the mix for early-down feature back duties. Benson, 29, rushed 279 times for 1,067 yards (3.9 YPC) and six touchdowns in 15 starts with the Bengals last season. He's lost big-play ability, but can still handle a heavy workload when needed and could be a clock-killing back in Green Bay, when the Packers jump out to a lead. We still don't like him as more than a mid-range to low-end RB3 in fantasy leagues. Completely devoid of passing-game value, Benson is basically off the radar in PPR settings.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that free agent Cedric Benson is currently in Green Bay and will sign with the Packers.

Coach Norv Turner stated Friday that the Chargers have no plans to add a free agent running back following Ryan Mathews' broken collarbone. The Chargers anticipate Mathews returning sooner rather than later, and they're opting to stay the course with Jackie Battle, Curtis Brinkley, and a couple of rookies behind Ronnie Brown. Cedric Benson and Ryan Grant are the two best backs left on the free agent market. Benson probably only would have made sense for San Diego if they were expecting Mathews to miss a month or longer.

Coach Rex Ryan dismissed a report Thursday that the Jets had "spoken" to free agent Cedric Benson. Ryan said there's "no truth" to the report, which came from ultra-reliable national insider Adam Schefter. The Jets might not be Benson's likely destination, but we expect him to find work after a preseason game or two. The running back-needy Lions would make an awful lot of sense. So would the Cardinals.

ESPN's Adam Schefter mentioned on SportsCenter Tuesday that the Jets have "spoken" to free agent Cedric Benson. Schefter also reiterated that the Raiders and Packers have sniffed around Benson, but "nothing has materialized just yet." This was the first we'd heard of the Jets' interest, although their running back coach, Anthony Lynn, talked up current starter Shonn Greene Tuesday as if he were one of the best backs in the league. The Jets will probably continue to overrated and misevaluate Greene, but they still ought to give Benson a long look.

Raiders coach Dennis Allen stated Sunday that the team is prepared to move forward with Mike Goodson and Taiwan Jones as Darren McFadden's backups at tailback. The Raiders, who have not yet started to practice, want to see what they have in Goodson and Jones before making any veteran additions. Free agent Cedric Benson was rumored to be on Oakland's radar this offseason. We're surprised the Cardinals and Lions haven't explored signing the 29-year-old running back.