The Green Bay Packers have traded defensive end Jerel Worthy, a former second-round draft pick, to the New England Patriots.
The trade, announced Tuesday evening by his agent on Twitter, is contingent on Worthy passing his physical.
All deals have that clause, but it's especially important in this case because Worthy has not practiced so far in training camp due to a lower back injury. He could not pass his physical when camp started and was placed on the non-football injury list.
The Packers will receive a future Patriots draft pick but only if Worthy makes the team, according to an NFL source.
The Packers picked Worthy at No. 51 overall out of Michigan State in 2012, but injuries have slowed him throughout his career. He blew out his knee in the regular-season finale of his rookie season in 2012.
After surgery to repair his torn ACL, Worthy spent the first part of the 2013 season on the physically unable to perform list. He returned to practice on Nov. 13 and was added to the roster 10 days later. The next day, he made his season debut against the Minnesota Vikings, but then was inactive for the next four games. He played in the final three games (including playoffs) as a backup and finished last season with just one tackle.
He then missed the entire offseason program this year while dealing with a back injury that required surgery in April. He spoke with reporters in the Packers' locker room on Tuesday, only hours before the trade.
"I'm just waiting for the green light," Worthy said. "I feel really great. I've done everything that I can possibly do with the training staff and with the strength and conditioning guys. They've done a great job of prepping me for this moment. At the end of the day, it's just a day-to-day thing. I said it last week, that I'm just waiting for my moment."
