Watch: All of Woodson’s Packers Pick-6s

Charles Woodson reluctantly signed with the Packers in 2006. “I’m really glad I didn’t get out of it because it turned out the way it turned out.”

GREEN BAY, Wis. – During an incomparable seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Charles Woodson intercepted 38 passes. In franchise history, that trails only Hall of Famers Bobby Dillon (52), Willie Wood (48) and Herb Adderley (39).

Woodson returned a Packers-record nine of those for touchdowns. Including one touchdown on a punt return, Woodson scored 10 touchdowns for Green Bay. That is tied for 86th in Packers history, which might not seem that impressive until you consider, A, Woodson played on defense and, B, the Packers have been playing football for 101 seasons.

Woodson, of course, reluctantly signed with the Packers in 2006 after his career went awry with the Raiders.

“The Green Bay Packers came with a package, and to quote the movie, they showed me the money,” Woodson said in October after being selected for the Packers Hall of Fame. “Once I got there, it was kind of rough at the beginning, because I really didn’t quite want to be there, and I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that I didn’t have anybody who wanted me on their team, and I was really sour about that, so it kind of dictated the way I interacted with a lot of people around there, really standoffish, got into some verbal arguments and things like that. When I look back on it I kind of feel like it was my way of trying to get out of the situation. But I’m really glad I didn’t get out of it because it turned out the way it turned out.”

Woodson authored a Hall of Fame-worthy career thanks to his time with the Packers. Bolstered mostly by his time in Green Bay, Woodson ranks fifth in NFL history with 13 non-offensive touchdowns, fifth with 65 career interceptions and second with 11 career pick-sixes in 18 NFL seasons.

It’s possible Woodson wouldn’t be considered a sure-fire Hall of Famer without his time in Green Bay, though he didn’t see it that way.

“I would’ve made my mark somewhere else,” he said. “But it just so happened that during that transition from Oakland I was able to make my stop in Green Bay and go there and do some great things. In that respect, it doesn’t happen without Green Bay, but my career was going to continue somewhere, I don’t know where it would’ve been, but I would’ve made that mark somewhere else.”

The year 2021 should be a memorable one for Woodson. He is eligible to be selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Feb. 6, one day before the Super Bowl, and would be inducted in August. In between those events, Woodson and Al Harris will be inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in April.


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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.