The Green Bay Packers Thursday terminated the contract of safety Darren Sharper and waived tight end Sparky Hamilton. Ted Thompson, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations, made the announcement.
Sharper, 29, started at free safety the last six seasons. A 6-foot-2, 210-pound veteran out of William & Mary, he ranks fifth on the Packers' all-time interceptions list with 36 and in 2004 became one of four players to lead the team in interceptions at least five seasons, joining Bobby Dillon (seven), Willie Wood (five) and LeRoy Butler (five).
In 2004, Sharper played in 15 regular-season games, with 13 starts, and registered 77 tackles (68 solo). He snared four interceptions among eight passes defensed, forced two fumbles and recovered another. He also started the team's Wild Card playoff game vs. Minnesota.
The Packers' second-round selection in the 1997 NFL Draft, Sharper sustained a sprained left posterior cruciate ligament vs. Dallas (Oct. 24) and missed the following week's game at Washington (Oct. 31). Limited to passing situations vs. Minnesota (Nov. 14) and at Houston (Nov. 21), he returned to the lineup vs. St. Louis (Nov. 29).
Hamilton, 23, originally signed with the club Jan. 19 as a reserve/future free agent.
Want to have news like this delivered straight to your email inbox? Sign up now for Packers eNews. It's free and you can unsubscribe at any time. Click here to learn more.
