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You might have heard over the weekend that Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $49 million, including $20 million guaranteed. Some of you have asked what that means for Detroit Lions defensive end Cliff Avril, who is seeking a multiyear extension.

Avril and Wake are in slightly different situations. The Lions have made Avril their franchise player, meaning he would earn a $10.6 million base salary in 2012 if the sides don't agree on a longer deal. Wake, on the other hand, was in the final year of his rookie deal and was scheduled to make $650,000 in 2012.

Also, it's important to note that Wake, who played in the CFL before signing with the Dolphins, is 30. Avril is 26. Football longevity factors into all long-term deals.

Not all of the numbers in Wake's deal are in, but it's worth noting the average is worth about $1.5 million more annually than the franchise figure.

In return for locking himself in for four years, Wake got $20 million in guarantees. Last summer, Carolina Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson received $30 million in guarantees in exchange for signing a six-year deal at about the same average Wake got.

We've been through this issue several times during the offseason. Not all of you are willing to put Avril in the financial category reserved for the NFL's top pass-rushers. But Avril's career numbers tend to sneak up on people. He has 30 sacks in four seasons; Wake has 28 in three while Johnson had 21.5 sacks in his first three seasons before signing his deal.

In the end, you can see why the Lions might not be highly motivated to strike a deal now that they have entered the new league year with Avril's high salary-cap number accounted for. But if the sides do agree on a deal, you can expect it to be in Wake's range if it's on the shorter end. If Avril wants more guaranteed money, he'll have to sign a deal approaching the length of Johnson's.

DALLAS -- He had three sacks after one game, six after two and by the end of Week 5, Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews led the NFL with 8.5 sacks. That white-hot start positioned him as the early favorite for defensive player of the year, and we’ll find out later Monday if that momentum was enough to catapult him to the award.

Hamstring and shin injuries contributed to a midseason slowdown, and Matthews finished the season trailing three other players in total sacks. But first impressions are powerful and, in what might be a preview of this year’s voting, The Sporting News last week awarded him its version of the award.

The NFL and Associated Press will announce the official award sometime after 7 p.m. ET on the NFL Network. If The Sporting News voting (right) is any indication, Matthews is competing with two players the Packers will face Sunday in Super Bowl XLV, and if you’re a voting analyst, you might suggest that Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker James Harrison could take votes away from each other.

Miami Dolphins linebacker Cameron Wake will get some attention, as will Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers and Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware -- who actually led the league with 15.5 sacks. But Matthews played at an elite level for most of the season, helping the Packers' defense rank No. 5 overall in the NFL. And although the voting took place before the playoffs began, Matthews’ most recent tear -- he has 3.5 sacks in the playoffs – validates the suggestion that since-healed injuries played a role in his fall-off during the second half of the season.

I don’t think anyone could protest if Polamalu or even Harrison wins the award, but anecdotal evidence suggests Matthews is the front-runner. It would be the second consecutive year a Packers player has won the award; cornerback Charles Woodson received it in 2009. For those who have asked, a team has produced at least two consecutive DPOY award on three other occasions -- most recently the Baltimore Ravens in 2003 (linebacker Ray Lewis) and 2004 (safety Ed Reed).

We’ll keep you updated.

Earlier: ESPN.com columnist Rick Reilly offers a much more, uh, pleasant profile of Matthews than he did of the last NFC North player he wrote about.

After the Green Bay Packers' 34-16 victory against the San Francisco 49ers, here are three issues that merit further examination:

Kevin SeifertThe Green Bay Packers take their turn in the examination room after beating San Francisco.
1. The Packers have another injured starter to replace. This time, it's defensive end Cullen Jenkins, who has a calf strain and could miss "a couple weeks," coach Mike McCarthy said Monday. Jenkins has three sacks in the past three games and a career-high seven this year, even while playing with a fractured hand for the first half of the season. The Packers have a couple of options to replace him, including Jarius Wynn, C.J. Wilson and Howard Green. They could also spend more time in their nickel package, which often features only two down linemen. Jenkins has been a force since his hand healed and will be missed, but it's with some sarcasm that we note the Packers have grown quite accustomed to the "next-man-up" drill.
2. It's time for our weekly list of statistical superlatives on quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He's now thrown 11 touchdowns and no interceptions over the past five games. In fact, Rodgers hasn't thrown an interception in 177 consecutive attempts after throwing nine in his first 222 attempts this season. Sunday also marked the second time in the history of Lambeau Field that a quarterback has thrown two touchdowns longer than 50 yards at Lambeau Field in the month of December, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Finally, Rodgers surpassed San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and now has the highest career passer rating (98.0) in NFL history among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 attempts.
3. We noted several times last week that deficiencies in the Packers' running game was most notable in short-yardage situations, where they didn't seem confident enough to run in a 20-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Sunday, however, they converted all seven of their opportunities from third-and-2 or shorter. Running back John Kuhn accounted for four of them. Rodgers threw touchdown passes to receiver Greg Jennings on two of them and a 7-yard completion to receiver James Jones on another. Also, tailback James Starks converted a second-and-1 with a three-yard run. It was important for the Packers to convert those plays, obviously. But it was no less critical that they put the conversions on tape for future opponents to see and realize they are willing to use the running game to convert short yardage.

And here is one issue I don't get:

Linebacker Clay Matthews has one sack over the past three games, and even that one was a non-contact credit when Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre slid behind the line of scrimmage. He is no longer the NFL's sack leader, now ranking second by a half-sack behind Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake. It's a fact that Matthews has been nursing a shin injury. Is that to blame for his dip in production? Have defenses caught up to him? Or is it the most likely scenario: That sacks come and go over the course of a 16-game season? I couldn't tell you, although I'm most inclined to believe the latter scenario.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The next few days will provide a fascinating illustration of how the Minnesota Vikings view their 0-2 start. After another punchless outing from their offense, will the Vikings push the panic button and give up a premium draft pick to rent San Diego Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson for 12 games? Or will they determine that their problems are too widespread for one Pro Bowl receiver to fix, and instead go back to work with the talented roster they already possess?

I don’t know if the Vikings will agree with me, but I’m siding with the latter strategy. To be clear, I don’t think there’s any doubt they miss Sidney Rice, their injured Pro Bowl receiver. In Sunday’s 14-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins, two of quarterback Brett Favre’s three interceptions came on difficult passes that Rice often converted last season. Like Rice, Jackson is a big receiver with strong ball skills.

But could Jackson or Rice have made a third-quarter block on Dolphins linebacker Cameron Wake, who blew past tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and right tackle Phil Loadholt to sack Favre? (Dolphins linebacker Koa Misi recovered the ensuing fumble for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown.)

Could Jackson or Rice have helped tailback Adrian Peterson into the end zone on a fourth-down play with 2 minutes, 21 seconds remaining? (Peterson, who had already rushed for 145 yards by then, was stopped cold by Dolphins linebacker Karlos Dansby.)

Would Vikings coach Brad Childress have been any more inclined to kick a 43-yard field goal at the end of his team’s first possession instead of pushing for a tough 4th-and-2 conversion at the Dolphins’ 26-yard line? (Childress said he was “just trying to be aggressive” and “send a message to our team” by making that call. Favre’s pass was batted down by Dolphins defensive lineman Randy Starks.)

Jackson would make the Vikings a better team. But is he good enough to make a season-changing difference? That’s the question the Vikings must answer before a Wednesday deadline that would push his current four-game suspension up to six games.

I doubt anyone in the Vikings locker room would oppose Jackson’s arrival, but when you listened to players who have been around for a long time, you realized there is no magic elixir. Defensive tackle Kevin Williams, for one, hinted the Vikings might have taken too much for granted when they started the season.

“You’ve got to play the game,” Williams said Sunday. “You can’t just show up, no matter how many guys you have returning, who’s at quarterback, who’s on the defensive line, who’s at running back. It don’t fricking matter. You’ve got to play the game. When we realize that, we’ll be a lot better. We can’t just show up and think we’re going to win games.”

I don’t think Williams was questioning the Vikings’ effort so much as their mindset. Childress agreed that the “urgency will definitely pick up” now that the Vikings are 0-2. As we noted earlier, only 13 percent of the teams that have started 0-2 over the past 20 years have made the playoffs. Is Jackson good enough to help them overcome an obstacle that 87 percent of teams over that span have not?

Frankly, I don’t know about that. But I will say this: The Vikings played Sunday as if they thought Jackson (or Rice) was on the field.

Favre committed four turnovers, the fumble and three interceptions. One of the interceptions came on a pass behind Percy Harvin at the goal line in the second quarter, but the other two came on passes toward Bernard Berrian where Favre, as Childress said, “threw the ball up in an effort to have … guys make some plays.”

At his best, Berrian is a speed merchant and a good open-field runner. His 6-foot-1 frame isn’t ideal for hauling in jump balls or winning a physical battle against cornerbacks, but that’s precisely what Favre was asking him to do twice in the second half.

The first came with 3:01 remaining in the third quarter. On second down from the Dolphins’ 13-yard line, Favre fired what he hoped would be a back-shoulder pass to Berrian, who was running 1-on-1 down the left sideline with cornerback Jason Allen. At the goal line, Allen turned around and was in perfect position to make the interception.

Rice or Jackson might have found a way to maneuver for the ball, but that is not Berrian’s strength. Compounding the play was Favre’s near-immediate realization that tight end Shiancoe was wide open on the other side of the field for a touchdown.

Asked if the ball should have been placed differently for Berrian, Favre cryptically said: “Depends on who’s coaching you.” He added that “I put it where I wanted it” and while he lamented that he missed Shiancoe, Favre didn’t take back the decision.

“I’ve completed a lot of balls to my secondary or third receiver,” he said, “when the other guy might have been open. I just play off instincts. … I’ve got to make decisions, spur-of-the-moment decisions there and try to make accurate throws. I felt like for the most part today I did that.”

That’s a debatable point, especially when you recall the fourth-quarter interception that Favre threw up for grabs with Berrian running a deep post pattern against double coverage. I could rattle off three or four times when Rice made the catch against a similar look last season, but there never seemed a chance Berrian would come down with it.

“We’re running basically the same plays,” Harvin said. “It’s just sometimes when you have a 6-5 receiver you can just throw it up to him whether he’s covered or not, and he can make a play. From that standpoint, we won’t be able to fix that or find another receiver to replace him. We just have to come up with different schemes to try and get people open.”

I mostly agree with that sentiment. Acquiring Jackson and putting that kind of pressure on him is unrealistic, especially knowing he would have to learn a new offense and get himself into football shape after missing all of training camp. No, if the Vikings are going to emerge from this 0-2 hole, they’ll need more than that. Is it asking Favre too much to recalibrate his mentality with the skills of the receivers he does have? Broaching that topic Sunday, Favre said he wouldn’t expect to change any more than one would expect Peterson to agree to be more patient at the line of scrimmage.

“You’re not going to tell Adrian to do that,” Favre said. “You can coach it that way, but Adrian is who he is. He’s pretty good at making those split-second decisions.”

In their first two games, at least, the Vikings didn’t have the offensive horses to support that approach. Would Jackson change that? Wow. That’s a lot to ask of anyone.