The reports that former Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday might reunite with Peyton Manning by joining the Denver Broncos were apparently premature, as ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted Friday morning that the 13-year veteran has agreed to terms with the Green Bay Packers.

And now, former Colts C Jeff Saturday officially has agreed to a deal with the Green Bay Packers. Nice Packers pickup.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 23, 2012

The deal is yet another bitter pill for Colts fans to swallow as they watch the powerhouse they cheered for for over a decade dismantled piece by piece, and Bleacher Report's own Collin McCullough hopes that Indy fans realize that Saturday's departure is just as big a blow as seeing the former face of their franchise introduced as the new quarterback for the Broncos.

Jeff Saturday is owed every bit the goodbye Colts fans gave Peyton Manning.Hope fans realize this.

— Collin McCollough (@cmccollo) March 21, 2012

ESPN NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert confirmed Schefter's report, and as Seifert points out while it's rare for the Packers to make significant additions to their team via free agency, this was an occasion where the needs of the team necessitated a deviation from their usual philosophy.

The Packers did in fact sign an unrestricted free agent, their first in three offseasons, to replace a departed starter. Saturday was a necessary addition for a number of reasons, but mostly because the center position is a rare instance where the Packers did not groom an obvious replacement for a veteran with an expiring contract.

The Packers weren't able to reach agreement with incumbent Scott Wells, who signed a four-year deal with the St. Louis Rams a week ago. His 2011 backup, Evan Dietrich-Smith, is more of a guard. With an MVP quarterback in their backfield, the Packers clearly weren't ready to roll the dice at center. Finding one ready to start immediately in the draft was a risky proposition at best.

Saturday is a five-time Pro Bowl player, most recently in 2010, and his intelligence was an under-mentioned factor in the success of the Indianapolis Colts' sophisticated passing offense. It's easy to imagine him handling his share of the Packers' in-game decision-making with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Saturday is no spring chicken at 36 years old, and his days of being a perennial Pro-Bowler may have come and gone, but Saturday is a durable pro who has missed only four games over the past seven seasons, and after playing in one of the more complicated offenses in the NFL for over a decade, Saturday should have very little trouble adjusting to the West Coast Offense employed by the Packers.

Signing Jeff Saturday likely diminishes the chances of the Packers using their first round pick on Wisconsin center Peter Konz, and it's hard to view Jeff Saturday as more than a short-term solution in the middle of Green Bay's offensive line given his age.

However, not only is Saturday an outstanding player and great short-term solution, but the cagey veteran should serve as an excellent bridge to and mentor for a mid-round selection that the Packers could then groom to replace Saturday a year or two down the road, making this just one more shrewd move by one of the best front offices in the National Football League.

GRADE: A

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