As first reported by the man himself on Twitter, Mike Neal signed a deal Wednesday that will allow him to keep looking forward to Wisconsin winters like the rest of us and also to continue playing for the Green Bay Packers for two more seasons.

Neal emerged as a productive outside linebacker in 2013, his best year as a pro yet – he piled up 47 tackles, five sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception. Unsurprisingly he was also healthy (or healthy enough to play), appearing in all 17 games for a defense at times starving around him for starters. Neal remained versatile enough to line up along the defensive line occasionally too, and is a good fit for Green Bay’s defensive scheme because of said multifacetedness.

As the annual angst over Oh My God What Is Ted Thompson Doing?!? builds and builds in some sections of Packerland, here is one of those important if unflashy deals the Packers lean towards making during this period of the NFL offseason. Opting for the in-house, known player for the right length of time and (presumably) price is just what Green Bay, more often than not, does. (And it also doesn’t mean they won’t do anything differently this year yet, either. Free agency doesn’t have the expiration date of bagged salads, which, you should probably check on that one in your fridge.)

It comes down to specific scenarios, always. And in Neal’s case the Packers added a player who, if healthy, is on the rise after playing a) his first full season and b) his first full season primarily as an outside linebacker in the NFL. The question Oh My God What Is Ted Thompson Doing?!? can’t be fully answered after not even two days of free agency. But by now it’s obvious that Ted Thompson Is Doing Something, right? Welcome back, Mike.