GREEN BAY, Wis. -- T.J. Lang's tears during Sunday's NFC Championship Game weren't just because he couldn't finish the game after he reinjured his broken left foot or because he knew he would have to undergo hip surgery. The Green Bay Packers guard was overcome with emotion in part because of his uncertain future with the team that drafted him back in 2009.
As he sat on the bench with a towel draped over his head and tears running down his face during the Packers' 44-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Lang said his first thought was, "I'm just hoping it wasn't the last time I get to put on that helmet."
Lang was voted to his first Pro Bowl this season, although he said Monday that he won't go because he's going to have his ailing hip scoped on Friday. Had he not sustained the foot injury that forced him out of the NFC title game, he said he would've waited until after the Pro Bowl to have his hip fixed.
As much as his first Pro Bowl meant to him, he was more interested in getting healthy as soon as possible to prepare for what free agency will bring. The former fourth-round pick made it no secret that his preference is to remain with the team that drafted him.
"I just love putting on that helmet every weekend," Lang said Monday. "It's an honor to represent this team. So, yeah, it's definitely something that, it's not up to me, not my call, but I think everybody here knows that this is where my home is and this is where I want to stay. So, hopefully, things will work out in the next couple of months."
Lang is one of several key free agents for the Packers this offseason. Among them are running back Eddie Lacy, tight end Jared Cook, defensive back Micah Hyde and outside linebackers Nick Perry, Datone Jones and Julius Peppers.
Lang said earlier this year that he knew he would be forced to undergo hip surgery this offseason for what he called a genetic problem that has gotten worse because of years of football. Then, he broke his left foot in Week 10 at Tennessee. He returned after missing just three games. He said he won't need surgery on his foot, just more time to heal.
"The first time, it didn't really heal; I didn't give it enough time to heal," he said. "It's supposed to take six to eight weeks, and I missed three games. So this time, just take my time with it and let it properly heal."
Lang was just one of several key Packers who played through injuries late in the season. He and several other teammates spoke admiringly on Monday about wide receiver Jordy Nelson, who played Sunday just two weeks after he suffered broken ribs. After Sunday's game, quarterback Aaron Rodgers even got choked up when asked about Nelson.
"There was a lot of guys in this locker room who were playing through a lot of stuff," Lang said. "I mean, Jordy going out there and playing with cracked ribs yesterday. Aaron [Rodgers], earlier in the year, playing with that bad calf, bad hamstring. Clay [Matthews] playing through a bad shoulder. I mean, the guys on the offensive line battling injuries week in and week out.
"It's just really a contagious mindset, I think, throughout the locker room that when you see guys battling through those injuries you don't want to be that guy that's sitting there watching them play and watching them battle."