Packers Want To Keep De’Vondre Campbell, Rasul Douglas
Two names are at the center of the Packers’ offseason: Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams. While it’s certainly understandable why that’s the case, there are several other big decisions the team needs to make regardless of what happens with that pair. Two such examples are pending free agents De’Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas. 
When speaking with the media, general manager Brian Gutekunst made it clear he wants both players back in Green Bay. Campbell signed with the Packers last June, reuniting him with head coach Matt Lafleur, dating back to their time together in Atlanta. The 28-year-old was brought in to provide a veteran presence in the absence of Chrsitian Kirksey, paving the way for a career year.
Campbell made 146 tackles, to go along with two sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions in 16 games this year. Those numbers earned him First-Team All-Pro honors for the first time in his six-year career. “The season he had, I’m so impressed with the person and the player, and he just made a world of difference for the defense”, Gutekunst said. He added that the team is “very optimistic and hopeful to get him back into the fold”.
As for Douglas, he may have found a home after five NFL stops in the past three years. Despite not joining the team until October (as a fill-in for the injured Jaire Alexander), he led the Packers in interceptions with five, two of which were returned for touchdowns. The 27-year-old also registered 57 total tackles, and put up career-best numbers in pass coverage, allowing only a 44.5 opposing passer rating.
Douglas has let it be known he is open to a new deal in Green Bay, something which the team is also amenable to. Gutekunst said, “to predict what he was able to do for us, I’d be lying to you if I thought he was going to come here… and impact our team the way he did”.
Both players have certainly earned raises over the figures they played on in 2021, which complicates Green Bay’s situation. Despite recent restructures with Kenny Clark and Aaron Jones, they are still well over the cap, and seemingly no closer to permanent deals with either Rodgers or Adams. If they are able to keep Campbell and Douglas, though, their defense would be well positioned to repeat its top-ten performance from 2021.
Packers Restructure Aaron Jones’ Contract
The Packers have taken another step towards cap compliance. As first reported by ESPN’s Field Yates and confirmed by Tom Silverstein of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter), the team has converted $3.75MM of the money owed to Aaron Jones in 2022 into a signing bonus, while tacking on two void years to his deal. 
[Related: Packers Rework Kenny Clark’s Deal]
The move creates just over $3MM in cap space for Green Bay, bringing the total number of savings the team has manufactured in the past two days to roughly $14MM. There is still plenty of work to be done, though, to get under the cap in time for the beginning of the new league year in March. It was reported yesterday that edge rusher Za’Darius Smith will not be brought back at his currently-scheduled cap hit of $27.7MM.
Jones, 27, signed a four-year, $48MM extension last March to keep him in Green Bay through the prime of his career. He was coming off of his first Pro Bowl nomination, following a third season averaging 5.5 yards per carry, and a second straight scoring double-digit touchdowns. In his first year on the new deal, he recorded 1,190 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns.
Things won’t get easier for the Packers down the road when it comes to Jones and his contract. His cap hits are set to jump up to $19.25MM and $15.25MM in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Between that, and the commitments which would be required if the team is able to keep both Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams this season and beyond, the Packers will likely be facing cap gymnastics for years to come.
Packers Unlikely To Take Trade Calls On Jordan Love
A big day of Packers developments continues. The team still has not heard from Aaron Rodgers on his 2022 preference, though GM Brian Gutekunst set the stage for an interesting situation by indicating he did not necessarily agree to trade Rodgers if the MVP requested it.
All this leaves Jordan Love staring at two disparate paths. The 2020 first-round pick could enter the season as Green Bay’s starter, or he could become an afterthought if Rodgers signs another Packers extension. In the event Rodgers returns, Gutekunst plans to hang onto Love. The fifth-year GM said Wednesday it is “very doubtful” he would take trade calls on his current backup, via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman (on Twitter).
“I think obviously during an NFL season, it’s tough as a backup quarterback, with the way we do things nowadays, to develop,” Gutekunst said, via Schneidman (subscription required). “But at the same time, I thought he made some really good strides. I’m really excited to see where he goes from here.”
It obviously makes sense for the Packers to sit tight at present, given Rodgers’ murky status. And Love’s value has taken a bit of a hit since the Packers traded up to draft him two years ago. Although Love received the first-team reps during the Packers’ offseason program, he did not play well in his surprise start against the Chiefs. That said, this quarterback draft is not viewed especially high regard, and the QB trade market may not be robust — depending on how certain teams act in the coming weeks. Love could be intriguing to a team that does not land one of the top options coming out of free agency.
A third option exists of Rodgers coming back for one more year and walking in free agency in 2023. That certainly would make additional Love development valuable. However, if Rodgers signs an extension, which the Packers are prepared to authorize, it would make sense for the team to listen on Love.
Green Bay is in uncharted territory regarding a first-round quarterback. Since the 2011 CBA introduced the revamped rookie wage scale, no team has kept a first-round QB as its primary backup for two full seasons. Of course, the Packers stood as an outlier during the 2000s as well by sitting Rodgers for three years behind Brett Favre. A Rodgers extension, however, opens the door to Love sitting throughout his rookie deal. There is no modern comp for that. The team’s fifth-year option call on Love is due in May 2023.
Packers Will Not Keep Za’Darius Smith At Current Price
Kenny Clark‘s restructure moved the Packers down to roughly $40MM over the expected 2022 cap, and Brian Gutekunst identified another way the team plans to continue its crusade toward cap compliance.
Za’Darius Smith will not be brought back on his current deal, which calls for a $27.7MM cap number next season. The Packers have not ruled out keeping the former Pro Bowl edge rusher, but Rob Demovsky notes (via Twitter) the team will not do so at that figure. Smith is coming off a season in which he played in just two games — Week 1 and Green Bay’s divisional-round loss — and one year remains on his contract.
[RELATED: Release Candidate: Za’Darius Smith]
The Packers signed Smith to a four-year, $66MM deal in 2019. The ex-Ravens edge defender delivered on the deal over its first two seasons, going to two Pro Bowls and combining for 26 sacks. Last year changed Smith’s course. He and the Packers did not see eye to eye regarding a restructure, one that ballooned his 2022 cap figure to this place, and the surgery-inducing back issue Smith encountered stalled his on-field momentum.
Void years would be necessary to lower Smith’s cap number, if he is to stay on his current deal. An extension would be another solution. Smith, 29, is not in the best position to command top dollar on a new deal. It will be interesting to see how the Packers play this, though Gutekunst did (via the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Ryan Wood, on Twitter) did indicate he has a good relationship with the veteran pass rusher.
Green Bay has Preston Smith attached to a reworked contract, one that expires after 2022 as well, and Rashan Gary emerged as a starter while replacing Za’Darius Smith last season. Preston Smith‘s cap number ($19.7MM) also makes him vulnerable; he also has been the Packers’ less productive edge-rushing Smith when both players are healthy. The Packers have Gary’s fifth-year option decision to make by May; exercising it would keep him under contract through 2023. A midseason pickup, Whitney Mercilus is on track for free agency.
Packers GM Did Not Promise To Grant Aaron Rodgers Trade Request
As the football world awaits Aaron Rodgers‘ decision about his Packers future, Green Bay’s GM offered a clarification that could inject some 2021-style turbulence into this situation.
Brian Gutekunst said Wednesday his agreement with Rodgers last year was to “sit down and work it out, one way or another,” via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter). Gutekunst added he never promised he would trade Rodgers if a request surfaced. Rodgers’ kind words about 2021 adversaries Gutekunst and team president Mark Murphy notwithstanding, the Packers being ready for another standoff — if Rodgers wants a trade — would set up an unexpected sequel to last year’s drama.
“That was not something I told him,” Gutekunst said of a potential trade promise, via Demovsky. “Again, I think the whole conversation with Aaron last season before he came back was that, regardless, at the end of this past season, that we would sit down as a group and we would work it out one way or another.”
To get Rodgers to report to the Packers last year, the team took the 2023 season off the MVP’s contract and made 2022 a walk year. While Rodgers would be a free agent in 2023, that would come when he is 39. With his prime waning, the four-time MVP would be a more attractive option to teams in 2022 than he would a year from now. That said, Rodgers would surely be coveted on next year’s market — should this process get there. After reworking Rodgers’ contract, the Packers cannot use their franchise tag on him in 2023.
Rodgers and Davante Adams‘ Wisconsin futures are up in the air. Gutekunst said Wednesday a non-zero chance of Adams departing in free agency exists. While the Packers have not used their franchise tag since 2010, Adams should be expected to be tagged by the time the window closes March 8. Gutekunst called the tag a “last resort” for Adams. But the sides have not discussed an extension since the season ended and had broken off talks ahead of training camp last year. That points to a tag on the horizon.
Rodgers’ status clouds Adams’, however. It will be interesting to see how the outspoken quarterback responds to Gutekunst, in the event he does not wish to return for an 18th Packers season.
Packers GM On Rodgers, Adams, Cap
Can the Packers still have a competitive team in 2022 if they retain quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams at market-leading salaries? Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst says yes, adding that he’s “very confident about that,” (Twitter link via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic). 
[RELATED: Packers Rework Clark’s Contract]
Even after restructuring Kenny Clark‘s contract, the Packers are facing an enormous numbers crunch. Aaron Rodgers’ forthcoming decision should provide some clarity for the offseason ahead, though it’s hard to imagine a future with both players at their expected rates. The Packers are reportedly prepared to use the franchise tag on Adams, though Gutekunst says that’s “not something we’d like to do.” Instead, he hopes to hammer out a long-term contract that works for both sides. By the same token, he didn’t rule out the possibility of Adams reaching the open market in March (Twitter link via Lily Zhao of FOX 6.
Meanwhile, Gutekunst declined to talk about a hypothetical Rodgers trade, should the QB request one. For what it’s worth, he did confirm that Rodgers was involved in the team’s decision to hire Tom Clements as its quarterbacks coach (Twitter link via Schneidman)— a sign that his relationship with Rodgers is in a better place than it was just one year ago.
Packers Rework Kenny Clark’s Deal
The Packers have created $10.892MM in 2022 cap space by restructuring Kenny Clark‘s contract (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). As As a part of the agreement, Green Bay has converted $13.615MM of the nose tackle’s 2022 comp into a signing bonus while tacking on two void years. 
[RELATED: Packers, Adams Not Discussing Deal]
The extra dollars could help the Packers carve out room for star wide receiver Davante Adams, who is expected to receive the franchise tag in the next couple of weeks. Clark, 27 in October, inked a four-year, $70MM extension with the Packers in 2020, so he remains under contract through the 2024 season. His original deal furnished him with $37MM over the first two years — now, by being a team player, he’ll get a good chunk of the remainder in his bank account sooner.
Clark appeared in 16 games for the Packers this season with 48 stops, four sacks, six tackles for loss, and one fumble recovery. His performance earned him Pro Bowl honors for the second time in his career while Pro Football Focus ranked him eighth amongst all interior defenders in pass rush proficiency.
Meanwhile, the Packers could also save nearly $20MM by trading Aaron Rodgers. The reigning MVP has not yet made up his mind about returning to the team, though he’s promised to make his decision soon.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/22/22
Here are Tuesday’s reserve/futures deals:
Chicago Bears
- LB Noah Dawkins
Cincinnati Bengals
- WR Trent Taylor
Green Bay Packers
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
Tennessee Titans
- WR Josh Malone
Pack, Davante Adams Not Discussing Deal
The window for teams to use their respective franchise tags opened Tuesday, but clubs rarely pull the trigger on tags early. Two weeks remain until the tag period closes, giving teams a bit more time. But the Packers are now on the clock with Davante Adams.
Green Bay has not used its tag since 2010 (Ryan Pickett) but is prepared to cuff its All-Pro wide receiver. Hopes for an Adams extension continue to be on hold. The sides have not discussed an extension since the Packers’ season ended last month, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.
Adams played out his four-year extension and is poised to command a top-market receiver deal. A franchise tag would interfere with those hopes, though it would pay Adams a guaranteed salary in the $20MM range. An Adams tag also further restricts the Packers, who are more than $53MM over the expected 2022 cap. While restructures will commence, the Packers would undoubtedly be hindered by an Adams tag. The team also has De’Vondre Campbell, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kevin King and Rasul Douglas on track for free agency.
The team would save nearly $20MM by trading Aaron Rodgers, but the reigning MVP has not yet made up his mind about returning to the team. That clock is also ticking, for Packers team-building purposes. Rodgers’ status will affect Adams’, with the two-time All-Pro receiver admitting as such at multiple points last year after stalled negotiations.
Should Rodgers declare he wants out, how the Packers go forward with Adams will be a key fallout storyline. A tag-and-trade scenario would open the door to more high-end assets coming Green Bay’s way, in the event the team wants to reap full value in parting ways with its famed aerial connection. Of course, trading Adams after unloading Rodgers would mean the Packers would be essentially rebuilding at wide receiver ahead of Jordan Love‘s debut season.
The Packers and Adams broke off extension talks prior to last season; Adams sought a deal that topped DeAndre Hopkins‘ $27MM-per-year accord. He did not reach free agency when first eligible, opting to sign a four-year, $58MM extension in December 2017. As Adams progressed to the All-Pro tier, that contract became extraordinarily team-friendly. Set to turn 30 before the 2022 season ends, Adams is running short on time to maximize his value.
NFC Coaching Notes: Rams, Hankerson, Lions, Commanders, Packers, Giants
University of Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen has received heaps of interest around the football world, turning down several college jobs and an NFL job to stay in Lexington. But it sounds as if Coen may soon receive an offer he can’t refuse.
In one year at the helm of the offense, Coen took the Wildcats from 115th in yards per game to 50th. He also improved the scoring offense from 107th in the country to 35th, quickly making him one of the hottest names in college coaching.
It just about looked like Kentucky was going to be able to hold on to their game changer, but, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, they are bracing for the possibility of Coen leaving to return to the Rams in Los Angeles. Prior to his year in Kentucky, Coen spent three years on Sean McVay‘s offensive staff, and a chance to rejoin McVay may be too good to pass up.
Here are a couple more coaching notes from the NFC starting with the promotion of a former Hurricane:
- With wide receivers coach Wes Welker heading to Miami, the 49ers have offered the position to offensive quality control coach Leonard Hankerson, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. After a five-year career as an NFL wide receiver out of the University of Miami, Hankerson coached wide receivers at UMass and Stephen F. Austin before joining the staff in San Francisco last year.
- The Lions have parted ways with inside linebacker coach Mark DeLeone this week, according to Justin Rogers of The Detroit News. The son of offensive line coach legend George DeLeone, Mark was hired by Detroit last year after time with the Jets, Chiefs, and Bears. They have two internal candidates who could potentially fill the role: defensive quality control coach Stephen Thomas, who coached inside linebackers in his time at Princeton, and director of football research David Corrao who coached linebackers for the Dolphins during his time in Miami from 2008-2015.
- With longtime assistant coach Pete Hoener retiring, the Commanders are hiring veteran coach Juan Castillo to handle tight ends, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Castillo is rejoining Ron Rivera, who coached with him for the five seasons Rivera was in Philadelphia from 1999-2003. Castillo has also spent time with the Ravens, Bills, and Bears in various roles on the offensive staff.
- With their outside linebacker coach Mike Smith leaving to pursue other opportunities, the Packers have hired Jason Rebrovich as his replacement. The 20-year NFL coaching veteran has had stints with the Bills and Jaguars coaching players like Josh Allen, Calais Campbell, and Yannick Ngakoue. In addition, the Packers also announced the return of former offensive coordinator Tom Clements to replace Luke Getsy as quarterbacks coach, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Clements coached for the Packers’ offense for 11 years before retiring after two years with the Cardinals.
- The Giants have hired Angela Baker as a minority coaching fellow and offensive quality control coach, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Baker is the second female to be added to Brian Daboll‘s staff after Laura Young followed Daboll from Buffalo, where she worked as player services coordinator, for the position of director of coaching operations. The Giants are quickly trying to become a more progressive staff. In 2020, Hannah Burnett was hired as the team’s first full-time female scout.