Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/21
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: QB Kenji Bahar
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Krishawn Hogan
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: OL Dennis Kelly
Washington Football Team
- Reverted to IR: DE Jalen Jelks
Packers WR Allen Lazard Signs ERFA Tender
While the Packers pursue a trade for one wideout, another Packers receiver inked their deal today. Wide receiver Allen Lazard signed his exclusive-rights free agent tender today, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Packers, Texans Discussing Randall Cobb Trade]
The wideout was slapped with the tender earlier this offseason. The ERFA deal ties Lazard up for another year.
After going undrafted out of Iowa State in 2018, Lazard has spent the majority of his three-year career with the Packers. Following a breakout campaign in 2019, the receiver put up similar stats in 2020, albeit in six fewer games. Lazard ultimately finished last season having appeared in 10 games (nine starts) with 33 receptions for 451 yards and three touchdowns. He also came up big during the postseason, hauling in seven receptions for 158 yards and a touchdowns in two contests.
With Aaron Rodgers seemingly recommitted to playing next season in Green Bay, it remains to be seen how much they’ll do to add to their receivers corps. For instance, earlier today we learned that the organization was pursuing former Packers wideout Randall Cobb via trade. At the moment, Lazard joins a grouping (includeing Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, and Devin Funchess) that’s battling for targets behind Davante Adams.
Packers, Texans Discussing Randall Cobb Trade
The Packers and Texans are discussing a trade that would bring Randall Cobb back to the Packers (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). This comes at the request of Aaron Rodgers, who returned to the team on Tuesday morning. 
[RELATED: Aaron Rodgers Returns To Packers]
The Texans signed Cobb to a three-year, $27MM contract in 2020 under the Bill O’Brien administration. So, after picking up slot receiving Anthony Miller over the weekend, they’re probably open to dealing the veteran.
Cobb, 31 in August, is set to carry a $8.25MM cap hit this year. The Packers can probably make it work now that Rodgers has agreed to a reworked deal.
The Packers drafted Clemson wide receiver Amari Rodgers in the third round, but Rodgers still wants his old pal back. Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, and Devin Funchess are also in the mix for Green Bay.
Cobb played eight seasons with the Packers, totaling 41 receiving touchdowns and more than 5,500 yards.
Packers Cut Blake Bortles
The Packers have released quarterback Blake Bortles (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com). In addition, they’ve also waived fellow QB Jake Dolegala, according to Joe Buscaglia of TheAthletic (Twitter link).
Aaron Rodgers reported to the Packers on Tuesday, but these backups didn’t have long to catch up with him. With the MVP back in action, both players faced long odds of making the final cut. Now, the Packers will move forward with Rodgers, Jordan Love, and Kurt Benkert as their top QBs, though Benkert may find himself battle with a fourth signal caller at some point.
The Packers signed Bortles to a one-year deal with zero guarantees back in May. The former No. 3 overall pick spent last season with the Broncos and Rams but saw zero action. And, in 2019, he threw two passes while serving as Jared Goff‘s backup in Los Angeles. Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett worked as Bortles’ OC for nearly four years in Jacksonville, but the familiarity wasn’t enough for him to keep his job.
Dolegala, meanwhile, was added in June to fill reps during Rodgers’ absence. The 24-year-old will go up for grabs on the waiver wire and hope to see his first live action.
Aaron Rodgers Reports To Packers
Aaron Rodgers is in the building. Hours after reaching agreement on a revised contract, Rodgers arrived for Tuesday morning’s practice in Green Bay (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 
[RELATED: Rodgers Wants Packers To Sign Cobb]
Rodgers touched down in Wisconsin on Monday night. Now, it’s official — Rodgers’ holdout is over. The two sides reached an unexpected compromise that will include the voiding of Rodgers’ 2023 season. Next year, the two sides will revisit their situation, which should mean an extension for the reigning MVP or a parting of ways.
The new deal doesn’t come with any new money, which is consistent with what we’ve heard all along — Rodgers’ holdout was less about dollars and more about loyalty. Meanwhile, his 2021 has been restructured to give the Packers additional cap room. Some of that cash could go towards a reunion with longtime pal Randall Cobb.
So, for the time being, 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love will continue to hold the clipboard. Of course, that won’t stop the speculation as Rodgers begins his “Last Dance.”
Aaron Rodgers Wants Packers To Reacquire Randall Cobb?
Add another tributary to this stream of Monday Packers news. Aaron Rodgers is on the cusp of rejoining the team, and he may well want one of his former pass catchers back as well.
Rodgers wants Randall Cobb back in Green Bay, according to veteran broadcaster Trey Wingo and CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones (Twitter links). With the Packers willing to go to great lengths to appease the reigning MVP, the prospect of a Cobb return via trade certainly does not sound crazy.
The Texans have Cobb signed to a three-year, $27MM contract, but since-canned GM Bill O’Brien authorized that deal. And Houston acquired slot Anthony Miller from Chicago over the weekend, adding another new piece to the team’s skill-position corps. Cobb’s through-2022 contract includes a base salary of $8.25MM in 2021. Cobb will turn 31 next month, which does making him somewhat ill-fitting amid a Texans rebuild.
Green Bay, however, used a Day 2 draft pick on a wide receiver for the first time in six years in April, selecting Clemson’s Amari Rodgers in the third round. The Packers signed the 5-foot-9 target over the weekend. The ex-Trevor Lawrence weapon is expected to work in the slot as a pro, which would create an interesting overlap with Cobb’s skill set. The Packers also return Davante Adams complements Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard, with Devin Funchess attempting to return after having played one game over the past two seasons. Cobb also left Green Bay before Matt LaFleur installed his system, providing another hiccup here.
Cobb played eight seasons with the Packers, totaling 41 receiving touchdowns and more than 5,500 yards. After giving Cobb a $10MM-per-year extension in 2015, the Packers let him walk in 2019. Cobb signed with the Cowboys and outproduced the contingent the Packers hoped would fill the void, amassing 828 receiving yards in that season. While Valdes-Scantling and Lazard made bigger contributions in 2020 — a season in which an injury limited Cobb to 10 games — the Packers are clearly loading up for what may well be one last run with their franchise centerpiece. Given the news emerging Monday, it would certainly not shock to see the team part with a late-round pick to further satisfy their 17th-year quarterback.
Davante Adams, Packers To Restart Extension Talks?
Things are moving quickly in Green Bay. News about Aaron Rodgers has been flying in all afternoon, and now we have an update on another one of their star offensive players.
Just a few days ago we heard that Davante Adams had ended extension talks with the team, but with Rodgers back in the fold Adams is once again “open to a deal,” Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Adams “now is willing to listen to any contract discussions the team would like to have,” sources told Schefter.
Rodgers’ agreement with the Packers will apparently give them some extra cap space for this season, potentially making it easier to iron something out with Adams. Just a few days ago NFL Network was saying things were “now in a bad place” between Adams and the franchise.
Apparently news of Rodgers’ impending return has changed those circumstances, even though it seems like Rodgers could still be on his way out the door in 2022. Either way, it’s another welcome development for Packers fans.
Arguably the top receiver in the game, Adams will turn 29 in December and is undoubtedly looking for one last mega-payday as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.
The Fresno State product will be seeking, and will almost certainly get, a record-shattering contract when the time comes. In a follow-up tweet, Schefter confirmed that the newly found cap space from the Rodgers agreement will be used to make another run at an Adams extension. Adams was a first-team All-Pro last year and has made the Pro Bowl four straight seasons.
Packers, Aaron Rodgers Nearing Agreement To Play 2021 Season, Potentially Part Ways In 2022
It appears an unprecedented agreement is on the horizon. Just a couple of hours ago we heard that Aaron Rodgers was telling those close to him that he planned to play for the Packers in 2021, and now we know why.
The two sides are “close to an agreement” that would ensure Rodgers plays this season for the team, but would “help set up” his “departure from Green Bay after this season,” sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Packers have offered “concessions” to Rodgers to get him to agree to play, but the new agreement will not include any additional money, Schefter tweets.
In return, Rodgers will “abandon plans he had to skip training camp and instead return for it.” The 2023 year, the last one on Rodgers’ current contract, would void as a result of this agreement, Schefter tweets. The Packers would then “agree to review” Rodgers’ “situation at the end of this season” (Twitter link).
Schefter additionally reported that Rodgers’ contract will be adjusted to keep him with the same income but increase Green Bay’s cap space, and that “mechanisms will be put in place to address Rodgers’ issues with the team.” It sounds like this is setting up an incredible ‘Last Dance’-esque situation, where Rodgers is playing for the Packers but everybody acknowledges his days are numbered.
Under this agreement, Rodgers would become a free agent after the 2022 season with the year getting voided. However, Schefter writes in a full piece for ESPN.com that Green Bay’s agreement to “review” the situation next offseason “implies that the team will trade Rodgers if he still feels the way he has about the Packers’ culture and decision-making.” Schefter later confirmed in a tweet that the truce will in fact give Rodgers the “freedom to decide where he wants to play in 2022.”
As such, it sounds like Rodgers will be allowed to leave after this season if he still wants to. It’s bizarre and unusual all around, but perhaps also the only fitting conclusion to what has been a wild ride all offseason. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear more.
Aaron Rodgers Plans To Play For Packers In 2021?
The Aaron Rodgers saga may be nearing a (temporary) conclusion, and he isn’t retiring. Green Bay’s star quarterback has “indicated to people close to him that he does plan to play” for the Packers this season, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Rapsheet adds that it’s “the expectation.” It’s not quite definitive, but it certainly sounds like Rodgers has made up his mind that he’ll be running it back with the Pack for at least one more year. With Green Bay’s steadfast refusal to trade him, Rodgers only had two real options. Show up soon, or retire. There were reports that he would seriously consider retirement, but they never rang true.
Rodgers is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, and since he’ll turn 38 in December he can’t afford to waste too many years as he chases an elusive second Super Bowl ring. Shortly before Rapoport’s report, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst spoke to the media and said the team was still “hopeful for a positive outcome” with respect to Rodgers, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets.
Gutekunst likely knew what was about to hit the news wire. While Packers fans (and head coach Matt LaFleur) will now be able to breathe a bit easier, the drama is far from over.
Rodgers’ status will loom large all season, and things could go south in a hurry if the Packers don’t play as well as they did last year. Either way, this will once again become a big issue next offseason at the very least. This feels like a band-aid solution, and Rodgers very well may demand another trade next year when he’ll only have two seasons left on his contract.
For what it’s worth, Packers president Mark Murphy spoke right after this report broke, and said he still didn’t know whether Rodgers would be at training camp on Wednesday. But for now, don’t expect to see 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love take the field anytime soon. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we have any more clarity on Rodgers’ plans.
Aaron Rodgers Seeking $90MM Guaranteed Over Two Years
We heard earlier this week that the Packers offered Aaron Rodgers a two-year extension that would have made him the highest-paid player in NFL history. That report, from ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, was light on details, and as our Zachary Links suggested at the time, it’s difficult to know exactly what kind of money Rodgers was really turning down.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk offers a little more context. While Florio does not know the details of the Packers’ reported offer, he does shed some light on what Rodgers is looking for. According to Florio’s sources, Rodgers wants $90MM in guaranteed money over a two-year period. The $45MM average annual value would put him on an even footing with the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, but more importantly, Green Bay would have to structure the deal in such a way that it would have no choice but to keep Rodgers through at least 2022 and perhaps through 2023.
As it currently stands, Rodgers is signed through 2023, but the Packers could theoretically cut him next offseason and save $22.7MM against the cap. They’d be left with $17.2MM in dead money, but that wouldn’t cripple them cap-wise, especially since the cap is set to increase next year. Jordan Love, with multiple years to go on his original rookie deal, would be significantly cheaper.
Although it has been said at various points throughout this saga that Rodgers is not necessarily motivated by money, the money that he’s reportedly seeking would be one way to achieve his goal of leaving Green Bay when he’s ready to leave, and not when the Packers deem Love to be ready to take the reins.
Between Rodgers and Davante Adams, the Packers are dealing with a lot of disgruntled star power. That is not a good place for any team to be in on the cusp of training camp, but especially a team that has a roster capable of contending for a title.