Green Bay Packers News & Rumors

Packers Preparing To Put Franchise Tag On Davante Adams

By Rory Parks | at January 2, 2022 11:12 am

Packers wide receiver Davante Adams recently discussed his future with the team, a future that may include the franchise tag. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears from several sources that Green Bay is indeed preparing to use the tag — a tool the club has not utilized since 2010 — on its star wideout.

Adams, 29, is playing out the final year of the four-year, $58MM extension he signed in December 2017. That proved to be a terrific investment for the Packers, and given the success that Adams has enjoyed over the life of that contract, he is now setting his sights even higher. He wants to be the highest-paid receiver in football, which, in terms of AAV, would mean a deal worth upwards of $27MM per season. The franchise tag, meanwhile, will cost about $20MM.

Once the season is over, Green Bay will have a great deal of work to do just to get under the salary cap, and carrying a $20MM charge on the books for an Adams tag will be challenging. A long-term contract would of course help to limit Adams’ 2022 cap hit, but it will be interesting to see if Adams even wants such a contract from the Packers at this point. Though he said that the club’s plans vis-a-vis Aaron Rodgers will not be the “end-all, be-all” in terms of his own future in Wisconsin, he did concede that Rodgers’ status will be a key consideration for him. And if the Packers move on from their franchise signal-caller — Rapoport suggests that there will be a resolution in that regard fairly early in the offseason — Adams may not want to stick around for the long haul.

Indeed, after Adams broke off contract talks in July, he did not, according to Rapoport, try to reopen them (even though he was reportedly happy to consider any pitches the team wished to make). If the Packers are willing to give him the record-breaking deal he wants, he might be hard-pressed to turn it down, regardless of what the club’s QB situation looks like. But if Green Bay parts way with Rodgers and does not break the bank for Adams, the Fresno State product might risk a statistical downturn in 2022 in the hopes of hitting the open market in 2023.

Rapoport also passes along an update on Rodgers. He confirms that retaining their three-time MVP is the Packers’ top priority, and the front office is hopeful that the regular conversations it has had with him has gotten the relationship to a point where Rodgers will want to stay (video link).

Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams Discuss Post-2021 Plans

By Sam Robinson | at December 30, 2021 11:18 am

By far the NFL’s most discussed player this year, Aaron Rodgers is having another MVP-caliber season. The Packers have the inside track on a third straight playoff bye. But the 17th-year quarterback’s future remains uncertain.

After skipping the Packers’ offseason workouts during his dispute with team management, Rodgers agreed to a revised deal that makes him a free agent in 2023. The sides, however, agreed to meet and discuss the future Hall of Famer’s status for 2022 as well. Returning to the Packers, playing elsewhere, and retirement appear to remain on the table.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst stood in the crosshairs during Rodgers’ holdout. Ted Thompson‘s successor resided as the chief antagonist in this offseason’s Rodgers drama, with the exec’s decision to trade up for Jordan Love — without informing Rodgers beforehand — doing plenty to fuel the issues between Green Bay’s 14th-year starter and management. The parties’ relationship may be in a better place now.

“There will be a lot of things that I’ll weigh in the offseason,” Rodgers said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “Saying that doesn’t mean, or any of the comments I’ve made, doesn’t mean I’m thinking about [playing] elsewhere.

“The things that I’ve said about the team this year, about Brian’s and I’s relationship, has been heartfelt and genuine, and I do appreciate a lot of the things that I’ve seen from the team that are directly related to conversations we had in the offseason, and that was meaningful to me. I’ve enjoyed being a part of conversations that directly affect my job, which I talked about in the offseason, and Brian’s taken the lead in that, and I do appreciate the way our relationship has grown.”

Retirement surfaced as a possibility this year, but Rodgers relented and reported to the Packers. Rodgers retiring in 2022 seems unlikely. He spoke of enjoying this season’s process, as tumultuous as it has been, and said he will continue to play while he is still performing at a high level. The three-time MVP leads the NFL in QBR.

Rodgers’ performance level has again benefited Davante Adams, who is 15 yards away from a new career-high in receiving yards. Adams, 29, also has a murky future in Green Bay. He is due for free agency in March and broke off extension talks with the Packers this summer. Rodgers’ status will affect Adams’ Wisconsin future.

“Obviously, I love being a Packer and love being here,” Adams said. “We’ll see how everything plays out. But to a certain extent, I will be connected with ’12.’ It’s just not like, if he goes, I’m not going to be here or if he stays, I will. It’s something we’ll have to pay attention to, for sure.

“… There’s a lot that goes into it, so it won’t be the end-all, be-all, but it’ll definitely be something I’m monitoring and paying attention to, to see where his head is at.”

Regardless of Rodgers’ status, the Packers have the franchise tag at their disposal with Adams. Although they have not used the tag since cuffing Ryan Pickett in 2010, the Packers keeping Adams would certainly bolster their hopes at another deep playoff run next season. If Green Bay wants to sign Adams to another extension, he was previously seeking to top DeAndre Hopkins ($27MM AAV) as the NFL’s highest-paid receiver. After the drama of this past year, the Packers are set to navigate another complex offseason in 2022.