Green Bay Packers fans were delighted when the team placed the franchise tag on star wide receiver Davante Adams. Aaron Rodgers, who announced his intent to return to Green Bay the same day, was undoubtedly delighted to have his favorite target back in the fold.
You know who wasn’t delighted? Davante Adams. Reports dating back to last offseason suggested that Adams and the Packers were nowhere near close to a long-term deal, and that hadn’t changed by the franchise-tag deadline. On the eve of the legal tampering period, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed that Adams told the Packers he will not play on the tag, and the two sides still aren’t close.
Adams wants to be paid like the best WR in the league. He’s earned it. The Packers also aren’t in a good cap situation, even after the bevy of moves made on Monday. Certainly, having your best non-quarterback player in a financial tug-of-war with the team isn’t ideal. This battle of wills may get ugly and may last a while, but there are reasons for optimism.
The core of the issue is the money, of course. Adams isn’t a receiver looking to collect after a breakout season. He has been the best wide receiver in the league for years now, and he was able to stay elite while catching balls from Brett Hundley. Adams consistently produced in Green Bay on a relatively cheap second deal, and he’s earned the right to be paid.
The major complication is what the top of the market looks like for wide receivers. Adams wants to be the highest-paid receiver on the market, and he’s looking at DeAndre Hopkins‘ $27.25 million yearly average as a starting point.
But as explained by Sporting News’ Jacob Camenker, that average is disputable. Hopkins signed his deal when the former Houston Texans receiver still had three years left on his original contract, and his average yearly value is actually less than $20 million.
Even $20 million is a lot for a cash-strapped team, and the longer free agency goes, the more the receiver market will change. Early into the legal tampering period, former Arizona Cardinals WR Christian Kirk signed a massive deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars worth $18 million per year. Kirk is good but nowhere near Adams’ level, and the price will keep going up.
Despite the high price and cap issues, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said the Packers’ latest offer to Adams would make him easily the highest-paid wide receiver on a traditional contract, but the length and structure of the deal are still uncertain. Even with a target number, the specifics are satisfactory to Adams.
Even after releasing Billy Turner and Za’Darius Smith, the Packers still have cap work to do, and Rodgers and Jaire Alexander are other superstars in need of new deals. It remains to see what Green Bay’s financial situation will look like by the end of the week, but many other things need to fall into place before Adams’ future is decided.
Adams’ situation bears similarity to last year’s battle between the Pittsburgh Steelers and star pass-rusher T.J. Watt. The situation looked grim as the regular season started, but the Steelers broke from their norm and made Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. With Adams likely to top that deal, the situation looks especially similar. Eventually, one party had to break, and Watt rewarded Pittsburgh’s deviation by winning Defensive Player of the Year.
Either Adams or the Packers will have to budge, but that seems much more likely than Adams leaving. He may not get exactly what he wants, but playing with Rodgers and working towards a Hall of Fame career is better than a bit more money playing for the Detroit Lions or New York Jets.
Rapoport said, “This relationship is not in a good place.” That may sound concerning, but ultimately this is about business. Rodgers had a much more personal feud with the Green Bay front office last season. The tension has eased after much work, and Rodgers is coming back for a landmark 18th season.
The situation between Green Bay and Adams will likely get uglier, and more statements like the above will be made. But with Rodgers returning and the team in win-now mode, expect a deal to get done. I believe Adams will be a Packer for years to come. It just may break the bank a bit.
