While the new NFL league year doesn’t start until Wednesday at 3 p.m. Central, the Green Bay Packers took advantage of the legal tampering period that began Monday. The Packers’ front office staff was hard at work, announcing extensions and contract restructures while also making some difficult roster cuts as well. With all the commotion over the moves in Green Bay, one of the biggest questions of the offseason — what exactly is Davante Adams? — remain unanswered.
Monday morning started with the news that Preston Smith would sign a four-year extension on the heels of a bounce-back, nine-sack season in Green Bay. It was a deserved extension for the 29-year old edge rusher. It was also part of the salary-cap gymnastics that Packers VP and cap guru Russ Ball needed to pull off to get the 53-man roster where it needs to be.
The extension for Preston Smith saved Green Bay $8 million against the cap this season but effectively spelled the end of the Smith Bros. Ball and general manager Brian Gutekunst had to choose between Preston and Za’Darius Smith. But the choice was always clear and simply needed to be formalized Monday. Za’Darius Smith missed almost the entire season due to injury, and his cap number of $27.6 million just wasn’t going to be palatable.
The next cut was only a mild surprise and an understandable one. Offensive lineman Billy Turner was released with a “failed physical designation” after a knee injury caused him to miss the final four games of the regular season. Whether or not Turner should have started in the playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers, or if the Packers should have stuck with Yosh Nijman, will be debated for some time. However, Turner’s time in Green Bay is done. The Packers save $4.2 million and will likely rely on a combination of the younger and cheaper options in Nijman and Elgton Jenkins at tackle or address the issue with a high draft pick.
Monday afternoon, SI.com reporter Bill Huber had the scoop that All-Pro linebacker De’Vondre Campbell would be returning to Green Bay on a 5-year, $50 million deal, which stabilizes a position that had been difficult for the Packers to fill over the last decade. It’s a great signing in a vacuum, but nothing ever happens without some sort of consequence. As Huber pointed out, the assumption was that the Aaron Rodgers contract would provide Green Bay the ability to bring back someone at the price that Campbell carries. Still, there are undoubtedly cuts to come.
Ball and Gutekunst have to be pleased with how the tampering period started, but more work remains. The news last week that Rodgers intends to return to the Packers was closely followed by Green Bay announcing that they would use the franchise tag on Davante Adams.
The tag was only ever going to be a placeholder of sorts, giving the Packers more time to work out a long-term deal with the All-Pro wide receiver. However, Adams made that formality a reality when he indicated that he has no intention of playing on that $20 million tag in 2022. Adams liked a tweet indicating that he could be looking for a contract more in the range of $30 million per season. Given some of the early money given out to the likes of Christian Kirk by the Jacksonville Jaguars, there’s an argument that Adams could be worth even more.
And then there’s Rodgers. The Tuesday morning reports of his contract were very team-friendly, as his cap hit would lower to $28 million for 2022. That’s a bit friendlier than the initial reports of a 4-year, $200 million extension with a $153 million guarantee by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Ex-punter/professional tank top wearer/Rodgers bestie Pat McAfee reported that those numbers were inaccurate. He said that the deal was a bit more team-friendly, something Rodgers seemed to confirm in a follow-up tweet and when he signed his contract on Tuesday.
While Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith, Billy Turner, and De’Vondre Campbell were all big dominos that needed to fall in the Green Bay offseason, only one of the capital-D dominos that Adams and Rodgers are actually toppled. The exact terms of those deals, the cap hit, how much money gets pushed out, and the nuances of those contracts will dictate what the team can do with the likes of Jaire Alexander‘s rumored extension, the desire to bring back Rasul Douglas, and more.
The Packers have massive contracts on the books because of the talent they’ve drafted and developed. Rodgers, Bakhtiari, Adams, and Alexander could all end up as the highest-paid players ever at their respective positions. Those contracts are for the franchise’s cornerstones, but they do take up a lot of (well-earned) space. The waters that Ball and Gutekunst are navigating are choppy and largely unprecedented. Despite what appears to be a very successful start to free agency, there’s still much work to be done.
