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 $20M range. An Adams tag also further restricts the Packers, who are more than $53M 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 $20M 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.
The Packers and Adams broke off extension talks prior to last season; Adams sought a deal that topped DeAndre Hopkins‘ $27M-per-year accord. He did not reach free agency when first eligible, opting to sign a four-year, $58M 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.
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