Although Davante Adams reported for Packers minicamp this week, he did not participate in any of the three-day event’s on-field work. Adams is not injured, but the All-Pro wideout kept it light while in a contract year, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
This approach could be classified in the hold-in genre, but Adams provided assurances this week his contract will not be an issue come training camp. The eighth-year receiver said he will report to Packers camp in the event he does not have a new deal in hand by then, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes.
The 2020 CBA’s punishments for holding out are stiffer than they were under the 2011 agreement. Teams are no longer able to waive fines for players who hold out. Aaron Rodgers may well go through with one anyway, but his top target is not planning to do so. Adams joined the rest of the Packers’ veteran receivers by skipping those, but the rest of this group did go through minicamp with Jordan Love. The upcoming stretch for Adams proves interesting, given Rodgers’ status.
Adams, 28, has become one of the NFL’s premier wideouts, but his contract no longer reflects it. He signed a four-year, $58M extension in December 2017. The Packers did well to lock Adams down before he had compiled a 1,000-yard season, correctly anticipating the former second-round pick would break out. Adams now has two 1,000-yard campaigns and a 997-yard 2019, when he played just 12 games, and he led the NFL with 98.1 receiving yards per game last season. The Fresno State alum, however, signed his extension before the receiver market climbed in 2018. Excluding Allen Robinson‘s franchise tag, Adams is now the NFL’s 16th-highest-paid receiver.
While Adams has earned a lucrative third contract, it is not yet certain he will aggressively pursue one with the Packers. Rodgers has undoubtedly helped Adams rise to his current place among receivers, and his top weapon said last month a Rodgers-less future in Green Bay would affect his plans with the Packers. Adams stumped for Rodgers again this week. With the reigning MVP not budging in his quest to leave, Adams signing a long-term extension could tie him to Love and/or another non-Rodgers QB1 for the rest of his prime.
Of course, Adams betting on himself in a season without Rodgers would bring some risk as well. Should he opt against an extension, the Packers would still have the franchise tag at their disposal. They have not used the tag since 2010, when they cuffed defensive lineman Ryan Pickett.
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