With the future of his MVP quarterback now secure, Packers wide receiver Davante Adams’ future is also in Green Bay.
ESPN and NFL Network reported Tuesday afternoon that the Packers have used the franchise tag to retain Adams, hours after Aaron Rodgers confirmed he would return for the 2022 season.
The Packers and Adams are “not close” to a long-term contract. Adams openly insisted he should be the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver, a contract general manager Brian Gutekunst said the All-Pro deserves. The sides have until the July 15 deadline to reach a long-term deal.
However, the definition of highest paid and how Adams’ deal fits under the $208 million salary cap are factors that contribute to Green Bay using the franchise tag.
Adams exceeds the franchise tag tender value for wide receivers and would make more than $20 million in 2022 under the tender. Because his cap hit was almost $16.8 million in 2021, his franchise number is $20.1 million.
Adams, 29, said last summer he isn’t offering any “hometown discounts” to remain with the Packers.
Adams has 669 receptions with the Packers, including 123 in 2021 and 115 in 2020 while playing just 14 games that season. He has 29 touchdown catches the past two seasons.
Adams, like Rodgers, also has voiced dissatisfaction with the front office. Rodgers, before returning to the Packers at the start of training camp last summer, reportedly mocked Gutekunst in a group text with teammates and called him Jerry Krause, a reference to the late Chicago Bulls general manager who was seen as a villain in the Michael Jordan docuseries, “The Last Dance.”
In July, Adams and Rodgers posted identical Instagram story photos of Jordan and Scottie Pippen, perhaps a reference at the time to their unhappiness with their team’s handling of contract issues.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins signed a two-year, $54.5 million contract that would appear to imply an average annual salary of $27.25 million. But based on payouts and bonuses, his deal is closer to a three-year, $60.1 million deal according to Spotrac.
