Davante Adams Extension Report Takes a Lot of Fun Out of Packers Drama
By Liam McKeone
The future of Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay remains cloudy as we inch closer to the start of training camp. As is often the case when such a high-profile player has a public falling out with his team, there have been many ripple effects. One of those ripple effects was thought to be the long-term future of Davante Adams with the Packers.
Adams is Green Bay's best player outside of Rodgers and has been equal parts vague and cryptic over the last few months when asked about his status with the team past the expiration of his current contract in 2022. Yesterday brought such an instance, when Adams tweeted out a sentiment that nobody knows what the future holds shortly after proclaiming he would love to reunite with his college quarterback Derek Carr, currently a Las Vegas Raiders.
Turns out that tweet was probably not foreshadowing for a departure in free agency. Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter this morning that Adams and Green Bay are in talks for a big ol' extension that would keep Adams around for a while yet and make him a very wealthy man in the process. Via Bleacher Report:
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Thursday on SportsCenter that Adams, who's entering the final season of a four-year, $58 million contract, is expected to get a "massive" new deal:
"Davante Adams and the Packers are expected to try to come to an agreement on a massive contract extension. He will likely be the highest-paid receiver in the league at some point. Most evaluators I talk to believe he is the very best at that position right now. So, he's a priority for the Packers, whether Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback or Jordan Love. The problem is Rodgers' contract has been an albatross for that team, it's hindered them from doing some other contracts and things they want to do with the team-building standpoint. So, they've got to shake that out first. They're willing to give Rodgers probably whatever he wants right now."
As enjoyable as it was to parse meaning from Adams' tweets, this was always the most likely scenario. Going from Rodgers to Jordan Love (or anybody else, for that matter) is obviously a significant downgrade from a receiver's point of view. But it also gives Adams a massive amount of leverage in contract negotiations. This isn't the NBA, where a team on the verge of possibly losing their superstar will just blow it all up and rebuild through the draft. The Packers have no desire to hemorrhage talent regardless of what happens with Rodgers. It's an organization with too much pride and history.
Adams is smartly using all that to get his money. It does take a lot of the fun out of it for us in the content business, though. The only thing spicier than the Packers losing Rodgers is the Packers losing Adams because they lose Rodgers. Alas.