Getty Davante Adams #17 of the Green Bay Packers warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 19, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The Green Bay Packers roster will likely look drastically different in a few months, but that does not have to be a bad thing.
The most notable, and arguably the most terrifying, version of the Packers’ coming transformation would involve the loss of quarterback Aaron Rodgers who may request a trade out of Green Bay within a matter of days. But while some roster subtraction will inevitably factor into the Packers’ front office math due to the approximately $50 million in salary cap work required this offseason — some of which has already been done — elements of addition are just as likely to reshape the depth chart in Green Bay.
Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky appeared on the Monday, February 28 edition of “Get Up” and encouraged the Packers to truly go all-in on Rodgers’ championship window by bringing back free agent wide receiver Davante Adams and pairing him with another Pro Bowl pass catcher.
“The Green Bay Packers need to try and sign [Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver] Chris Godwin opposite Davante Adams. He’s a big, physical, strong-handed, great-route-running … reliable wide receiver,” Orlovsky said. “And this is a guy that will be so important for their offense in January and February.”
“What happens in the postseason is teams key on Davante Adams, and I feel like Aaron [Rodgers] sometimes thinks, ‘Davante is my only guy, or I gotta try to do so much,'” Orlovsky continued. “Or, at least, that’s what happened in the San Francisco 49ers game last year, and he doesn’t necessarily trust anybody else. I want to see [the Packers] commit .. unequivocally. ‘We are all in to go get a Super Bowl, and we’ve got to get another piece outside of Davante.'”
Godwin started 14 games for the Bucs during the 2021 regular season, catching 98 passes for 1,103 yards and 5 TDs, per Pro Football Reference. He also carried the ball 4 times for 21 yards, scoring 1 TD.
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Packers Should Value Addition of Chris Godwin Despite ACL Injury
GettyTampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin suffered a torn ACL near the end of the 2021 regular season.
NFL reporter Jeff Darlington of ESPN applauded Orlovsky’s suggestion, even despite the fact that Godwin suffered a torn ACL toward the end of last year and may not be ready to play when games resume in September.
The injury, Darlington said, might matter to some other teams hunting free agent wideout talent, but it shouldn’t be an issue for the Packers considering not only what they would need most from Godwin, but when they would need it most.
“It’s just the recovery from the injury that might devalue him in the eyes of some but not in the eyes of a team that … needs to have the best part of its season at the end,” Darlington said. “If Chris Godwin can’t play the first several weeks of the season, so what? If you can have Chris Godwin lining up for you in the playoffs, that is a tremendous addition. This is an awesome guy in the locker room, a great leader, and obviously someone who’s very capable of playing with a great quarterback.”
NFL Analyst Says Packers Should Also Pursue Bucs Rob Gronkowski
GettyRob Gronkowski, of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, looks on during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wildcard Playoff Round at Raymond James Stadium on January 16, 2022.
But why should the Packers stop there? ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported last month that the Packers and general manager Brian Gutekunst were prepared to go “all in” to keep Rodgers and maximize the championship window he affords them, even if doing so hurts the team’s long-term financial future.
If that is truly the case, then former New England Patriots linebacker and current NFL analyst Rob Ninkovich said the Packers should try and pillage the Bucs’ passing game targets to an even greater degree.
“I’d go get Godwin, and guess what, I’d go pitch [Bucs tight end] Rob Gronkowski. ‘Hey, the best quarterback of all time just retired. Why don’t you go play for the best quarterback currently?” Ninkovich said on Get Up. “Get Rob Gronkowski — get him in the red zone.”
The NFL’s free agency period officially begins March 16, at which point the Packers can open the bidding and, perhaps, finally recapture that elusive Super Bowl formula.