Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers warms up before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 13, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan.
While some might lead you to believe Green Bay’s locker room is growing restless about Aaron Rodgers’ status with the team, Packers star wide receiver Davante Adams insists there has been no “negative talk” among teammates as they await the return of the league’s reigning MVP.
Adams, who has already voiced his support for Rodgers since his standoff began with the Packers, shed some light on how the team has been handling the situation behind the scenes during his recent interview with Fox News. Rodgers has not been involved in any of the Packers’ offseason activities, skipping everything from virtual meetings to mandatory minicamp.
According to Adams, though, the Packers have not become divided over Rodgers’ status as NFL insider Tyler Dunne indicated was the case via an anonymous veteran on the team. In fact, Adams said the topic was rarely even discussed during the team’s minicamp workouts.
“Honestly, it’s not even something that we truly talk about like that. It’s just, everybody’s been dialed into what they got to do. There’s enough to worry about with themselves than to be going and worrying about what other guys are doing and what their situation is like, especially when we can’t control any of that,” Adams said, via Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj. “I think everybody’s mindset, everybody is going to love Aaron the same way when he returns, and obviously, it’s been a little bit of a confusing situation, but there hasn’t been any negative talk or anything like that. Everybody’s behind him.”
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Adams & Packers in ‘Beginning Stage’ of Contract Talks
As much as Rodgers’ future is the hot topic of the offseason, the Packers will have to start figuring out what to do about Adams’ future as well with him entering the final year of his contract in 2021. He hauled in a career-high 115 receptions over just 14 games during the 2020 regular season, breaking Sterling Sharpe’s franchise record (112) while also tying his record for most touchdown catches (18). He was also named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career.
The downside to Adams reaching elite levels is the extraordinary price the Packers will likely have to pay in order to keep him where he is. They have ponied up large sums in the last year to extend Kenny Clark, David Bakhtiari and Aaron Jones, but Spotrac estimates Adams could be their most expensive veteran yet with a projected market value of $24.9 million per season — an amount that would make him the league’s second-highest-paid receiver.
Even if the Packers are prepared to offer him the big bucks, Adams may not have quite the same interest in returning to Green Bay if Rodgers won’t still be throwing him passes.
“That’ll play into it, but there’s been talks, really just talks, but we haven’t really done anything or talked about anything that’s worth mentioning,” he said. “It’s kind of just been the beginning stage of talking, and we’ll figure out what happens. Hopefully, something gets figured out, but I’m just there to play ball either way. That stuff will take care of itself eventually.”
No Uncertainty About Adams for Training Camp
The good news about Adams’ impending free agency is that the Packers won’t have to worry about him holding out of training camp. While numerous star players have taken the holdout route to expedite negotiations, Adams was clear back in minicamp that he has no interest in missing out on any of the money owed to him in his contract.
“Yeah, I’ll be here. I’ll be here. I signed up to go to work and play,” Adams told reporters on June 8. “I’m from East Palo Alto, California. I grew up with zero dollars. I’m not forfeiting any of my money that I’ve earned and signed for already. I’ll be there for sure.”