Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers looks on at the line of scrimmage during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on January 9, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
The Green Bay Packers have already spent a great deal of money this offseason, but a major void remains on the roster.
The team sent shockwaves through the NFL when it agreed Thursday, March 17 to trade All Pro wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders for a first-round pick and a second-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. The Packers had locked Adams into a deal for 2022 at a price of $20.14 million via the franchise tag the week before but decided to trade the wideout after he said he would sit out the season rather than play on the one-year contract.
Green Bay’s unexpected move left the team with one enormously important question: To whom will quarterback Aaron Rodgers throw the ball now that his No. 1 option is gone? The rest of the receivers currently on the Packers’ roster range from mediocre to unproven, which means Green Bay will probably have to sign a free agent to take over the position group’s top spot.
There are a handful of big names left on the market, including Odell Beckham Jr., Julio Jones and Jarvis Landry. The Packers have not yet been linked to either of the first two players, though Matt Garrett of Pro Football Network [PFN] on Saturday named Green Bay the top landing spot for Landry.
“The argument can be made the Packers have the worst wide receiver room in the entire NFL,” Garrett said. “No one player can replace Adams, but adding Landry can help soften the blow. Green Bay is trying to stay among the NFC favorites but needs to make some quick moves not to lose more ground.”
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NFL Insider Linked Landry to Packers on March 14
GettyWide receiver Jarvis Landry, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, plays against the Detroit Lions at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 21, 2021.
Garrett’s prediction tracks with reporting done by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, who said March 14 that the Packers are in the mix for Landry.
“The #Packers are also expected to be in the mix for Jarvis Landry, source says,” Garafolo tweeted.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the same day that the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs were two other “teams to watch” in the pursuit of Landry.
Green Bay has not yet been linked to any other free agent wideouts except for Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was in talks with the Packers and a handful of other teams Saturday, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Adams Reveals Reason for Ditching Packers
GettyFormer Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams.
The lack of an obvious and apparent backup plan makes Green Bay’s decision to move on from Adams that much more puzzling.
It was already confusing considering sentiments that Rodgers expressed following the team’s gut-wrenching playoff defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers — namely that he had no interest in being part of a rebuild.
Whatever the Packers’ reasoning was, Adams’ motivation for pushing his way out of Green Bay was considerably clearer. Rapoport reported Thursday that the Packers offered Adams even more money than the historic five-year, $140 million deal he agreed to with the Raiders, but the extra compensation couldn’t stand up to the wideout’s dream of wearing silver and black.
“Final thought (for now) on the Davante Adams trade: His agents Frank Bauer and Kenny Chapman confirm that the #Packers offered more money than the contract that he’ll sign in Las Vegas,” Rapoport wrote. “Simply, it was his lifelong dream to be with the #Raiders.”
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic added that Adams’ draw to Las Vegas was even greater because of who will be throwing him the football once he gets there.
In the end, it was about “Adams wanting to play with Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, one of his best friends and his college quarterback at Fresno State,” Schneidman reported.
Adams got his wish. It’s now time for the Packers to get the best player they can to serve as his replacement.